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I've decided that I'm done with whole group learning in math! With students at so many levels, I am doing them an injustice by making them sit there listening to me when they either don't understand or they are bored to death. I know centers aren't a new thing, but while they are highly effective in lower grades, upper grades tend to avoid them. Here is what I'm trying this year and I will post updates/modifications as the year goes on.
Rather than centers, they are called MATH ZONES!! My math zones include the game zone, huddle zone, work out zone, and spin zone. As shown in the photo, I display the 4 zones and the order they go on my pocket chart. The students every morning check to see what color they start with and then rotate in the order of the cards at the top. My math coach suggested I structure it so that the groups are flexible and easy to change every day. She was right, I love doing it this way.
The hard part is timing - We set the timer. My kids say time flies during math zone days!
Schedule (70min period):
Check homework, daily problem, and calendar math (10 min)
Whole group mini lesson/Teaching point (10 min)
Introduce zones (5 min)
Zone Rotations (10 min each/4 rotations)
Link/Homework (5 minutes)
Definition of Zones
Game Zone (picture above): Must be games that require strategy and played usually in pairs. The games need to push students to apply what they learned and engage in rich conversations that use math vocabulary. Each game lasts 2 days. I model the game and they play for 2 days.
Huddle Zone: My small group instruction time but with a cool name! Instruction for each group is based on the students' needs. The huddle zone controls my groups each day and which groups I want to work with before sending them off to the work out zone.
Work Out Zone: Instead of the gym, we work out by using our brains and hands. Worksheets and manipulatives happen in this zone.
Spin Zone: Spiraling of math standards happens here. I provide a choice of 6-7 math boxes that cover different math strands. The students can pick which ones to do and the order in which they complete them over the week. The trick is to have math boxes that appropriately challenge all levels.
