Guided math rotations and math centers are a favorite time of day in my first grade classroom! Today I’m sharing all of my favorite Guided math center rotation ideas for first grade and tips for setting up and running math rotations efficiently!
Some questions I always hear about math rotations include:
- How do I group my students? How many math groups should I have?
- How many math centers should students complete each day?
- What math center activities should I choose?
- How do I organize my math centers?
This post will answer ALL of those questions and more!
Want MORE info about Guided Math and Getting it started in your classroom? Check out this blog series!
- Part 1: Getting Started with Guided Math
- Part 2: Launching Guided Math at the Beginning of the Year
- Part 3: The Math Mini Lesson
- Part 4: Small Group Instruction: Everything You Need to Know
- BONUS: 4 Tips for Managing Math Centers
Guided Math Schedule
I use a Guided Math structure to schedule my math block! Math rotations are an important component. After our whole group mini lesson (which is usually about 15 minutes long), we start our rotations.
We spend about 45 minutes a day working in our math rotations. My students rotate through 3 rounds of stations each day and spend about about 15 minutes at each of the stations.
- Teacher Table
- Hands-on Math Tub
- Independent Work / Technology
Grouping students for math rotations
In my first grade classroom, I have 3 different math groups. This gives me enough time to meet with all of my groups at my teacher table for a small group guided math lesson each day! Read more about our small group lessons here!
How do I group my students?
My guided math groups are:
- Flexible – they change often!
- Ability-based – this allows for maximum differentiation during small group time!
I use data from our district online math program to group my students for each of our math units. That means my groups change frequently!
Before having this program, I’ve also given quick pre-checks or assessments before each math unit. I use the results to group my students into 3 groups.
How to display my Guided Math Rotations?
I love using a digital rotation board to display my groups for math stations on my smart board. My groups are always changing so it was important to find an easy way to switch around my students!
This station board helps my students to easily see which station they should be at and where they are going next! It has made such a huge difference in their independence!
It is also a lot less work for me to create this on my computer rather than a paper chart. I can easily make adjustments to my stations and my groups when I need to! Plus less cutting and laminating!
Students have a math partner that they work together on their math tub activity with. I put their names next to each other on the board! I also use a number next to their names to indicate which math tub they will work on that day (more on that later!)
You can find my Digital Center Rotation Slides here!
Guided Math Tubs – Hands-On Math Centers
Each day, one station my students visit is Math Tubs. In my classroom, I have 4 different math tub activities. Some of these activities change each week, while others stay the same! (I’ll share more about that below!)
We do math rotations on Monday-Thursday. Friday is a flex day for re-teaching, assessments, and other math projects! Also, if we had schedule changes at any point in the week that caused us to miss math rotations, it gives me the flexibility to push them to Friday!
Because we have 4 days of rotations, students work with their math partner on 1 Math Tub each day. By the end of the week they will have completed all 4 math tub activities.
When it’s time for students to visit the Math Tub station, they grab their tub (they can check the board to see which number tub they are working on that day- the tub number will be next to their names!) with their partner and find a spot in the room to work. Students are allowed to choose any spot they would like as long as they are not too close to another group. Some partners like to choose a spot on the floor while others prefer working at a table!
I always include everything students need for the math center activity inside the math tub, such as game pieces, manipulatives, clipboards, dry erase markers, etc! That way, once students choose a spot, they don’t need to get back up for supplies.
What Math Center activities should I choose?
When planning my math centers, I want to make sure the activities are engaging for my students! I also want them to be practicing and reviewing important skills; NOT just doing busy work!
I always make sure to choose activities or games that focus on review skills for my students. We save brand new skills for mini lessons and teacher table activities. This helps them to be able to be successful and work independently.
I also like to re-use activities that we worked on together at the teacher table during a previous week. This works perfectly because students are already familiar with the activity!
You can grab these Addition Math Mat Freebies here! They are perfect for both the teacher table and as math tub activities!
Guided Math Center Routines
When I first implemented math centers in my classroom, I used to spend SO much time planning and prepping new math centers each week! And then it took forever to teach the kids all of the new math games (plus they always forgot anyway by the time it was their turn to visit that center 😂)
Then, I figured out a game changer –
Weekly math center routines
I realized that when I kept a few of the same activities each week but just changed out the math skills, my students were SO much more independent! They weren’t confused and were able to be successful! Plus it saved me a ton of planning time!
Here are a few guided math center routines that my students LOVE:
1. Solve the Room
Each week I tape a new set of math task cards around the classroom. When students visit this center, they grab a clipboard and a recording sheet and walk around the classroom solving the math problems. After they finish, they visit the Grading Station and check their work!
I developed 40 sets of Solve the Room task cards to cover a whole year of first grade math skills! Then I created year-long sets for Kindergarten and Second Grade too. Each with 40 math skills included!
You can also try Solve the Room in your classroom for free by clicking here!
2. Fact Fluency Center
I love giving my students a chance to practice math facts as much as possible!!
In this tub, I keep flash card sets, timers, laminated fact races, and dry erase markers.
Students can quiz each other on the flash cards and use the 1 minute sand timers to see how many problems they can finish!
Note- I wait to introduce this center until after our addition unit!
You can grab these Fact Fluency Center freebies to make your own!
3. Solve and Cover
This is another one of our favorite math center routines in first grade!
This is a self-checking game that reviews over 40 first grade math skills!
To play, just select the task card set that you want students to work on and put them in your math tub. You could even assign different sets to different groups for easy differentiation. Next, select math math mats for students to use. There are a ton of seasonal options as well as mats that you could use anytime of year! I put my mats in dry erase pockets to re-use over and over! Finally add some manipulatives for students to use as game pieces. I love using Target Dollar Spot erasers for this!
Students will take turns choosing a card and solving it on their math mat. After solving, they can check the back to see if they are correct. If they are, they can cover a space on their mat. The first partner to cover their math completely is the winner!
4. Math Memory Match
My first graders love playing Memory Match during center time! We play it with so many different math skills! Students play just like memory. They arrange the cards in rows and take turns looking for matches! I also love using these cards to partner students up for different activities!
Find Math Memory Match Bundle here!
How do I organize my guided math centers?
To keep my math centers organized and easy to find each week, I have a few favorite tools!
Bins
These Sterilite bins are my FAVORITE for storing centers and small group materials! I organize by math unit or skill and keep my centers and activities in gallon size ziplock bags.
If I know I want an activity to review a skill like place value or comparing 2-digit numbers, I can quickly pull the tub I need and find an activity!
Task Card Boxes
I also love using these photo boxes from Michaels to store my task cards! I have one set for all my Solve the Room Task Cards (I organize these by month) and one set for my Solve and Cover Task cards (I store these by skill!)
Folders
For recording sheets, I use folders to keep sets of recording sheets on hand! This is especially helpful for math center activities that we use over and over!
Guided Math Planning Binder
Want more help with setting up Guided Math in your classroom? I have a free resource for you! Check out this Guided Math Workshop Lesson Planning Binder!
You’ll find:
- Lesson Planning Templates
- Binder Covers
- Math Center Planner
- Small Group Organizers
- Data Trackers
- And MORE!
I hope this blog post was helpful for giving you ideas for setting up your guided math rotations and centers in your classroom!
I love chatting about all things guided math! If you have any questions, feel free to email me or message me on Instagram!
18 Responses
Hello I have not received any of your freebies yet.
Hi April! I’m so sorry about that. Please email me at kelsey@happyheartsin1st.com and I’m happy to send them to you! Just let me know which freebies you’re looking for! Thanks! Kelsey
So do you do 4 rounds if there are 4 tubs? Because the way I am understanding it, the three rounds, 3 days to complete but then that still leaves thursday?
I just have 3 rounds! I have 3 groups, and my 3 rotations are teacher table, math tubs, independent/technology. When students visit the math tub rotation, they just complete 1 tub each day. They work with a partner. So if I have 8 kids in a group, I have 2 kids working at each of the 4 tubs. I hope that helps! If you still have questions, feel free to email me! kelsey@happyheartsin1st.com