MATH CENTER

Rebecca Gober
FLOOR PLAN OF THE CLASSROOM
MATH CENTER GENERAL VIEW
FURNITURE AND MATERIALS
 Furniture:
 Shelves
 Sandtable
 Couch (sometimes moved to math center)
 Materials:
 Problem Solving – sorters, magnets, number pegs,
magnetic drawing boards
 Early Algebra – pumpkin, pegs, hammers, blocks
 Number Sense – number pegs, number puzzles,
number bean bags
 Geometry – Floam, colored tangrams
 Measurement – chairs, blocks, waffle blocks
 Data Analysis – connector cubes, my little ponies,
dinosaurs
PROBLEM SOLVING
EARLY ALGEBRA
NUMBER SENSE
GEOMETRY
MEASUREMENT
DATA ANALYSIS
HOW DID YOUR MATH CENTER SHOW
FRIENDLINESS AND COZINESS?

 The math center that the teacher had created

beforehand was very small and combined with
the science center, so I did not have much to work
with.
 Some weeks I moved the materials to the carpet
for more room.
 Some weeks I moved the materials into the quiet
area for more room and a comfier space.
 Couches and carpet
WHERE WAS THIS AREA LOCATED IN THE
CLASSROOM? HOW DID YOU PREVENT HIGH
LEVELS OF NOISE IN THIS AREA?

 This area was located next to one of the doors to

exit the classroom and also next to the dramatic
play area.
 The quiet area was also across from the math
center.
 I tried to prevent high levels of noise by
monitoring the amount of children playing and
by not using this center at the same time as
dramatic play.
WHAT KIND OF FIXED, UNCHANGEABLE
ELEMENTS AFFECT THIS AREA? HOW DID YOU
DEAL WITH THEM?

 One of the unchangeable elements of this area is

the location that the teacher had it.
 I couldn’t physically move all of the shelves and
furniture, but I could move the materials for
more comfort.
 The door is right next to this area too, so I wasn’t
able to move chairs around this area without
blocking the door.
HOW DID YOU ARRANGE AND DISPLAY THE
MATERIALS?

 I displayed the materials on top of the sand table

for the days that I was leaving the materials in
the area that the teacher established.
 On the days that I used the quiet area, I placed
the materials on the carpet.
 On the days that I used the circle time area, I
placed the materials on the carpet.
 I left the materials on the shelves for the rest of
the day so the children could play with them in
free time.
HOW DID YOU ENSURE ENOUGH SPACE TO
MOVE FREELY? HOW BIG THE CENTER WAS?
HOW MUCH SPACE DID THE FURNITURE
OCCUPY? HOW MUCH FREE SPACE FOR
MOVEMENT WAS LEFT?
 In order to move freely, I had to move the
materials to the circle time area (big carpet), or
the quiet area (smaller carpet).
 The center was not very big (about 5 ft by 5 ft).

 In the center, there was two shelves and one

sand table in the middle. The sand table is only
used for a regular table.
 There is not a lot of free space.
HOW DID YOU INCLUDE MULTICULTURAL
ELEMENTS?

 I added labels in different languages (Spanish)

and I added a sign that says Math Center with
multicultural children and uses different
languages.
HOW DID YOU ADAPT IT TO INCLUDE
CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES?

 I do not have any children with disabilities in my

class, but I did move the center to more
accessible areas.
 This would allow physically disabled children to
access the math materials more easily.
WHAT RULES YOU HAD FOR THE CENTER?
 The rules that I established in the center were
the same as the classroom rules
 1. Quiet Voices
 2. Walking Feet
 3. Respectful to the Materials and Classmates

 I made sure that the children were not too loud

and were using the materials appropriately.
 Some of my children like to throw toys so I made sure
to tell them that it is not okay to throw materials.
WHAT SAFETY MEASURES?
 I made sure that the outlet next to the table
always had an outlet cover on it.
 I made sure that the children weren’t running
around the center and they were keeping their
hands to themselves.
 I made sure that the children picked up all of the
materials off the ground (if they fell on the
ground) to avoid children tripping.
PROVIDE SOME EXAMPLES OF MATH
EXPERIENCES THAT TOOK PLACE THERE.

 Data analysis activity – I put a pony and a

dinosaur on the table and had the children vote
on which one they like better.
 Number matching puzzle – I did this activity on
the big carpet so we could spread the puzzle
pieces in a larger space.
 Hammering pegs – I did this activity on a table
next to the quiet area.
 Bear sorters– I placed the box of bear sorters on
the table of the math center and asked the
children to sort by color.
HOW DID YOU PROMOTE AND ENCOURAGE
THE USE OF THE AREA?

 I promoted the use of this area by leaving the

materials out after center time.
 This promoted the students to use this area
because they see these materials out and it
spikes their interest during free choice time.
 I also tried to incorporate math skills in daily
activities to make them show interest in math
without realizing.