Are you looking at your daily schedule for the fall and thinking a 90-minute math block is a really long time to be in math class? I know that was my first thought. But now I am a huge fan of the 90-minute math block. I am in love with my math block routines and can’t wait to share my ideal math block schedule with you! Spoiler….assigning 50 math problems out of the textbook is not the answer.
A Solid Block of Time to Concentrate on Math is a Gift
In this case, math blocks are not the colorful cubes that might show up when you google “math block”. Instead, we are looking at a solid block of time, usually 90 minutes, to dive deep into the math concept for the day. At first, it might seem like a long time to have kids working on math, but once you have a great routine and schedule for your math block it will be easy to see the benefits. Just a few of the benefits of a math block routine include time for students to explore with visual models, time to make mistakes and figure out how to fix them, time for individualized instruction and intervention, and time to PLAY with math—YES–make math fun!
How to Design the Perfect Math Block Schedule
Guided Math Review-10 minutes
There are tons of options for how to sneak a math review into your daily routine. Some years, I have used a short math review as part of the morning work routine. Other years I make the review part of my math block by having students complete a short exit ticket as part of a station task one day and then save it for this guided review time in the math block during the next day. For this short math block starter, I put the math review under the document camera and quickly work through the problems, putting words to my thinking, so that students can check their work. I love starting my math block schedule with this warm-up, because reviewing already learned material is usually a little easier for students and builds their math confidence.
Whole Group Mini-Lesson-15 minutes
Now that students are warmed up, it’s time to head into the meat of your math block schedule– introducing the new learning for the day. Since you will be meeting with smaller groups later in the math block, you don’t need to spend too much time here. Just model the math concept of the day in an “I do–we do–you do” format until you feel like students are starting to get comfortable with the new material.
Whole Group Cooperative Learning Practice-15 minutes
In this part of the math block, your students will apply the new math learning. Choose a favorite cooperative learning structure and use practice problems from the book as your content. If you don’t have time to plan for a cooperative learning activity, there are plenty of done-for-you options available right here.
Small-Group Rotations-50 minutes
Take the first 5 minutes to put students into groups and explain the instructions or model the partner game and notebook activity. Then, let students rotate through each of the 3 stations for 15 minutes at each station for the rest of your math block.
Teacher Table
This is where the math block magic happens! Working with smaller groups allows for so much more intentional instruction. I like to have the paper assignment for the day at the teacher station. As students work through the assignment, I watch carefully for errors in their work. Then, I hop in to reteach or coach as needed. One key to success for the teacher table is to assign a “just right” portion of practice. You only need a handful of problems to get some quality formative assessment. The best part of this rotation is that I grade the work right there on the spot so it never ends up on my desk. I love using a math rubric to make grading quick, easy, and truly reflective of the student’s understanding. You can grab a copy of my math rubric for free!
Partner Games
Give your students the math game instructions and supplies. Have them pair up with someone else in their station group and spread out around the room. Let students play for the whole rotation. They will naturally check each other’s work as part of the friendly competition. Math games are a great, low-risk way for students to explore math concepts. Looking for games to add to your collection? I highly recommend YouCubed tasks or you can find a collection of games for almost any 3rd-grade or 4th-grade concept right here.
Notebooking and Review
I love interactive notebooks or math journals. They are a place for students to keep track of all the concepts they’ve learned throughout the year. It’s almost like a scrapbook of math learning! In this rotation have students cut, color, and complete their interactive notebook entry for the day. You can try out math notebooking with your students using this free sample for numbers in expanded form. This is also a great rotation to sneak in math review with a short exit ticket.
Finally, come back together and celebrate all they learned!
You will be amazed at how much math your students actually completed during the 90-minute math block! After this math block schedule becomes part of your daily routine, you’ll be wishing you had more than an hour and a half.
Keys to success
The key to success in running a fine-tuned math block schedule is to have everything you need ready to go. As mom always said, “A place for everything and everything in its place.” If planning a whole block seems overwhelming, there is plenty of help available. Whether you need a resource to fill in just one piece of the math block or you’d like whole done-for-you lessons for 3rd grade or 4th grade, it’s just a download away.
Only have time to implement one piece? It’s this one!
If you don’t have the time or luxury to implement anything else, the math rubric is the ONE thing that you don’t want to miss. This free download is a great time saver for you and a great tool to guide instruction for your students. Grab your free copy today!
To see some of the activities I use to teach during my math class, head over to the Math page of this website.
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