Number Sense - Math Centers for First

I love first grade.  Out of all of the grades I have taught, first has been my favorite.  I only was able to teach it for two years, but I would go back in a heartbeat. Besides getting to teach phonics, which I love, I enjoy teaching the other content covered in first.

For math I usually followed this routine:

✰Read a story or part of a story involving the standard
✰Play a game that will show up in a center, either new or review, and not always an entire game depending on time

✰Whole group lesson with think pair share or group practice

✰ Individual practice/ small group/ centers- students would move into centers after completing and turning in individual practice.

Games are amazing because...

1. Games are fun so the students are practicing the skill in a fun way.
2. The students are working the entire time because they are having fun.
3. Students learn about being a good sport while playing games.
4. There isn't any grading involved!

A lot of the games we played, I either learned by watching other teachers teach and tweaked it, or I came up with, but either way, I had to go on my computer and create something for my class.  When I made the resources for my class, they were pretty basic.  But now I have "prettied them up." and they are ready to played!

Want this resource?  
Click on the picture to get your own!

More or Less Game

One game my students LOVED was the More or Less Game, which is super easy and has them practicing one more, one less, ten more, ten less.  What makes it challenging is they cannot go over 100 or they lose so they will need to think strategically!

Can we all take a moment to look at that last rule?  Kids seem to really struggle with shrugging off losing a game so I include it with the rules as a reminder.

Counting by tens puzzles

I also made puzzles for my students.  I wanted something simple they could do to practice counting by tens.  Originally I used photographs I had of my kitty, Toby, and our class pet, Oscar, but in the centers in my TPT store, I have clipart art as the pictures.  The puzzles also go forward and backwards.  

Side note: This handsome boy passed away earlier this year from cancer and I miss him so much.  If you want this puzzle of Toby, right click and choose "open in a new tab".  Then you can print it out.

Toby was such the character and would pose for pictures!

More or Less Riddles

The last center I created actually has a whole group lesson included.  The whole group lesson has two strategies for the students to use if they need help and a practice riddle. The whole group lessons helps prepare the students for the task card riddles.

I really like task cards because I find them so versatile.  I don't always put them in a center.  In fact, I would use these riddles in my morning routine for extra practice.  Sometimes I use task cards as a  Scoot activity or as a "Write around the room" activity.  I wanted to give the students an opportunity to move around so I rarely put task cards in a center to be completed.  Disclaimer: I did this preCovid, so do what is best for the health and safety of your students.

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You can find these centers in my TPT store.  Either click on the picture above or you can click HERE.

Happy Teaching!

Chrissie

Those Who Can

About Me:

I've taught a lot of different grades and I have a variety of experience.  Most teachers teach a grade at a school for awhile (lucky), but that wasn't what happened with most of my career.  I have been teaching 8 years now and I feel like I finally found a "home" and am teaching a grade I have taught previously so I can get really good at it.  With that being said, I like to create.  If I can't find something, I will make it.  As a result of that, I had a colleague suggest I try my hand at Teachers Pay Teachers.  I was already making it, might as well put it up, right?  Wallah! Here's a blog!

I came up with the name "Those Who Can" after my husband and I were talking about what to call a teacher store.  Somehow the saying "Those who can't, teach" was brought up and the name of the store was born.  I don't know what idiot came up with that saying, but clearly, he was not a teacher.

Teaching Experience:

My first year was in a 5/6 classroom in a one school district.  I had 11 students, which seems easy, until you realize they've been together since kindergarten and so it is more like 11 brothers and sisters.  My sixth graders graduated high school last year and my fifth graders graduated this year!  Eek!  How did that happen?  

I also was a reading interventionist in Chicago for 4-8th graders and a reading coach in another Chicago K-8 school.  I really enjoyed working in the city, but the mayor shuttered 50 schools and laid off all non-tenured teachers.  

I've worked in two schools in Florida and have taught 1st- 3rd grades.  This is my third year of third grade.  😃