Math Stations and a Freebie!

For the first time in a year, I FINALLY feel like I've got the math station mojo! I have the kids rotate in groups, and <the thing that I love> I'm not one of the groups. This has freed me up to pull kiddos as needed. I mean, I can watch them do something, say "oh wow, they don't know how to do that," and then pull them aside and help them with it! WHAT?!

Here's what I did for our counting unit:
1-I gave a pre-test and divided my students into 3 groups: the ones who got it and are ready for more, the ones who are pretty close to getting it, and the ones who still need some help getting it. Thanks to Marsha at Differentiated Kindergarten, I have these name tags that are written in dry erase markers. Easy to change for flexible groups.

Don't hate on the fact the pocket chart doesn't fit our name tags!

2-Students rotate through 4 math tubs and the computers/iPad.

Tub 1 is filled with shape activities to review our last unit. Tubs 2-4 have differentiated counting activities. Students know what activities they get because the bag matches their name tag. 

 

3-My para-pro monitors the groups, making sure students are on-task and understand what to do.

4-I pull groups during this time. I know I said I wanted to get away from being in a group, but this time it's different! I don't have an assigned group of kids coming to me. Instead, I have skills to work on with each group, and I call them as I have time during math groups. If I see a child who needs help or a group of kids struggling with a skill, I pull them them instead of one of the groups. It gives me SO MUCH FLEXIBILITY to work with SO MANY KIDS!

As a side note, a lot of my activities come from Differentiated Kindergarten's Fall Math Stations Galore Bundle. It's not cheap ($37.50), but it includes SO. MUCH. STUFF!!!! Plus, each bundle has similar activities, so students know what to do. This purchase was TOTALLY worth it  =)

Speaking of activities, here's one my kiddos did this week. We've been practicing putting sets of numbers into order, so we ordered these cute Halloween pictures and made this flip book. Some students did numbers to ten and others ordered numbers to twenty.

 

 

You can pick this freebie up in my TPT store {here!}