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I teach math in stations almost every day. It seems to be the best way to personalize the instruction through small groups while keeping the other groups engaged and on task. When I flip a math lesson, I normally include the "instruction" video piece as a form of morning work OR I will incorporate the video as a station itself. This way, when students arrive to my small group, they have been exposed to the instruction already and are usually ready to practice (or ready for a re-teach). See below for more information/ideas on flipping a math lesson! |
Flipping by pre-assessing
Pre-assess your students on the skill that you will be working on.
Group #1: The "practice" group
Group #2: The "instruction" group
Click here to see a more detailed description of one of these lessons.
- I've used Socrative in my flipped lessons because it gives you instant data that will immediately allow you to group your students for the lesson. If you do not have access to 1:1 devices, you can use Plickers. Plickers also gives you instant feedback, and all you need is your smartphone and a set of Plickers cards.
- The important of this pre-assessment is to group your students into two different groups: one group of students who are already successful with the skill and do not need direct instruction, and another group of students who would benefit from a re-teach or small group lesson.
- I would suggest using no more than 5 questions on your pre-assessment! This should be a quick process. You want to have as much time as possible with your small groups. (You could even offer this pre-assessment as a morning work that day.)
Group #1: The "practice" group
- I call this group the practice group because they will be skipping the direct instruction and going straight to practice. (Although, there will still be SOME instruction/modeling within their practice activity...because let's be honest--they ARE first graders who need SOME guidance!)
- In my flipped lessons, the practice group first watches a video or screencast and then completes an activity. Click here to see an example of a screencast that I used for a flipped math lesson. If you choose not to do a screencast, you can find great videos from the Khan Academy website or even just by searching YouTube. Another option would be to have the students watch a BrainPop video if your school has a subscription. I've seen other teachers also record themselves solving a problem on the board or even record themselves using the document camera (see ToolKit).
- After watching the video, the students are instructed to complete the practice activity. In the past, I've had students use Wixie for this part. It is easy for me to create a template or interactive activity then assign it to the students. Really, you can use any worksheet or workbook that will allow the students to practice the skill you're working on.
- Tip: with such young students, I've found it beneficial to use a checklist as they work. This way, they can keep track of the steps they are taking to be sure they are following directions correctly.
Group #2: The "instruction" group
- This is the group of students who would benefit from a small group lesson.
- I would normally just take whatever whole group lesson that I decided not to use and teach it to this small group. With certain skills, I realized that not ALL my students NEEDED the whole group lesson. That is the purpose of flipping it... to only provide the lesson to the students who actually NEEDED it.
- If you have a Promethean Board, you can find great pre-made flipcharts on Promethean Planet.
Click here to see a more detailed description of one of these lessons.
Flipping with math stations
In first grade, many of our math lessons involve rotating math workshops. These workshops are usually skill-based games. I normally set up 4 stations with one of them being a "teacher station". The other 3 stations are math games that allow students to practice the skill. Each group spends 6-8 minutes at each station, then we rotate.
Flipping a lesson within stations
Example of math stations with a flipped lesson:
Below is an example of 4 math stations you could use for teaching a lesson on 3D shapes (specifically: counting faces, edges, and vertices)
Video #2 (3 minutes 7 seconds long)
Video #3 (Brain Pop Jr.)
Video #4 (1 minute 29 seconds long)
Video #5 (2 minutes 39 seconds long)
**If the video is a shorter video, I would also have a worksheet or activity for students to complete after. This way, they can also bring the worksheet with them to your small group to discuss and share their answers.
Flipping a lesson within stations
- When setting up your stations, the station that is before "teacher station" can be the "flipped lesson". This means that students will watch a video or screencast to prepare for your teacher station. This way, when they come to your station, they won't necessarily need the "teach piece" that is normally done. They are ready for guided practice instead. When doing this with my students, I normally START with my highest group. This group will not have had a chance to watch the video before coming to your station. However, they are usually the group that does not need a long teach piece.
Example of math stations with a flipped lesson:
Below is an example of 4 math stations you could use for teaching a lesson on 3D shapes (specifically: counting faces, edges, and vertices)
- Station #1: 3D Shape Concentration - match each 3D shape to it's name
- Station #2: Slides and Ladders Solid Shapes - Students work in pairs to identify the name of shapes and move across the game board.
- Station #3: Flipped Station - Pick one of the videos below to assign for your students to watch.
Video #2 (3 minutes 7 seconds long)
Video #3 (Brain Pop Jr.)
Video #4 (1 minute 29 seconds long)
Video #5 (2 minutes 39 seconds long)
**If the video is a shorter video, I would also have a worksheet or activity for students to complete after. This way, they can also bring the worksheet with them to your small group to discuss and share their answers.
- Station #4: Teacher Station - Since students are coming to your station ready to practice, you can have THEM lead the discussion rather than you. Ask students what they learned about or discovered after watching the video. I usually keep a basket of solid figures at this table to have students demonstrate or provide examples. I personally think that the most important part of this station is that the students are in control of the discussion and are leading the group.