Welcome to my guided math book study! It is not to late to join in! Every week, I will provide the links to past posts so if you are just finding this book study you can jump right in!
July 2 Chapters 1 and 2
July 9 Chapters 3 and 4
July 16 Chapters 5 and 6
July 23 Chapters 7 and 8
July 30 Chapter 9
Chapter 9: The First 20 Days of Math Workshop
I loved this chapter! This gives teachers the steps they need to set up Guided Math in their classroom. Choosing rules, discussing how to talk about math, introducing the mathematicians chair and making anchor charts are all outlined and detailed in a way that makes it easy for a teacher to get started with her own class. This chapter really shows how laying a strong foundation can make math time a success and really takes some of the fear of the unknown out of the idea of Guided Math. I think this chapter would actually make a great starting off point for teachers who are unsure about trying Guided Math. It is something that is doable in your classroom and this chapter and this book in general will give you the tools you need to make it happen.
This is the final chapter in this book and the conclusion of this book study. If there is a big take away from this that I really want to communicate with my blog readers it is this.
If you do not have the structures in place that allow you to meet with small groups of students during math on a daily or weekly basis, you are not meeting the needs of all your students. I know with large class sizes and reduced staffing levels it is getting harder for folks to give students individual attention. If you only ever do whole group instruction, you might want to consider trying some or all aspects of Guided Math to provide you with a framework that allows for some small group instruction. I noticed a huge difference in my students' abilities when I made time for small group work and I think you will too!
What is your biggest struggle when trying to meet with small groups?
Nice! Meeting in small groups was hard for me because it seemed like the other kids not in the group couldn't independently stay on task. Kudos to all teachers who make rotations and small groups work so smoothly!
ReplyDelete~Lucy
Kids Math Teacher
I think that is the hardest part for teachers! It takes very intentional planning and a super consistent discipline plan to keep kids busy when the teacher is working with small groups.
DeleteThank you for hosting this book study! Even though I have been doing guided math for many years, I still gained some great ideas from this book study! I posted about it on my blog (link below).
ReplyDelete-Beach Teacher
Primary Classrooms are Oceans of Fun
I agree! Thanks for participating:)
DeleteI fully implemented Guided Math in my classroom this past year and I saw huge results! My weakest learners made large gains, but I was also pleased that my strongest students made large gains, too. I found such a difference being able to talk with each student in a small group setting. They couldn't hide! I had the privilege of having 1-1 iPads and the children were learning math on Front Row when not in group or were playing cooperative games. I would like to work on creating some differentiated work stations dealing with math fact fluency to put in the rotation, too.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest struggle is keeping track of each student and whether I needed to change their group the next day...it just took so much time! The payoff was huge, though.
Thanks so much for hosting this book discussion!
Ann Elise