As I explained in my previous post, setting up these rotations will take time. Now that you have spent a week building some independence you can begin teaching a second rotation. I like to choose one of the simplest ones so I can still monitor students who are supposed to be at the seat work center.
Week 2: Adding your second Center
Day 1 and 2: Introducing the new center
My second center is notes. I have found that it helps students retain the academic vocabulary that is involved with math and it gives them immediate repetition on something they just learned. How involved and difficult your notes are will depend on the age of your students. In third grade we had a lot of definitions, in first grade there will be a lot of pictures.
Model: I begin my math block by explaining that during math time there are several different things that we do. One is seat work. We do a quick review of what seat work looks like and read through the expectations. I then explain that today we will learn another one. We will each have our very own math notebooks. We read through the expectations several times. I then proceed to make an anchor chart of what a page in our math notebooks may look like. Now, I have to copy it. I use my document camera to model for the students how I very carefully copy the notes page into my notebook. I also double check for spelling errors and make sure it is nice and neat.
Practice: Students get their notebook out of their desks and return to the carpet (that is where my anchor chart is) and open to the first blank page. We practice this several times. What direction do you hold the notebook?(I write MATH on the cover to help them know which way to hold the notebook). How do you know if it is the first blank page? Students do not do ANY writing yet. They are just practicing holding their notebook the correct way and opening to the first blank page. We repeat this exercise until we all have it.
(again- if students start chatting, START OVER.)
Execute: Students will get their notebooks, open them, and copy a page of notes. I set a timer and tell them they must use the ENTIRE TIME. If students rush through and it is sloppy, I remove the page from their notebook and they start over. I have students raise their hand and I check before they start copying anything.
*as always if they start chatting- start over. I remind them that notes is just as important as every other center.
* my notes center is often a few practice problems that I would like students to work on. It depends on what I feel they need review work on- or if I want to make sure they are practicing something new. It is another quick way for me to assess how students are doing on a topic.
Day 3: Alternative to Notes
Some notes will be too time intensive for students to copy (and frustrating for those who struggle with writing). For that reason I will take a picture of the anchor chart and print off copies. Students then need to glue the copy into their notebooks and fill in any blanks I might have left as practice problems.
Model: Begin the lesson by reading through notes expectations with students. Explain that some days instead of copying it all they will glue it in their notebook and fill in the blanks. Model how to get a copy (and where they will be found), show them how you glue it into your notebook trimming the edges as needed and cleaning up after yourself. (depending on the age of your students you may need this to correspond with a scissor safety lesson- I make my copies small enough so scissors aren't needed). I then model how to fill in any answer blanks that have been left for me to fill in (make them obvious).
Practice: Students will get notebooks, pencil, and come back to the carpet opening to the first page. No one does anything until every student is on the first blank page (you may need to practice this a few times).
Execute: Once that has happened allow students to get a copy of the notes and a glue stick. Since we are doing this whole group at this point I call up a few students at a time to grab their copy. They glue it in to their notebooks and fill in the blanks.
*I always have two pages for students to glue so they can practice this more than once.
*DO NOT bring copies or glue sticks to any of the students. Tell them where their materials can be found.
Day 4: Introduce the timer
I always have 2-3 activities for this day, so the students have a few opportunities to practice.
Model: I model and review all the expectations from start to finish.
Practice: Students practice from start to finish (you will probably have to go back to the model step at least once during this time.) Students get their notebooks, open to the first blank page, take their time filling it out and then place it open on their desks when the timer goes off.
Execute: I continue practicing until students (or all but a few of them- those students I take back to the start and they spend extra time practicing with me.) are showing that they know the expectations. If more than a few are off task- the whole class practices again.
*For the first few days of notes practice I have them add the center expectations they have learned so far, I also may use notes to teach a new game or do some review problems.
Day 5: Students practice 2 centers
This is the first day students practice moving from one activity to another. I spend most of this time modeling how I want them to move and we teach expectations for transitions.
Model: I model for the students how I want them to move from Notes-Seatwork or Seatwork-Notes.
I choose some volunteers and they help me model how to move between the two as well.
As a class we read through the expectations for Seatwork, Notes, and Math (pictured below).
Practice: I split the students into two groups and they practice moving from one area to another without any talking. We usually have to practice this a couple of times.
Execute: I start a timer and 1/2 the students go to notes while the other 1/2 go to seat work. When the timer rings they switch. Students will forget what to do and when- go back to the model step and review center expectations as needed. I usually have two activities for each center so we get to practice it twice from start to finish.
*Don't forget! Do not monitor and help, the goal of these exercises is to teach them independence so you don't have to worry while teaching a small group.
Introducing any new centers:
I follow the same schedule I used for seat work and notes to introduce my last two centers (technology and table).
Spend 2-4 days practicing that center all by itself whole group. This gives students ample time to practice and learn the RIGHT way to do a center.
Then spend 1-3 days practicing rotating between the new center and ones they have already learned.
Do not be afraid to stop them and go over expectations as a class.
Do NOT start working with small groups until their rotations are second nature. I always tell my students that I hope they can do it in their sleep! :)
Once I have done that I teach the math games (that are for early finishers and days when I have a sub) to my small groups at the table.
If you want the expectations posters I use in my classroom they are my gift to you!
CLICK HERE to download the posters!
Stay tuned for my next post- Guided Math, Start to Finish
I will detail what my math block looks like and what students are doing at each center on a normal day in my room.
If you have any questions or comments I appreciate your feedback!
Thank you for reading!
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