“What in the world are math rotations?” I asked myself at the beginning of the school year. I recently discovered the wonders of MATH rotations from a colleague who implemented rotations within her math block. I never had the opportunity to organize my math time in this way and it intrigued me to learn what it was and how it worked. Now that I have fully learned and experienced math rotations, I am forever changed. Here is how I implement math rotations within my classroom.

MATH is an acronym for:

Math with technology

At seat work

Teacher time

Hands on Activities

This display is posted on one of my dry erase boards in my classroom. Students are organized into groups of 4 and each group consists of 5 students. Each rotations lasts 15 minutes and 1 minute to transition. I have a timer counting down the minutes so students are aware of the time left and I am able to keep a steady pace of instruction.

M: Math With Technology. This is one of my students’ favorite rotations because they love being able to go online and play interactive math games. Some of the online websites I allow students to access includes: Sumdog, Freckle, Xtramath, Hooda Math, and Prodigy. All of these websites are free to educators and students.

A: At Seat Work. Students are at their seat working on a practice worksheet of the skill we have been learning. This worksheet is to be done independently and can have anywhere from 5 to 15 problems on it. Students are not expected to get every problem finished but are expected to do their best work and get as much done as they can.

T: Teacher Time. Surprisingly, students look forward to teacher time with me in a small group. Students will gather at our group table and I normally will have dry erase boards and markers ready for them. I love teacher time because I am able to meet with every student in the class and group students based on ability level. I am also able to differentiate my instruction for every group. Being able to informally assess is always a plus as well!

H: Hands on Activity: This rotation allows students to get out of their seat and move around the room. I provide hands on games and practice activities for students to work on. Check out my blog about Multiplication Jenga to see a fun and easy way for students to practice math facts. I also have a few games that I have created and are now in my TPT store.

I try to incorporate MATH rotations once or twice a week to allow a change in pace for my students. Students know my expectations for voice levels and cooperation. We all look forward to MATH rotation days!

Hope this blog post was helpful to you! Be on the look out for more blog posts about what I do for each rotation. Happy learning!