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Welcome to week 6! This week we are talking about staying organized for math workshop. I just wanted to share what I do in my class to keep things running smoothly. It doesn’t really matter how you organize the materials for math workshop, as long as you have a plan and you train your kids to stick to it! [bctt tweet=”It doesn’t really matter how you organize the materials for math workshop, as long as you have a plan and you train your kids to stick to it!” username=”ChlkbrdTeacher”]
I have discussed this in previous posts, but I only have 3 groups: teacher time, independent practice, and activity. However, I could use this same organization system if I was to have more groups. My secret? Sterilite drawers. I love these drawers (that you can find here)! They make a major difference in how things run in my math workshop. (Also, if you like the Editable Chevron Drawer Labels, you can check them out in my store!)
Oh, aren’t they beautiful! I just love that they are so organized! I have a drawer for each station. For each student group, I assign a “leader.” This leader goes and gets the drawer at the beginning of the rotations. The drawer stays at the center as the students rotate through. The “leader” of each group is in charge of making sure the group cleans up each center (when I say “one-minute warning”). I don’t spend a lot of time taking things in and out of the drawer. I make sure it has everything they might need, and then I have them replace items as needed. During workshop, the students only rotate with their math folder. They don’t even take a pencil. If they don’t carry it around, they don’t lose it! Now, let’s dig in!
Independent Practice Drawer
This drawer is the easiest. The drawer contains plenty of sharpened pencils and erasers. Every once in a while, I have the students sharpen all the pencils. Also, depending on the day and what we are working on, I might give the kids math manipulatives or have them use their math journals to help them complete their workbook.
Teacher Time Drawer
This drawer contains: Expo dry erase markers, whiteboard erasers, pencils, and erasers. The erasers were dish clothes from the Dollar Store that I cut into strips. I also use individual whiteboards (I love these because they are 2-sided) and dry erase pockets like these but I store them in a larger container. This is basically everything that I need for my center. During this center, I usually have the kids work on their whiteboards, but we also look at their workbook too. Again, depending on the day, I will either bring out math manipulatives (or use virtual ones on the Smartboard). (Note: I store most of my smaller math manipulative in small Sterilite drawers like these.)
Activity Drawer
This drawer has the most in it because of the wide variety of activities that we do in this rotation. This drawer includes pencils, erasers, colored pencils, glue, and scissors. This way the kids have the basic supplies to play a game, complete an activity, work on a math journal, or complete one of my differentiated task card sets. If it will fit, I throw in the activity or game into the drawer ahead of time.
How do you organize your materials for Math Workshop? Leave a comment and let me know!
Check out the rest of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Math Workshops Series:
- Week 1: Have a Plan
- Week 2: Have High Expectations
- Week 3: Have a Board
- Week 4: Know Your Kids (plus a FREEBIE)
- Week 5: Know Where to Find Inspiration
- Week 6: Get Organized
- Week 7: Use Exit Tickets
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