1. August 1, 2014 Gardendale High School
Effective Small Group Math Instruction K-5 Math Back to School Conference
August 1, 2014
Gardendale High School

2. K-5 Math Survey Depth of Knowledge Small Group Instruction
Number Talks

3. Outcomes
Participants will identify the elements of differentiated instruction necessary to implement small group instruction
Participants will leave with an understanding of 2 of the components of math block (guided math instruction and math work stations or menus)

4. So, where are you with Math Workshop, Math Stations, Math Centers or Math Menus? ?
Red:: What are stations anyway?
Yellow: Not quite, but really interested. I have tried a few.
Green: I have stations established in my room, but need
new ideas.

5. Activity What is a math work station?
Work with a group to come up with a definition of what your group believes is a math work station
Indentify where your team is at with math workstations –red/yellow/green
Be prepared to share with whole group

6. Math Stations
Math centers, learning centers, math stations, work stations—are component(s) of effective mathematics instruction. Textbook programs, including Investigations, Everyday Math, and Saxon, are all including math stations into their instructional models. The model works in reading; it can work in math too.

7. Standards for Mathematical Practice
Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them
Reason abstractly and quantitatively
Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others
Model with mathematics
Using appropriate tools strategically
Attend to precision
Look for and make use of structure
Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning

8. What is Guided Math? One component of a math workshop
Students learn in small flexible groups based on their readiness level
Students practice with the teacher, with each other and then by themselves during the guided math lesson

9. Guided Math

10. Why do guided math groups?
“When a teacher tries to teach something to the entire class at the same time, chances are, one third of the kids already know it, one third will get it, and the remaining third won’t get it. So two thirds of the children are wasting their time.”
~Lillian Katz

11. Turn and Talk
Talk to your shoulder buddy about how math is taught in your building (think about the differences in classrooms & grade levels). Are these components part of the math instruction?
____ whole group instruction
____ mini-lesson
____ debrief
____ small guided math group
____ workstations
____ number talks

12. GUIDED MATH VERSUS WHOLE GROUP MATH
Whole Class
Mini Lesson
Non-targeted
Large Group
Guided Math
Differentiated
Small group

13. Reader’s Workshop Math Workshop Mini –Lesson Word Work
Fluency Practice
Strategy Practice
Conferences
Share Time
Groups
(Guided, Strategic, Discussion)
Lessons
Vocabulary Practice
Fact Fluency Practice (Automaticity)
Strategy Practice
Conferences
Share Time
Small Guided Math Groups

14. Math Instructional Block Guided Math Work Stations
Small Group Instruction
Whole Group
-Review/Assess
-Core Lesson
- Number Talk

15. Math Block •Balance procedural understanding and conceptual understanding •Balance whole group and small group •Balance teacher directed and student-focused
Debrief
Guided Math/
Learning Tasks
Number Talks
Mini-Lesson

16. Differences from Traditional Centers
Math Work Stations
Traditional Math Centers
Materials are previously used in instruction…no new materials in stations!
New materials may have been in centers with limited instruction on how to use them.
Do not change weekly! Change according to levels of understanding and strategies being taught.
Were often changed weekly according to units or themes.
All students go to work stations daily.
Not all students participated…often used as a reward or motivation to complete work.
Differentiated materials.
All students did the same activity at the center.
Teacher observes or works with differentiated small math groups.
If teacher met with groups, each group often did the same task.
Math stations are not worksheets or fancy premade kits. Previously instructed and modeled activities or tasks that were learned during whole group instruction.

18. Math Energizers/ Number Talks
The first 5 minutes…you want to grab their attention!
Some Ideas
Introduce a new game (but tease )
Counting Games
Tell Me All You Can – Number of the Day
Number Talks
Mental Math Pop
The first 5 minutes of class…what’s missing?

19. Mini-Lesson What is the most important element of your lesson?
What is it you want to “stick” with the students?
Look at your unit goals and the standards you are addressing in the unit
Suggestions
Prior learning needed to be successful
Sample problem that connects to goal
Introducing a game/task that ALL students will complete

20. Small Group Instruction
Always start with the concrete (base-ten blocks, cubes, counters, etc.), move to pictorial, and end with the abstract (number sentences or equations)
Focus of small group instruction (all levels) is on clearing misconceptions. Start with what students know, then build from that knowledge.
Questioning, exploration, and sharing should be occurring on a daily basis. Students should be sharing their strategies for solving math problems daily.
Manipulatives should be used in small groups to allow students time to explore concepts they didn’t understand the first time.

21. Rotations– Developmental Grouping Model
Three or four rotations depending on number of students
Rotation #1 – Teacher-led
Where concept is taught.
Differentiate according to group’s needs
Rotation #2 – Journal/Worksheet
Students work together and have to reach consensus on answers
Rotation #3 – Game
Connected to that lesson or prior lesson
Can be differentiated to meet needs of learners
Optional Rotation #4 – Computers/Game/Fact Fluency
Bender

22. Rotations – Math Work Station Model
Two rotations
Materials are used by teacher and students during instruction first.
Materials change to reflect students’ levels of math understanding, strategies being taught, and topics being studied.
Students are working in pairs
Hickey/Kindergarten

23. Rotations – Guided Math Model
Three groups with two rotations a day for three days with whole class starting and ending week.
Groups are homogeneous and change based on formative data
Activities for each group are based on needs of students
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Whole Class A B C
Teacher
Activity
Computer
Activity/ Computer
Hills

24. Student Share/Reflection
Students brought back together to share what they learned
What do you know now that you didn’t know?
What math did you do today? (if following guided math model or work stations, opportunity for students to share since they are not all doing the same thing)
Connect back to the mini-lesson

25. Where Do I Begin???

26. Let’s watch a video

27. What Now? Decide on rules and routines Set up groups Create a schedule
Develop accountability form
Plan guided math lessons
Design workstations

28. 3, 2, 1, Exit Ticket
3 Things you will do to prepare for an effective math block in your classroom
2 Things you discovered about an effective math block
1 Question you still have

29. Math Work Stations Resources
- my website links out to most of these sites and the math stations activities
- this is by grade level – you change the tabs at the top for your grade level

30. Math Work Stations Resources

31. References Bush, K. Holland Elementary kbess@spsmail.org Deborah Kramb
Pitner Elementary School
Norman, J –Cowden Elementary
November 2009
Spruiell, K. (2010). The Road to Guided Math-How to Get Your Engine Started and Take Off Down the Road. GCTM