Daily Station
Rotation- Stations are a great way to add some engagement to the classroom!
Whether you are trying Math Workshop or the station model, use this time to get
your students engaged. There is no set way to do stations. You have to find a
groove that works for you. There are many ideas floating around out there.
Check out my Pinterest
board to get started.
I found the most success by setting up the stations at the
beginning of the week and completing one station each day. The stations were
designed to be 15 – 20 minutes and followed the MATH structure (see the picture below).
- M stands for “Math Facts and Computations” and typically includes fact practice on the computer or computational work. My favorite resource for this is VersaTiles from ETA Hand2Mind. It is a self-checking hands-on activity that the students love!
- A stands for “At Your Seat.” This can be any number of things, from individual computer games to problem solving practice to independent work, such as menus and skill practice.
- T stands for “Teacher’s Choice” and is the students’ time with me. I generally create need-based groups and gear this time toward a shared need. At other times, I may choose a skill for the entire class and teach a small group mini-lesson on it. Practical Math to AIRR Out Your Curriculum has some great small group lesson ideas.
- H stands for “Hands-on” and is the fun station! This station always includes a game or group task of sorts. Some of my favorite resources come from Box Cars and One-Eyed Jacks and Kamico.
Honestly, the hardest part about implementing stations is the prep work. Start small. Use what you already have on hand. You can easily assign an Internet game, a dice or card game, and a problem solving task or practice sheet from your last unit of study as your activities for the week. As time goes on and you find more and more materials to use, your station materials will become more diverse.
