Reflect
Read the center overview page linked below and then take a look at the MANY centers linked on our new math site. Choose one (or four!😉) centers recommended for your grade level and play it with someone!
Consider
- What are your thoughts about incorporating centers into your math time? How might you organize them so that they are manageable for you and easy for your students to access?
- What center did you play? What did you think of it?
Respond and Interact
After exploring some of the centers, please post your response to one {or more} of the prompts above. Read our colleagues' reflections. Feel free to respond to someone by sharing a comment, insight or interesting possibility.
Math games have always been a highlight for my students. It sounds like there's even more opportunity for this in IM. I know I'm going to have to let go of my preference for heavier direct instruction, but I'm excited to see the effect of more center/game time! For organizaiton, I'm going to follow my math lead's example and use the Ikea Trofast shelving https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/trofast-frame-white-30171123/. I looked at Capture the Squares. I think this will be a popular center as it combines computation and strategy.
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of the idea of having centers in the classroom. I think that allowing more time for center work will strengthen students' understanding of the content as they are having more of a hands-on learning experience. I also love that once you teach a center, students can use this center at different times throughout the day (free choice, WIN time, indoor recess, etc.). I looked at the center called "Shake and Spill". I think students will enjoy this center as they seem to love anything that resembles a game and gets them moving a little bit. In terms of organizing the centers for each unit section, I am thinking of either using scrapbook containers for each center and switching them out, or using the Trofast shelving system that Sarah mentioned if there is space in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteI taught iM in kindergarten this year. Preparing the centers and keeping them organized was one of the most time-consuming parts of teaching this new curriculum. The way they are introduced, assumes that students already know how to play a game, solve problems and have stamina. Those things need to be taught alongside the procedure for each game. The classroom needs to have a system for partners to be formed and for which center will be played. I let my center time be pretty free.... students were able to choose who they'd like to play with and which center they'd like to choose each day. I think that decision depends on each class and their needs though. Also, I began to make my own timeline for centers becoming a choice. In iM, there will be part of the lesson that introduces the game and the next day that center is in the mix of options for kids. I found that students did not understand or use the centers correctly when they did not get more instruction and practice. So, I would introduce the center (whole group) when it said to do so in the lessons. Then, I would use the center time the following day to have all students play that center with a partner This game me a chance to go around and see how they were doing with it and I could bring them back to clear up any misconceptions and parts of the games that needed more explanation. I sometimes had a few days of everyone playing the new center. When I felt confident that students understood the center, then it would be put into the center area as a choice. The game that I saw students enjoy the most was stage 6 of pattern blocks. I don't think it is in other grade levels but if you have pattern blocks, I can see first and second graders loving it too. The students would use a template of a big shape (example a big hexagon). Students take turns placing a pattern block in the area to complete the puzzle. The student who places the last pattern block wins. It was so fun to see them begin to strategize how they could be the last one to place a shape in the provided space!
ReplyDeleteI couldn’t access the district’s page of center ideas, but that is okay since my grade level (preschool) is probably not there. Centers are a huge part of the preschool experience! Generally I give students time to play freely with the materials (manipulatives, pattern blocks, number tiles, etc.). Then an adult shows the students some things they might do with the materials and tries to expand their thinking. The materials are then placed in a center where the kids can access them. We often hear kids explaining rules or ideas to other students. When interest dies down, I remove the materials, and then bring them back out a couple of months later. At that point, the kids seem to make jumps in what they are able to do, and some other students who may have been uninterested before, are ready to give the activities a try. If they were introduced to a concept previously, like adding groups, they are likely to do this independently the second time through. I usually organize them in baskets on low shelves so that kids can carry them to the table. For some activities, I set them up on the table in a way that the kids find engaging as soon as they walk in the room and see them.
ReplyDeleteI think that incorporating centers into daily lessons is great. This way students can have hands-on experiences with the new concepts. I typically provided math games for students to play on Fridays to wind up the math learning for the week. I see using this curriculum as a chance to do this daily. I know that by gamifying concepts, students don’t realize that they are learning while they are playing! I am interested in seeing how much time these centers will take to keep organized on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteIncorporating games and centers is a great way to make learning engaging and fun, and first graders love the social aspect of playing games! Games and centers allow for additional discussion about math between students, which will continue to solidify their mathematical understanding. I introduced Capture Squares to my class last year when I was “dipping my toes in.” The students really liked the game and continued to want to play it over time. Today I looked at a few other games that are for first graders, and found there is a variety of tasks that students will be asked to do. That should keep things interesting and fresh as we work our way through the IM units. I like the way that each game has different stages. This will be helpful for differentiating when students need extra challenge or extra support and reteaching. Thanks for the ideas for organization! I have 6 art bins that I intend to use, but I love seeing other ways that might work even better.
ReplyDeleteI really love the idea of adding centers to our math block. Playing "games" to learn math will keep the students really engaged. I bought a rolling cart similar to the IKEA one listed above to organize my centers and supplies. I made little grab and go center bags with dice, two whiteboard markers and erasers to start. I anticipate adding and changing manipulatives throughout the lessons. I was very lucky to have many volunteers this year so I have the cards cut and ready in my filing cabinet by lesson. I plan to put each center in a drawer, so they are easy to grab. I definitely think it will be a trial and error system as I find out what works best for me and my students. I looked at the game Compare, Stage One. This seems like a fun game and a great way for students to work on their fact fluency and the concept of comparing numbers.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Kelly that it will be trial and error to find a system that will work for students to use with ease then be able to put the centers back so others can use them without a hassle!
DeleteHaving students play math games is such a fun way to reinforce math concepts! I talked with some teachers that plan to introduce math games on Fridays for the math of the week since in 3rd grade it not part of the lesson time. Students can play to get the understanding of the games then add them to their repertoire of math games for when they have a bit of extra math time or free choice time.
ReplyDeleteThe game I played with our team was Secret Fraction. It was fun and made us think about fractions at the level of our teaching. I think the students will enjoy the game :-) I have started to organize the math centers with the zipper plastic pouches from Amazon, so far they have been working well for the organizing, we'll see how well it works for student retrieval, playing and putting back for others to use!!
I love that my students are playing with and interacting with math manipulatives. This has always been the fun part of math for my students. I am concerned with how to store and organize my materials, but have a plan to buy some more furniture to organize the new manipulatives. I looked at the kindergarten-specific centers and found them to be fun and engaging for students. I'm excited to get going on this part, and to see how the centers fit into my math block, or where else they may also land.
ReplyDeleteI am excited about the idea of incorporating the math centers into the classroom daily math routine. In the past, we have taught games and used them to make math fun and engaging while also reinforcing math concepts. I love the idea of the center time being built into the math lesson/block and something students will be doing daily. I think the organization and implementation of the games will take time, especially at the start of the year. Younger students will need support in learning how to choose a center, take out materials, use materials appropriately, clean up materials, etc. It’s going to take some time and flexibility as we teach the structure and expectations during math centers. Some ideas I’m already thinking about are how to pair/group students (set pairs vs they pick), organization, storage and prep. To be completely honest, we started prepping and using some of the centers toward the end of the year just to “dip our toes in” the curriculum. It was definitely overwhelming with the amount of prep work each game took to get ready plus the organization and storage, despite already having the copies made (thank you for that!). The students enjoyed Shake and Spill, What’s Behind My Back, and Roll and Add. Because it was later in the school year, it was easier to teach the centers and have students utilize them because routines and structures were already in place. I think it might be a little trial by error as we see what works in each classroom and with each group of students, especially at the start of the school year. I am going to keep the words “be flexible” at the top of my list while figuring out the math centers with my students.
ReplyDeleteMath games were always the high point of the lesson for my students this past year while teaching IM. As I watched their excitement and the growth of how the students could add or subtract double digit numbers because of playing these games, it made me a true believer in their importance. The students’ fluency and mental math skills are a direct result of playing these games. If I ran out of time during my math block, I used the games as morning work/entry task to start the day. This made a perfect transition into the math block. I experimented with 2 different ways to store the games, one in big bins with labels and the other in a rolling cart with drawers and labels. For next year, I am trying something different (again). I have an IKEA set up that has deeper drawers. My students loved Capture the Squares and 5 in a Row. The game, 5 in a Row, transitions nicely through each stage to incorporate what we are learning as the lessons progress and move from adding, to subtracting, to adding 2-digit numbers. It was always a ‘go to’ game for my students so I know they loved it.
ReplyDeleteIn my past instruction I had math choices after the math lesson. Students have always loved time to play math games and implement in the math instruction they have learned. I played five in a row and a few other IM games with my students. I am looking forward to all of these great games. I can see how instruction on how to play, and organizing materials could be time consuming. I am thinking that I will use stacking plastic bins to hold the games. I have used similar containers for math manipulatives and the students managed them pretty well. I played capture squares. I thought this was a fun game that reinforced math skills. I agree it will be important to play whole group, model skills, and reteach if needed. Students in first grade will likely also need several times to play games before being confident playing independently.
ReplyDeleteI have adopted the term "Be Flexible" in my classroom and this program is certainly going to be a test in flexibility for me! I absolutely love using math centers to reinforce mathematical concepts and thinking...it's the students' favorite time of day. I think that the incorporation of centers in each lesson is going to be what students will really buy into. We dabbled in some of the IM centers in June this year, just to sample what it was going to be like. What's Behind My Back and Shake and Spill were favorites! There is a lot to manage...the game boards, the manipulatives, the consumables...and that does concern me. We've talked as a grade level about really leaning on each other and sharing what works for one to help the others...it takes a village!
ReplyDeleteThe Centers have been a hit in our early implementers' classrooms. The kids don't want to quit playing. 😊 I especially love how the centers meet the needs of most (if not all) of our math learners. Our students who tend to struggle with math can find entry points and the centers offer our high achieving mathematicians opportunities to go deeper with the content and really THINK as they strategize.
ReplyDeleteBefore IM, was already having math centers during my math rotation. however, they were all games and resources I either bought on teachers pay teachers or used lakeshore math games. I am excited to use resources that are already created and math aligned. I am hoping to keep it in the rotation I have already created in my classroom, but we will see if that will flow the same way.
ReplyDeletethree centers I loved for kindergarten were;
1. counting collections (which i haven't done in K before)
2. 5 frames (already have done sometihng like this)
3. check it off ( I can't wait to try!)
Math games have always been my favorite! I am so excited that IM has Math Centers built into the first grade lessons. I cannot wait to see the kids interact, collaborate while seeing and hearing their thinking. I played the Grab and Count, Geoblocks,and Five In a Row Addition. They were all so fun and engaging! It makes me happy that these are set up so every student can do any center and feel successful. Still trying to think how I am going to store and manage all of them, but have been given some wonderful advice and ideas from our grade level teacher who taught it this past year.
ReplyDeleteMath centers have always been a huge part of my math block, but now they are a foundation of our new curriculum! My students would looked forward to playing games with a different classmate each day, and I wholeheartedly believe it helped our classroom community greatly. Daily random partner pairings gave my students the opportunity to work with peers that may not have “chosen” and in turn, created friendships that my not have blossomed organically. Additionally, my students’ flexibility in their fluency and mental math skills were unlike any other year. This year I stored my math games in bins with each kid having their own math toolkit. I tried many different storage solutions, never finding one that worked perfectly. This year I plan to get a rolling cart with bigger drawers for their toolkits and manipulatives, with smaller drawers for the game boards. My students loved the games Target Numbers and Five in a Row.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea, Cindy! I started using the online games (when available) to model the games and my students seemed much more engaged!
ReplyDeleteI am excited to have math centers that align to the curriculum! Math games are so much fun and last year my students often asked “when is math” after playing math games. I am looking forward to my students feeling like that a lot more often. I think it is great that the center time is built into the lesson for kindergarten. I did try a few of the centers last year and they were fun for my class. I also heard a lot about centers and how much the students liked it from teachers piloting the program. I played math fingers. I plan to organize in draws or get some more of the ikea shelving.
ReplyDeleteI have a collection of math games from my year of teaching out of state. When I moved to Tahoma, I used these games when I could fit them in with our past math curriculum. I am excited to have designated time in IM for math games/centers. I appreciate the time it took to update our district K-5 Mate Site centers. It was easy for me to navigate. I tried out some of them with my three-year-old twins at home (5 Frames stage 2 subtraction, Shake and Spill stage 1, Picture Books stage 1, Grab & Count stage 1, Pattern Blocks stage 1, and sorting groups of objects). The first one I tried was 5 Frames. The materials called for a cube to roll so my brain thought 'we have a dice.' Then immediately Koah rolled a 6 and there were only 5 objects in boxes. Oops...now I get why the directions didn't say 'dice.' As far as organizing, I think this might be trial and error until I figure out what works best for my students, me, and classroom arrangement. I do plan on using "activities money" to order mesh zipper bags (for example: Mifflin-USA Mesh Zipper Pouch Document Bag) to put each set of bingo cards and bingo mats. That game seemed like a lot to keep organized. I already trimmed the bingo mats and laminated each set on a different colored paper background to help keep the sets together. I saw this idea online and the person's blog said it was more time upfront, but saves lots of time later when keeping the game organized.
ReplyDeleteI teach 1st grade, so having the centers be part of our regular math routine and math block will be helpful. In the past, I have had centers or math games at the end of my math block, but not all students got to participate (if they were still finishing their current math work, or working one on one or small group with me). I am glad this is part of the lesson, so all students can participate. I am toying with a few different organizational ideas, I will need to see how they work out, and pick one that works with my group.
ReplyDeleteI played Greatest of Them All and I really like it! I think these centers will be fun for our kiddos to learn and then play, even once we have moved onto a new concept with new centers.