Set Up Guided Math Groups With 3 Insider Tips

No matter how many years you’ve been teaching, setting up your guided math groups can be quite the puzzle! Lucky for you, this is my favorite type of puzzle!

If you’re stressing about setting up guided math groups in your classroom, you’ll definitely want to catch these three tips!

Setting Up Guided Math Groups

#1. Have no more than 3-4 guided math groups

Remember that guided math groups typically have more students than guided reading groups, and that’s okay! Depending on your class size and the total time you have for guided math, try to stick with 3 to 4 groups.

If you’re not sure whether to make 3 or 4 guided math groups, head over to this post with sample guided math schedules.

#2. Use one-on-one assessments to create your initial groups

Oftentimes teachers use one-on-one reading assessments to make guided reading groups, but the same type of assessment isn’t done with guided math. I highly recommend taking 5-7 minutes to get to know your students as mathematicians. 

I wanted something quick yet informative to get to know my mathematicians at the beginning of the year, so I created these math assessment checklists to determine what skills my students retained from the previous grade. I have them for kindergarten, first grade, and second grade!

 

To complete these, all you need is a ring of assessment cards, scrap paper or a small dry-erase board, and a few manipulatives. Students will solve the cards while you take notes on how they’ve solved the problems. This data will help you put together your guided math groups.

When you’re modifying guided math groups during the rest of the year, you can use the grade-level assessment checklists. Even if you can’t complete the entire checklist, choose what you’ll be working on first during small groups and focus on assessing that skill!

These checklists contain the current grade-level math skills and standards that we want them to have mastered by the end of the year. Students can keep track of their progress on these free K-3 math skills goal sheets!