Math Workshop

I love teaching math and science!  Over the last few years I have been refining how I teach math in my classroom, and now that I have switched to a math workshop model I will never go back to teaching math the "traditional" way.  So, how do I run my workshop?

I teach to a small group while everyone else is doing all sorts of math activities throughout the classroom. I have 4 distinct stations that the kids travel to each day.

One station is me, the teacher station. 

Then I have an independent work station, which usually involves some kind of paper-pencil work.  

There is a skill/enrichment station.  At this station the kids are assigned to work with a game or activity that will either enhance skill development or push them to think more in-depth about a concept. 

My last station is fact practice. When students are in the fact practice station they are partnered up with another student, and they tutor each other on the facts they are currently assigned.  

We typically spend 15 to 20 minutes at each station and then rotate.  Prior to starting the rotations  I will do a whole group mini-lesson, much like one would in a readers or writers workshop, to introduce a concept, or to reteach something that is giving the whole class trouble.  Then we break out into our groups.  At the end of the workshop, we all come back together and discuss the learning objective for the day and we take our 1 minute fact quiz.