Contact UsThe First Day of Guided Math
The first day of guided math has a different look and feel than the rest of the year. We are introducing a new structure, setting expectations, initiating procedures, and oh yeah…teaching math! Today, I am sharing how to teach day one of Guided Math in grades K-5.
Do I Start on the First Day of School?
The first day of Guided Math is a process of what I call “micro” lessons. Although you do not have to start on the first day of school, I choose to do so because it is more about setting up expectations and procedures. You can start on day 1 or day 101. The process is very much the same. This YouTube video shows how I teach that first lesson for grades K-5. It will also share beyond day one to the first week and beyond! In the video, I will share lessons for K-2 and then 3-5. I will take you through the components of guided math in a simplified manner that takes the fear right out of that first day.
The How to Launch Guided Math Guide that I reference in the YouTube video can be found here.
Guided Math Resources K-5
If you would like to read further about Guided Math resources, I have many posts here to share all about what I use and how I use it. This post will get you started!
How to Schedule a Guided Math Block
The first twenty days of launching a math workshop set the routine and expectations. However, once launched, it is okay to change up your structure. If something isn’t working during or after the launch phase, alter it! Guided Math is a structure of a math block, but it must work for both the teacher AND students. As your students continue to practice and then fully implement the framework you’ve set up, their math competency and fluency will improve, and your knowledge of your students’ abilities will deepen. The workshop schedule is a flexible framework.
This post will share different ways to schedule your math block minutes.
Standards Alignment and Guided Math
Alignment documents make it easy to see if a resource will fit with your other resources within a curriculum or if the pacing makes sense for your academic calendar and guidelines. To help, we’ve put together free documents for standards alignment and Guided Math.
