When I started teaching guided math a few years ago, it honestly was hard. I didn’t even understand why it was so hard for me because I absolutely love guided reading. I felt that if I loved guided reading, then I should love guided math too. Well, that was wrong. I realized that I had so many tools and resources to help me teach guided reading, but I did not have all those resources for guided math! In this post, I’m going to share with you some of my guided math must-haves. I hope you find a new favorite here too!
#1 Individual Number Lines
Individual Number Lines are super helpful to have in your classroom, specifically for guided math. These particular ones are laminated, making them a great tool for guided math. Students can use a dry erase marker on them and then easily erase them. My students used these all the time!
#2 Small white boards
Using small whiteboards in guided math may seem like a no-brainer, but I had to add it to my list. I love to use whiteboards for solving problems, using number bonds, practicing writing numbers, etc. The possibilities are endless, but I think they’re worth noting seeing as how I used mine in every guided math group on most days.
#3 Guided Math Warm-Up
It’s important to begin every guided group (reading or math) lesson with a warm-up. I created the most perfect warm-ups for my classroom a few years ago, called Pop The Balloon. I created these cards for guided reading, but when my students loved them so much I decided to create them for math as well.
To play, each student gets a card for the skill you are using. In this example, students are learning to identify numbers 100-120. They read the numbers from the bottom to the top of the card. When they reach the top, they clap once and say POP! like they popped the balloon from getting the answers correct. Grab all of the Pop The Balloon! math cards here.
Read more about this guided math activity here.
#4 Ten Frame Stamp
I never knew ten frame stamps existed until my fifth year teaching and I was in a new school. When one of my teammates showed me this stamp, I fell in love! No more trying to draw a ten frame or trying to teach my kids how to draw ten frames. Every time they tried, they were never the same size boxes and were honestly, always a mess! This stamp is definitely a guided math must-have, especially when your students are first learning to use ten frames to add and subtract.
#5 Manipulatives
Manipulatives are obviously a guided math must-have! Students need manipulatives to understand and show math problems. You will definitely want a big collection of these for your math lessons. The different ones that we used regularly were base ten blocks and counters.
As you can see, I love some great tools for guided math. These guided math must-haves have been pretty helpful for me and I hope they are for you too! Which one will you try out first?
If you’re interested in starting a guided math warm-up, I have the perfect freebie for you! You can get a free Pop The Balloon Guided Math Game for practicing identifying numbers.