Math Workstations: How to Make Them Work 

If you teach K-3 and teach math, I recommend reading Debbie Diller's math workstation book. This is an easy read, and is FULL of amazing and easy ideas for math workstations. In my classroom, I call it Math Workshop. Since I already have Reader's and Writer's Workshop, I like to stick with the same lingo. 

I have 9 tubs of math games that I switch out to spiral the skills and concepts that I've already taught in math. So, if I've already taught money concepts, then the following week, I put money games and activities into my 9 tubs. I usually put the same game twice, so tub #1 and tub #5 may have the same game. That way I'm not having to scrounge around trying to find all 9 games for 9 tubs. Here is a picture of my math tubs that I use. I bought them at Lakeshore:

Math Workstation Tubs

I love these tubs, they are narrow, light and easy to put the games into. I teach the students how to carry them with two hands to not spill the games out. I also have a Math Workshop chart that I use every day so the students know which tub to get. 

Here is my math station chart:

Math Workshop and Literacy Center Rotations

I have both of my center rotation boards together, but as you can
see, my math workshop is on the left side.
I used the numbers that are in Debbie Diller's book to label my tubs and label my chart. Every day I switch the numbers so that the students get to play a different game. This helps spiral the skills if you want to keep something in the rotation that is tricky like place value or unknown numbers.
I like to have three different games that the students can choose: The first game is the new game of the new skill, the second game is a math 100's chart puzzle, and the third is a set of addition and subtraction flash cards. This way, the students will not get bored with the first game, and if they have extra time, they can always play the other two games. But, I tell them they need to start with the new game first. I take the time to show the students each new game as I add them. I have one student sit with me on the carpet and model to the class what it looks like and sounds like.
I spend about 30 minutes for math workshop every day. I also meet with a small math group and work with those students who need extra math support from me. I have numbers hot glued to the walls around the classroom that match the numbers on the tubs. So, for example tub #3 has to sit where spot #3 is in the room. It's always in the same spot... just different students! 

I also tell the students to sit knee to knee... the same as they sit for buddy reading during reader's workshop. I have shelf liners in their tubs that they need to put down on the floor first and then their games go on top of the shelf liners. This way their supplies are all together and not spread out. It helps them with organization.
Here are some pictures of my students doing their math tubs: 

Building Shapes with Tangrams

Solid Shape Sorting

Geoboards

BUMP

If the game has a template that the students need to write on, then I laminate them, or use a clear sheet protector for the students to write on with EXPO markers. I also tell them to take some tissue with them to their spot so they can erase their marker.
When it's time to clean up, they have to fold their shelf liner neatly, and place everything back into the box in an organized way so it looks nice for the next group. Here is an example of my BUMP games for each month. All you need for these games are 2 groups of 10 unifix cubes and two 6 sided dice. 

If you're interested in checking out my BUMP games, click here .

This is my Lego Tally and Counting Activity. All you need is a bag of assorted legos of all colors. The students sort them, count them, put tallies and graph them. 

Building Block Tally and Counting

If you're interested in checking out my Lego Tally and Counting activity, click here .

I hope you have a chance to try Math Workstations in your classroom, because your students will LOVE them and this will give them a chance to really improve on their math skills with games and activities. And...who doesn't love games? They won't even know they are learning new math skills! 

Love,
Kara

                                   

                  Science Investigations for Fahrenheit Friday! 

Who doesn't LOVE science? My first graders get so excited when I tell them... "Guess what? Today you get to be scientists!" They would cheer and applaud! They would know that they would get to wear their lab coats and get to do a fun hands on experiment or investigation. I do my experiments on Friday and I call it My Fahrenheit Friday. If you haven't had a lot of experience with experiments (try saying that 10 times fast) then I'd like to share with you some experiments and investigations that I've done with my first graders. I like to teach in themes, so these experiments fall under a big umbrella unit. Before each experiment or investigation, I always start off with a mentor text to get the students "hooked" into the science skill or activity. Here are some of the science books that I like to read to my students: 

Science Read Alouds

I guess you can see that I LOVE Gail Gibbons! I just think her science books are amazing and they are so easy for the students to understand. And... she makes learning so much fun! These books are a perfect segue to our experiments and investigations. 

Some of these you'll see templates for the students to cut out and glue into their science notebook, and some you'll see a lesson plan template. Each of these experiments you can find in my Thematic Units on my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Are you ready to be a scientist? 


Beginning of Year:

Flower Experiment: 

5 Senses Investigation using Popcorn: 

 Fingerprint Investigation: 

Weather: 
Tornado in a Jar: 

Cloud in a Cup: 

Properties of Apples
Apple Investigation:

Maps and Columbus
Sink and Float Experiment: 

Magnets: 

Corn Investigation: 

Feather Investigation: 

Evergreen Investigation: 

Arctic and Winter
Ice Experiment: 

Blubber Experiment: 

Objects in the Sky

Shadow Investigation: 

Rainbow Experiment:

Constellation Investigation: 

                                              

Phases of the Moon Investigation: 

Texas
Oil Experiment: 

Rain forests
Terrarium Investigation:

Plants
Tree Investigation: Deciduous and Evergreen

Sunflower Investigation:
Seed Houses

Rocks and Soil
Volcano Experiment: 

Oceans and Sea Life
Whale Investigation:

Shark Investigation: 

Shell Investigation: 

I hope you have gotten excited about science! 
If you are interested in seeing more of my experiments and investigations, click on my thematic units below on TPT:


Texas Our Texas: Thematic Unit

Rainforest Research: Thematic Unit

Ocean Commotion: Thematic Unit

Rockin' Inside the Earth: Rocks and Soil Thematic Unit

How Cold Can You Go? Arctic Thematic Unit

How Does Your Garden Grow? Plant Thematic Unit

It's Raining Cats and Dogs: Weather Thematic Unit

All About Me: A Back to School Thematic Unit

1492: Maps and Columbus Thematic Unit

What's Buggin' You? An Insect Thematic Unit

Apples Are A "Peeling": Thematic Unit

Love,
Kara 

                      

All About Me: A Beginning of Year Thematic Unit Grades 1-3

I know its only June, and school just got out and your thinking ahhh summer is here! What am I going to spend all of my free time doing? Well, if you're like me and you have any down time... you start to think about school! I've been thinking about how I'm going to arrange my new classroom, how to decorated it and try many new organizational tricks and activities to try with my first graders. I'm very excited because we are moving into a brand new school next year! 
It just goes to show that no matter what's going on in your life, your teacher brain is still at work. 
So, if you are thinking about August and are wondering... hmmm I want to try some new ideas, I'd like to share what I do for my unit All About Me. I created a packet and here's some ideas.

All About Me Cover Page

Some craftivities that I do with my students are learning their initials. A lot of students do not know what their initials are, so we talk about it and then we do a craftivity. I read the book: A My Name is Alice. My students love this book and it makes them laugh!  Here is a picture of our initials: 

Initials Craftivity

The students use a white crayon to write their initials really big on the black construction paper and then pick two different colors of squares to make a pattern around the letters. You can have them use whatever pattern you want.

Another craftivity that we do is to make our family tree. I read the story: Me and My Family Tree. This story talks about different people in your family and how they are related.
Here's a picture of our family tree craftivity:

The students color and cut out their family and glue it onto the tree.

I also have a theme center in my classroom where I change my theme out every two weeks. Here's my All About Me theme center:  

My students get to visit my theme center and learn about their emotions, 5 senses, sharing, learning their phone number, families and also get to read All About Me stories. 


In math, we graph many, many different things: 
Our Names
Our Hair Color
Our Eye Color
Our Fingerprints
How We Get Home
Our Birthdays

Here are some of the graphs that I use in my classroom: 

I use different templates for each graphing activity. This is the template I use for the students to color their types of fingerprints and graph on my chart: 

This is the template I use after the whole class has graphed their fingerprints and we record our data. They cut it out and glue into their math notebook. 

In poetry, I have All About Me poems... of course! We have a focus poetry notebook that we glue our poems into. Here are two examples: 

When we talk about the 5 senses, I pop popcorn and we use it to experience sight, smell, taste, touch and hear. This is the template that I created for the students to fill out and glue into their science notebook. This is so much fun for the students! I mean, who doesn't LOVE popcorn! And what better way to explore our 5 senses! 

I hope you got some great ideas to use at the beginning of the school year! If you enjoyed some of these, then check out my All About Me Thematic unit below on TPT. 

All About Me Thematic Unit Grades 1-3

Love, 
Kara

                                       Graphics Courtesy Of: