How to Differentiate and Scaffold Math Centers Part 2 (EP11)

How to Differentiate and Scaffold Math Centers (Part 2)

Hey, everyone, and welcome to another episode of Elementary Math Chat. This is the second episode in our series on differentiating and scaffolding math centers. Hopefully, you were able to listen to last week’s episode because we talked about what it means to differentiate and scaffold. We uncovered some common misconceptions, and that was really important to do because if you’re unsure of what these terms mean, then it’s really hard to apply them in your math centers.

So, this week we’ll look at some general examples of how you can differentiate and scaffold, and then next week, I’ll give you specific examples. We’ll look at third, fourth, and fifth grade. We’ll do two examples for each grade level, and I’ll share three sets of questions for each one of those skills that are differentiated and scaffolded. So, you walk away next week with specific examples that you can use in your math centers.

Last week I ended by giving you a brief overview of what it looked like when students came to my small group table. But I actually want to backtrack a little bit because what I didn’t mention last week is that sometimes I did have my students self-assess before they came to my table. So, I want to give you a few of my favorite ways to do a little quick check.

Remember, if you’re short on time, they can just assess their understanding when they get to your table by choosing the level of questions that they feel comfortable with. But the benefit of assessing them before they come to your table is this will give you a chance to see who is going to need more support, and who’s going to need more attention when they are at your small group table.

One way you can do this is just by simply having them put their hand in the air and show you a number from zero to five that is based on their level of understanding. So, if they’re showing you a zero, obviously they’re going to need your help desperately when they get to small groups. But if they’re showing you a four or five, they might need more of a challenge when they come to you, or maybe they can help someone who is struggling.

When I did this, I made sure to jot down the students who were giving me a low number. I mean, usually, it was the same students who were struggling day in and day out. But sometimes there were one or two that surprised me, and if I didn’t write it down, I would forget. So, I just jotted it down on a sticky note and then I brought that with me. So, when they got to my small group table, I could give them a little more extra support.

So, that’s one way you can have them self-assess. And then another way is to use Plickers. These were really popular probably six to seven years ago, and I used them all of the time. My kids loved them. It was almost like they had their own little unique QR code that they answered with. That’s kind of what the Plicker cards look like, and I had them glue these Plicker cards on the inside of their math notebook. I think it was the back cover that we put them on.

And then it was really simple. I would pose a question, they would hold up their math notebook and show me their Plicker card, and they turned their Plicker card based on what their answer is. There is an A, B, C, and D on each Plicker card. And so they turn it, and whatever answer is at the top is the one they’re answering with.

So they’d hold this up, and I could scan the room in less than 10 seconds. So, it was a really quick check, especially when we already had our math notebooks out for the lesson. And if not, we just got him out really quickly and we did our scans.

My favorite part about Plickers is that I was the only one who could see this data. So, it was very private, I felt like they were being very honest when they scored themselves, and they didn’t have to worry about someone else seeing their score.

I think that’s the only downfall with the fist to five. Even though you tell them to put their head down and close their eyes, they’re always a little curious and some of them try to sneak a peek.

But you don’t have to worry about that with Plickers because it all comes through the app. So, it can either be on your phone or an iPad if you have one of those at school, and then you can just take that with you at your small group table and you know exactly who is feeling really confident and who’s going to need extra support.

So, this is a really great option to have your kids do a quick self-assessment, and if you want to try them, I will put a link in the show notes that takes you to the Plickers website, and that’s where you will download and print the Plicker cards.

All right. Well, I have one more self-assessment that I want to share with you, and this one by far is my favorite. It’s one that I used the last few years that I was in the classroom, and I had my students assess their understanding according to the colors of a traffic light. The reason this one was my favorite is because it was just a little simpler, and I also really liked that it was based on colors. We have enough numbers in math the way it is, so I kind of liked having it in colors instead.

And also, I felt like for students who give themselves a zero or one, I just don’t know if that made them feel a little negative about themselves. But I didn’t feel that way when they were associating it with a color.

So, for the traffic light, red means I’m stuck and need help. Yellow means I’m on my way, and green means I understand and can help others. So, this was a really simple and quick way to figure out who’s struggling, who’s right on track, and who needs a challenge.

I know some of you are going to want to try this traffic light assessment, and I have good news for you. It is a free download on TPT, and it is from Mr. Math Coach, so shout out to Mr. Math Coach. I will have that linked in the show notes if you want to grab a copy and try this with your class.

Now, last week I told you about three different levels of questions that my students could choose from, and I designed these three levels according to the traffic light colors. So, my red questions were pretty basic, and they had a little more guidance and support for those students at the red level.

They might have a visual model with their questions like a fraction or decimal model. Sometimes I would have them use a guided work mat in this level, or I might have a multiplication chart or a place value chart there to help them.

Acronyms can also be a really helpful tool depending on what you’re teaching, and then manipulatives. Things like unifix cubes or fraction tiles can help students. I always made sure that if I used a certain manipulative in my lesson, I would bring a few sets back to my teacher table just in case they needed them.

So, those are a few supports I would use in my red level. And remember from last week, these are supports that you use to help scaffold your instruction. And these supports begin in the red level, and then you’ll see they eventually disappear by green.

For my yellow-level questions, these were kind of right in the middle. So, they were on grade level, and some of them had a little support or none at all; it really just depended on the skill.

And then green questions were a little more challenging, usually with an extra step involved. I will share more about this later but keep an eye out for the Algebra section at the end of a lesson, or also look at your enrichment pages. I would often get ideas from both of those if I couldn’t think of anything myself.

So, those are all ideas for how you can scaffold instruction and provide those supports in the red level, and eventually take them away by green. So, let’s move on and talk about how to differentiate these questions, and it’s easier than you may think.

One idea is to adjust the digit somehow. Maybe increase the number of digits that they’re working with or make the digits more challenging. Use seven, eight, and nine instead of two, three, and four to make it a little more challenging.

You can also create a problem that has missing digits. That’s always a good one for multiplication or division, and also addition and subtraction; really any operation you can use that one for. Another fun challenge is to have them create a problem with certain requirements. So, for example, maybe they have to create and solve a division problem that has an estimate of 700.

Another idea is to have them use dice, and they have to create a problem with the largest sum or the smallest difference possible. So, that’s a good one when you’re in your addition and subtraction unit.

And here’s one more really simple idea. You can change the original problem from standard form to word or expanded form. That’s probably one of my favorite things to do just because it’s so easy. I actually made an entire set of task cards on comparing numbers, and I’ll put these in the show notes if you want to take a look at them.

But in these task cards, the first four just compare the standard form. So, if they need a little more practice, they can just stick to those four. But the others have examples where one number is in expanded form, and the other is in word form, or they’re both in expanded form, or both in word form.

It’s just a really fun way to mix up this skill because I feel like this can be a little repetitive, and they enjoy those types of questions much more than just the same thing over and over, comparing numbers in standard form.

Now, I also have this in digital form in a set of Boom Cards that I’ll link to as well, and again, it’s great because they’re not only practicing comparing numbers, but they’re also practicing going from expanded form and word form back to standard form. 

So, as you can see, it’s really not that complicated. These are all really simple ways to add a little bit of challenge and a little bit of engagement to your green level.

The final thing I want to do today is to take you through the process of how I ran my small groups because there are a lot of different options when it comes to this. Some teachers have their kids rotate to each group, so they would stay with them for 10 minutes or 15 minutes.

But for me, I made it very flexible, and small group time was just a quick check. So, I typically only had them solve maybe three to four questions. It all really depended on the skill. However, if they were struggling and they needed more practice, then I did keep them back, and maybe we did five or six together. But this was okay, because my higher students were able to get in and out pretty quickly, and that way I could focus more on those who were struggling.

So, that’s what it looked like when they came to my small group table. As soon as they left my table, I had them go back to their seat, and they assessed their understanding again after meeting with me. This assessment is different from a formative assessment like a must-do activity that you would assign them after your lesson. I’m referring to a quick Google Form question where they pick their level of understanding after working with you.

I only did this my last few years, but it dawned on me one day that it’s almost more important for me to know who is struggling after working with me. I already know some of them will struggle before they come to me. I mean, that’s why we do small group instruction because our kids need practice. So, I was always a little curious to see if anyone was still feeling like that read level even after working with me.

If I did have anyone who marked themselves as red, I would try to check in with them either at the end of class or possibly during RTI time if they were available. It was tough because I always had a group during this time. So, in that case, I would pair them up with a student helper, and they could practice some examples together either in the book that we didn’t get to, or they could just use the questions for my small group that day and practice those again.

If this seems like something that you don’t want to keep up with, that’s fine too. I mean, most of the time, you know who is struggling after working with you. But like I said, there were definitely times that I thought someone was doing okay, but then they marked themselves red. So, you might be surprised. I think it’s just really good feedback to have.

Now, I know I mentioned this last week, but it’s worth mentioning again that differentiating math centers does not need to happen every day. I tried my best, but there were times when everyone just did the same thing, and that is totally fine. For something to work, it has to be sustainable, and it has to be manageable.

So, maybe set a goal to do this once a week or twice a week. But do whatever is manageable for you and that won’t overwhelm you.

Well, hopefully, this episode gave you a few examples and ideas that you can apply to your small group centers right away. And remember next week, we’ll go into much more detail with specific examples you can use. So, I’m going to go ahead and wrap up part two here with our Teaching Tip of the Week.

Today’s tip is a little twist on Multiplication War. I’m sure you’ve played this game before, and I can bet that you used playing cards when you played this game. And so, you had your kids place their cards down and then multiply those numbers. So, if one person had a seven, and the other had a three, the first person to say 21 got both cards. That’s the traditional way of playing it.

But to get even more practice with multiplication facts, use flashcards instead of playing cards. So, in this version, they both put a flashcard down. They both say the answer to their own card, and the person with the higher product is the one who wins that round and is the one who wins both of those cards.

This way, they’re practicing two multiplication facts per round instead of one. And another thing I like about it is it takes the emphasis off of who answers first. Because if one student is always faster, the other one doesn’t get much practice and they don’t get any cards, which can be a little bit frustrating.

So, again, they both answer, they compare their products, and the person with the higher flashcard is the one that wins. So, this way there’s a little bit of luck involved.

All right. Well, that is all for today’s episode. Thank you so much for listening. I will see you next week for part three of our series on differentiating and scaffolding math centers. Have a great week!