It’s time to change over my math stations for the holidays. I’ve had so many requests from readers to share my differentiated visual plans that I thought I’d get a post out that included them as soon as I was able. I have to tell you. It’s been slow moving around my house. Everyone is in a post-Thanksgiving turkey food coma (my coma is directly caused from a mashed potato over-load), but I was finally able to get it together.
So here is the plan as it looks on paper. If you would like, please feel free to download and print this off for your own use. There are no hyperlinks in the document as I still can not figure out a way to do it on a pdf from a powerpoint on a Mac (anyone want to enlighten me? send me a note). But the hyperlinks are included in the brief descriptions below. Feel free to just click on the pictures and it will send you to where you can get more information.
I have nine stations. Math stations happen about 3 times a week in my class. During that time, students will go to two math stations. Each students travels to each station, 2 times over a 3 week period. Got it? Great.
All but one of the stations below are included in my Christmas Friends Math Stations Galore which actually has a total of 12 stations for you to choose from.
Station 1. Christmas Count and Color: Students count the objects on the mat and record their answers on the differentiated response sheets. There are two different mats for extended practice AND, if you prefer it in black and white, it is also available in that option as well.
Station 2. Cookies for Santa: This activity works with comparing writing numbers and those represented as a ten frame. Students spin to find out if the ‘bigger’ or ‘smaller’ number is the winner. You can differentiated by limiting the number range for students or you can also provide a spinner for ‘even or odd’ numbers for your students who are ready for that challenge.
Stations 3. Santa’s Helpers Love Base Ten Write the Room Fun: This activity is meant to appeal to your kinesthetic learners. My kiddos are so into ‘talls’ and ‘smalls’ (i.e. tens and ones) that I just had to give them a bit of write the room to let them practice counting them. I included several different options for recording their findings and the activity is differentiated by number range as well. Also, for those of you with color ink deficiency, you will be happy to know that the whole thing comes as a black and white activity as well.
Station 4: Merry Christmas Making Ten Dough Mats-This years students need lots and lots of fine motor practice, so I keep looking for ways to give it to them. Who doesn’t love play-doh? This one they make the number, represent it by making little balls with their play-doh or with the seasonal manipulatives I provide. Then they complete the number sentence at the bottom. By the way, these also have a BLACK and WHITE option.
Station 5: Merry Christmas Number Order: Students draw three numbers from a bucket and place them in order from biggest to smallest. I tier this activity be providing a specific number range for each group. They get to practice this activity with the playing mat quite a bit before I give the recording sheet that goes with it.
Station 6: Christmas Yatta! Available in number fluency or addition to 5 and/or 10 fluency. Students turn a card over from a pile. The first one to solve the problem (or recognize the quantity on the card) and locate the answer on the playing mat, says ‘YATTA.’ That student gets to keep the card. It is highly addictive, fun and is super for building fluency.
Station 7: Merry Christmas Self-Correcting Independent Addition Fun. I love a station that is independent and this is one that hits the mark every time. This activity is differentiated so it works for students starting addition to 5 and also offers a bit more challenge for those students who are ready with addition to 10. Students pick a card, count the items to complete the number sentence, solve the number problem and then open the card to see if they are correct.
Station 8: Sizing-up Christmas: Differentiated standard and non-standard measuring fun. There are a variety of response sheets that you can choose from to fit the needs of your students.
Station 9: Santa’s Helpers Job Well Done – My students love this number recognition game because you never know when you’re gonna get a ‘special’ card that will change the whole game.
There are several other stations (12 altogether in fact) that I couldn’t even fit in. But I like to be able to choose and provide lots of variety and choices so its great to have extra. Here’s a few others:
Trim the Tree with Linking Ornaments: Number order fun (Numbers available 0-100) My students love to do this and then place the numbered ornaments on my little Christmas tree in my room.
Deck The Halls With Number Fluency: Differentiated 0-10, 0-20 and 0-30 number mats. Student race the clock to see how many numbers they can name correctly in a minute. The are always looking to bet their best time.
Reindeer Fun and Games: Students Hide Santa’s Cookies behind a number while other students try to determine where they are hidden by naming numbers in the pocket chart. If they find the cookies, they get to be the next person to hide the cookies.
And if you are one of those teachers that can’t ‘do’ Christmas in your class, don’t worry. I have a Gingerbread Math Stations Galore pack too. Click on the link below to learn more about it in a post I did earlier.
In fact, I have a ton of Gingerbread and Christmas themed items that are on sale Monday and Tuesday during TpT’s Mega Cyber Monday sale. Not only will you get 20% in my store, but by using the code ‘CYBER’ you can get and additional 10% off for and overall total of 28% off all the items in my store.
Click on the sales banner to visit my store.
I’ll leave you with a couple of items that you might find interesting:
For Christmas:
And for anytime:
And for Word Families-22 Weeks of day to day activities and posters for teacher short vowel word families:
Ok so I need to go fill my own cart with goodies but in the meantime, don’t forget to get those feedback points for leaving comments. You can use all those points for buying new TpT items. LOVE LOVE LOVE that!
These look like great math stations. We loved last month’s set. I may just have to get this one too. 🙂
I love your math station! You are so talented! Putting it in my cart! 🙂
Love your math stations!! You are a rock star friend!
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