Math Work Stations

Hey, y'all! Hope you had a fun fall weekend and a painless Monday! :)

This summer, I was on the fence about my Math block...do I stay with Math Daily Five or do I switch to Debbie Diller's Math Work Stations???????? I seriously couldn't make a decision! I think both have great qualities! BUT...I decided to make the switch and I am LOVING it! I wanted to devote a post to some of things I am liking about Math Work Stations my first year of implementation. 

Some things I am really hearting about Math Work Stations...

*THE TUBS

I found these tubs at Walmart this summer and I ADORE them! First of all, they are PINK! :) I wanted a lid so that everything wouldn't fall out! My firsties can easily open and close the handles. They are also big enough to fit larger items! They fit the big die I use for Roll and Graphs, as well as big game boxes!

*MULTIPLE OPTIONS

I like that there is no idle time! There is a sense of urgency for the kiddos to complete their first task so that they can make another choice from the tub! I display a flipchart during Work Stations that says what each tub starts with. Once the kiddos have completed the activity or one round of a game, they can then choose another activity from the tub. I keep previous games in the tubs that they can play all year long! 

*ELEMENT OF CHOICE 

With Math Daily Five, I liked that the kiddos chose their activity each day. Even though I tell the kiddos which tub they go to each day, there is an element of choice in the activities they do in each tub. It is also a lot more organized! They know which activity they start with and then they know the activities they can choose from afterwards! 

I have 19 students, so I have 9 tubs {8 groups of  2 and 1 group of 3}. My kiddos visit one tub a day, so it takes about 2 weeks to rotate through all 9 tubs. I wish they could visit 2 tubs a day, but for now, by the time calendar and our mini lesson is over, we have about 20 minutes for tubs. It takes us about 2 - 3 minutes to get settled, about 15 minutes of tub time, and about 2 -3 minutes of clean up.  I structure my tubs like this:

Tub 1 ~ Number Work 

Tub 2 ~ Game 

Tub 3 ~ Fact Fluency 

Tub 4 ~ Data

Tub 5 ~ Number Work

Tub 6 ~ Game

Tub 7 ~ Fact Fluency

Tub 8 ~ iPad

Tub 9 ~ Computers

Number Work is basically an activity with a recording sheet and manipulatives. I use these recording sheets as work samples and documentation. Fact Fluency is addition/subtraction activities all year long!  Data will also be an activity all year long--think class graphs or activities like Roll and Graph!

Here is a copy of the planning sheet I use! Click on the pic below to download a few versions from GoogleDocs.

I went to a conference a few years ago and the speaker told us not to wait until next year to make a change! You can make a change any day if it is what's best for your kiddos! So...if you didn't take the plunge to do Work Stations this summer...DO IT! Maybe start tucking things away, buying your tubs, etc and start in the new year in Janaury! It really is SO doable! 

Click on the pictures below to check out some of my freebies on TpT that are perfect for 

Math Work Stations! 

Have a fab week! :)