Math Workshop Made EASY!

 BACKGROUND
Math Workshop revolutionized my math time last year.  Although my class came in almost all reading at grade level, they were VERY low in math.  Less than 1/3 of our class passed the state test the first time.  Around March, I started using Math Workshop, which allowed me to pull intervention groups for nearly an extra hour every day!  With a huge focus in math, I'm proud to say that EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY STUDENTS PASSED THE STATE MATH TEST!  Yes, even my IEP students, my ELL's, my students living in poverty, etc!  I'll have to do a whole new post on running smooth, thorough interventions later.  There are a lot of different ways to implement Math Workshop, and I'm just going to present one possible way to run it that only requires you to make about four 15 minute activities to keep your students engaged per week. 

WHAT MATH WORKSHOP IS
A typical Math Workshop week starts with a lesson about whatever standard you're covering.  After this introduction (following the gradual release of responsibility), you introduce the first two centers for the week.  Students are already familiar with the other four centers because they've done them before.  Then, you remind students of expectations (quick transitions, quiet work, high productivity & focus, etc) and start the timer (15-20 minutes worked best for my class last year).  Students jump to their center, you pull your first intervention/TAG/challenge/assessment group.  Twenty minutes later, the timer beeps, students hustle to their next activity, and you either continue with the same intervention group or pull a new one.  Because my students were so low, I spent a lot of time running intervention groups during this time, and my fabulous student teachers and any IA's I could get my hands on did the same.  Repeat one more time, and your hour of math has come to a close after pulling multiple intervention groups, providing meaningful practice for students along with choice and variety. 

Classroom management is easier because they are always moving to something new and they (for the most part) get to choose what they want to do.  I also have clear expectations for students; if they cannot handle choosing a good activity/transitioning quickly/staying focused the whole time/etc, then they will spend the rest of that week doing whatever I choose for them instead of getting to switch through the centers like everyone else.  The students move through the centers with their table group, which are heterogeneously grouped.  I have one super-responsible student switch the table group clothespins after each center transition so students know where to go next.  This is what it looks like, with Activity 1 & Activity 2 being the only two that are different every other day, this time filled in with fraction activities:

THE CENTERS
The reason I only need to plan four, 15 minute activities for my students for the whole week is because I have four Math Workshop centers that stay the same every week.  You might be thinking, "How boring!  My kids will get restless with the same thing week after week!"  That is where the huge list of options comes into play!  Although four centers are the same each week, there are about a dozen different options for each one, so it never gets old.  I also throw in some random options throughout the year just to spice things up even more. Here is an example of what one looks like:

 Each center has a page of options like this one.  It is important to remember that these are not just lists of busy work, but different ways to learn important, standards-based material through a variety of learning styles.  These are differentiated for each learner and are catered to their individual needs as well as the needs of the whole group.  It is not just finding 4 worksheets for students to work on each week and sitting around twiddling your thumbs while they seamlessly move through the centers.  This model of teaching/practicing math allows for a great deal of teacher intervention time, and many teachers sit at one of the centers to teach a topic more in-depth or to assess students during this time as well.  Below, I've pasted all the text for each of the little posters, but if you'd like a digital copy of the Word documents, just leave your email in the comments and I'll send it your way.  I'll post a sample lesson plan using Math Workshop in a fractions unit in my next post.  Enjoy!

MATH WORKSHOP CENTERS

1               Activity 1

2           Activity 2/ Teacher

 

3            Fluency Development

 

4          Vocabulary Development

 

5            Computer Skills

 

6          Math Journal & Math Chants

Fluency Development

*Practice timed test

*Independent flashcard practice

*Wipeboard practice

*Colored pencil fact writing

*Partner with timed test (one person says the equation, the other solves it, then switch)

*Fact games (set on the quiet mode)

Vocabulary Development

*Whisper read your math vocab book

*Rewrite your math vocab words and definitions on a ½ sheet of paper

*Quiz a partner (one person says the word, the other defines it, then switch)

*Highlight the vocab word in one color and the definition in a different color

*Trace each word & definition with colored pencil

*Body spell each math vocab word & definition

*Rainbow write each word & definition on a ½ sheet of paper

Computer Skills

Work on your math skills from one of the following websites:

* Xtramath.com

* SumDog.com

* IXLmath.com

Math Journal & Chants

Sing a math chant in a whisper phone or write about your mathematical thinking, including:

*brainstorming ideas

*recording predictions, observations, & patterns you see on the calendar & number line

*listing questions you have

*justifying answers by solving them two different ways

*explaining the steps in solving the type of math we are doing as though you’re writing to a Kindergarten student

*summarizing the main points of the lesson

*reflecting on what

*creating story problems and solving them

*drawing your own calendar with patterns