Welcome!

If you want to learn more about guided math and you’re

searching for fun activities and engaging lessons to use
during your math block, then you are in the right place.

I create MANY different resources and sometimes it can be

hard to figure out which ones best fit your teaching needs, so
I created this guide to help.

What You Will Find in this Guide:

An informative overview about Math Workshop, including

an example of a daily Math Block schedule

Clear descriptions about each of the 4 essential elements

that make up an effective math block

Tips to help make teaching math engaging for students

Helpful descriptions of my most popular resources

An easy-to-use chart to help you choose activities that fit

your classroom needs

Let’s Get to the Math!

Greg

© Mr. Elementary Math, LLC. All Rights Reserved

 Table of Contents
Topic Page

Math Workshop: The What and the Why 1

The 4 Essential Elements of Math Workshop 2

Math Schedule Example 3

Ideas for Math Warm-Ups 4

Ideas for Whole Group Instruction 6

Ideas for Math Centers 8

Ideas for Teacher Led Small Group Instruction 13

Ideas for Reflection 14

Ideas for Assessment and Review 15

Guided Math Table Recommended Resource Links 17

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Math Workshop: The What and the Why

What is Math Workshop?

Math Workshop is a teaching model that frames the

instructional day. It consists of several different components,
including whole group and small group instruction.

During Math Workshop, you provide direct instruction on new

concepts, as well as provide support in areas where your
students need more assistance.

Students work together and engage in meaningful activities

that deepen their conceptual understanding.

Why it’s Important?

Since there is a designated time in the

Math Workshop framework to meet
with small groups, you get time to
effectively differentiate instruction and
meet the needs of all your students.

Guided Math vs. Math Workshop

Guided math refers to the specific time during Math Workshop

when a teacher works with a small group of students, while the
rest of the class engages in other math centers. (Teacher Led
Small Group + Math Centers = Guided Math)

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 4 Essential Elements of a Math Workshop

There are 4 essential elements that make up Math Workshop.

What are They?

•Math Warm-Up
•Whole Group Instruction
•Math Centers w/ Teacher Led Small Group
•Reflection

The Math Block Flow

These 4 elements make up something I like to call the Math
Block Flow.

It’s simply the order in which events are organized in your daily
math schedule. By having a predictable structure for
instruction, expectations are set, and you are able to more
easily address the needs of your students.

The next page gives an example of a daily math schedule

made up of the 4 essential elements to help you visualize what
a Math Block Flow could look like.

Teacher Tip:
Having as Math Block Flow helps you manage your
time. Use the example as a guide and plan out a
schedule that works for you with the amount of time
you have each day.

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3
Essential Component #1: Math Block Flow
The Warm-Up

A good lesson starts with a warm-up activity and math is no

exception. This can be a simple fluency activity, a short math talk,
or a question to solve for the Problem of the Day.

You can even pick out a relevant math read-aloud to introduce a

new math concept to your students.

Purpose(s):
§ Review math skills
§ Introduce a new topic

Teacher Tip:
Be mindful your warm-up doesn’t last too long. It can
be easy to go down the rabbit hole of reviewing older
skills. Remember, that is what your teacher led small
group is for. To avoid this, choose activities that your
children can easily become familiar with and make
into a routine.

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 Recommended Resources for Math Warm-Ups

Math Talk Routines

These fun activities are perfect for warm-ups. Each pack is divided into 3 different
levels and are specifically designed to engage students in meaningful math
discussions. These activities come in both printable and paperless versions.

5-Star Teacher Review:

We use this resource daily. It has created a wonderful routine during calendar time, and I can’t
explain how many of my students have been able to connect light bulbs! I love this resource!

Digital Number of the Day

These interactive number of the day activities work great for building number sense.
Just designate a short amount of time each day (i.e., during your math warm-up) to
practice and review. This is a DIGITAL activity and can be assigned in Google ™ slides.

5-Star Teacher Review:

My students have LOVED using this activity. Instead of just listening to me talk about the
number of the day, they get to actively participate!

Numbers 0 - 150 Numbers 100 – 1,000

© Mr. Elementary Math, LLC. All Rights Reserved
Numbers within 1,000,000 5
Essential Component #2: Math Block Flow
Whole Group Instruction
This is the part of your daily math block when you are teaching a
mini-lesson to your entire class. You model new concepts using
think-alouds and clear visual models. In addition, you provide
students support through guided practice.

Whole group mini-lessons can be done in different ways: hands-on

activities with manipulatives, partner work activities, large group
games, group discussions, etc.

Purpose(s):
§ Explicitly teach and model new skills
§ Build on previously learned skills
§ Expose all students to new information and key concepts

Teacher Tip:
A great way to make whole group instruction engaging is
to incorporate cooperative learning strategies throughout
your lesson. For example, instead of calling on one student
to answer a question, ask students to turn and talk to a
partner. This way all students can share while having
increased opportunities to use math vocabulary.

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Recommended Resources for Whole Group Instruction

The Simplified Math Curriculum

An all-inclusive math curriculum that has engaging lesson presentations in both
PowerPoint and Google ™ Slides formats. Each unit comes with anchor charts,
student journals, assessments, warm-ups, extra practice activities and so much more!

5-Star Teacher Review:

Absolutely fabulous!!!! The PowerPoint lessons are great and easy to use and follow. The math
journal pages are a perfect way for kids to stay engaged! My kids are already making progress
and place value has been hard for them to grasp! Love the warm-ups! This was just what we
needed to get a firm grasp of this skill. I should have just bought the bundle. If the rest are this
great will be well worth it.

CLICK the Photos Above to Learn More

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Essential Component #3: Math Block Flow
Math Centers

During guided math, your students work together to complete

different activities in small groups. Unless they are at a teacher led
center, this happens without your guidance.

Since kids are working on these activities independently, this is a

great time for them to review familiar concepts and get more
practice.

Purpose(s):
§ Differentiate instruction for all learners
§ Provide ongoing practice and review of previously taught skills

Teacher Tip:
This can sometimes be a very frustrating time if things are
not organized, and expectations are not clear. Make sure
to model and practice necessary routines and
procedures, so that your students are accountable for
their learning. This will make math centers a fun time for
students and make it less stressful for you.

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 Recommended Resources for Math Centers

Ready Set Play Math Games

A FUN alternative to worksheets! Save time planning for math centers with these skill-
based math games. Each game pack includes student friendly directions that
increase accountability. Great for for practicing and reviewing math skills.

5-Star Teacher Review

I love this resource! Each unit has the same types of games just addressing a different
standard, so my students always know how to play the game without having to ask me. I
also love the sentence starters, they have been great to get my students using strong
math talk!

KDG 1st GRADE 2nd GRADE

3rd GRADE 4th GRADE 5th GRADE

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© Mr. Elementary Math, LLC. All Rights Reserved
9
 Recommended Resources for Math Centers

Flip and Go Math Task Cards

These task cards were designed to provide a simple way for your students to practice
math skills throughout the school day. They are easy to assemble and integrate into
your daily routine, especially math centers. Simply print, cut and go!

5-Star Teacher Review:

My students love using this as a skill review. They were engaged and even challenged
each other to come up with reasoning on how they came to their answer. I will plan on
getting different grade levels to reach all students.

KDG 1st GRADE 2nd GRADE

3rd GRADE 4th GRADE 5th GRADE

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© Mr. Elementary Math, LLC. All Rights Reserved
10
 Recommended Resources for Math Centers

Problem Solving Tasks

Get your students thinking critically about math with these rigorous tasks. Each skill
contains three different problem types for students to solve. All grade level standards
are covered! Great for students who need a challenge.

5-Star Teacher Review:

I love that this center can be used all year to keep routines straightforward and that
there's an element of choice in which task cards for each task to complete. The graphic
organizer for completing and explaining responses is also helpful. Thank you!

KDG 1st GRADE 2nd GRADE

3rd GRADE 4th GRADE 5th GRADE

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© Mr. Elementary Math, LLC. All Rights Reserved
11
 Recommended Resources for Math Centers

Digital Math Games

Need a FUN way for your kids to review math skills? These digital math games cover
ALL Common Core standards for the year. In addition, they come in two formats:
Google Slides™ and PowerPoint. PLUS, students can instantly check their answers.

5-Star Teacher Review:

Another excellent digital resource!! I use this mostly during my guided math groups and the
kids love that they are interactive. It's a great way to get kids engaged with the content
digitally!

KDG 1st GRADE 2nd GRADE

3rd GRADE 4th GRADE 5th GRADE

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© Mr. Elementary Math, LLC. All Rights Reserved
12
Essential Component #3: Math Block Flow
Teacher Led Small Group
During guided math, while the rest of the class is working in centers,
you are targeting instruction with a small group of students with
similar needs.

This is the magic time of the math block when you get to observe
and correct misconceptions up close.

Purpose(s):
§ Differentiate instruction for all learners
§ Give extra support to students that need it
§ Provide ongoing practice and review of previously taught skills

Teacher Tip:
Before working with students in small groups, it’s helpful to
group students into similar ability levels. This can be done by
giving your class an assessment to see where they are in their
understanding. Having this information will help you know
what to teach in your different teacher led small groups.

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Essential Component #4: Math Block Flow
Reflection
This is the last essential element of the math block, and one that is
often overlooked. It’s the time to do a quick check of the day’s
learning.

This can be as simple as asking a question like, “What’s one thing

you learned today?” or students writing their thoughts in a journal.

Purpose(s):
§ Hear what your kids learned in their own words
§ Gain insight from your students
§ Give students ownership of their learning

Teacher Tip:
While your students are reflecting on what they learned, take
the same time to reflect on your lesson. As students write their
reflections or share with a partner, write in your own teacher
reflection journal. Jot down how you felt the lesson went or
what you would do differently.

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 Other Things to Think About…

Assessment
Assessment plays a key part in creating your math groups and
informing what you are going to teach. There are pre-assessments
(what your kids know before you teach a topic), post-assessments
(what your kids learned after you taught a topic) and assessments
that take place during learning. Use assessments to give your
students the support they need throughout your math block.
Purpose(s):
§ Create groups for differentiation
§ Inform instructional decisions

Review
Reviewing helps children transfer new knowledge and skills from
short term memory to long term memory.

Review activities can happen during any part of the math block or
can even fit outside of it. There should be a mix of highly interactive
games and independent activities.

Purpose(s):
§ Give children multiple exposures to master concepts

Teacher Tip:
Don’t wait until the end of a unit to assess your students. Pick
a couple of days in-between to give short assessments or
quizzes to gauge their understanding. This gives you time to
provide added support for those who need it.

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 Recommended Resources for
Review and Assessment
Math Name Tag Activities
Get your kids up and moving with math name tags! Use them as a fun and
interactive way to teach and review math skills. Students use them to introduce
themselves to each other. The tags become their “names”. Several ideas for
engaging activities are included in the resource.

5-Star Teacher Review:

This is such a fun resource to get students up and moving while practicing math in a fun way!

Printable and Paperless Math Review

Are you looking for printable or paperless math review that’s easy to use and
aligned to the standards? Why not have BOTH!?! These grade level specific resources
cover many important Common Core and TEKS standards. The best part is there is
little to no prep (paperless) required. Also great for assessment!

5-Star Teacher Review:

This was simple to use and my students were excited to complete them. I LOVE that they were
auto-graded. BIG time saver!!

© Mr. Elementary Math, LLC. All Rights Reserved

16
 Math Workshop Resource Table

Use the table below to help you easily find math resources
to use during your math workshop.

CLICK the PICTURE Below to SHOP All Math Resources

Resources Types Math Block Flow

Grade Printable/ Warm Up Whole Math Teacher Led Reflection
Resource Name Levels Digital Group Centers Small Group

Activity: Math Talk Routines K-3 P/D

X

Activity: Flip and Go Task Cards K-5 P

X X

Activity: Problem Solving Tasks K-5 P/D

X X X

Activity: Interactive Math Tasks 2-3 D

X X

Anchor Charts: Math Anchor Charts K-5 P

X

Games: Ready Set Play Games K-5 P

X

Games: Click and Play Games K-1 D

X X

Games: Choose Your Own Math Path 2 -5 D

X X

Review: Math Name Tags K-2 P/D

X

Review: Math Review Packs 3-5 P X

Units: The Simplified Math Curriculum 3-4 P/D

X X X

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