BUILD Math Centers time is one of my favorite parts of the instructional day because I am able to meet with my small groups and meet my students needs. I KNOW that I am moving them forward with intention and precision.

BUILD math centers are a very important part of our math workshop. I receive many emails from teachers asking about how I use them daily, or how do I fit them in our daily math routines. And I can honestly tell you that I don’t use them daily, and our daily math routines are structured according to where we are in the gradual release of responsibility model. Here’s a graphic to better help you understand:

I first learned about BUILD math centers a number of years ago when I started teaching 1st grade. I have done them ever since and I have never looked back.

They are that awesome!

BUILD math centers are the ultimate management system. They allow me to conduct my small guided math groups without any hassle, and they provide my students with a meaningful routine that allows them to practice, review, and work on many important math concepts and skills in a fun way.

The BUILD math centers come in monthly packs from September until May. Each pack has 3 rounds of stations, and each round has 5 station activities (15 math centers per month!). Each pack also includes a set of math choice boards, for students who are fast finishers or who need to be challenged. They are available for 1st grade and 2nd grade at this time. In the future, I will be creating them for Kindergarten, and I am also going to translate them by the end of the year.

Look at the graphic for a peek of how BUILD math centers work:

Each component of the BUILD math centers will target a different mathematical dimension:

*Operations and algebraic thinking
*Geometry and measurement
*Word problems
*Number sense

To sum it up –> for peace of mind.

That’s right. After I started doing BUILD math centers in my classroom, things just went smoothly. My time is spent TEACHING and not exercising crowd control. Honestly. My students just simply know what to do and how to assist each other.

But most importantly, when my students are working independently, I know that they are reviewing and practicing grade level concepts that are aligned to the standards. I also witness the social aspect of learning, and the huge impact of intentional, academic talk.

As I said before, I don’t do BUILD math centers in our classroom everyday. But on the day that we do, I release my students to work on BUILD math centers after our math mini-lesson. I aim to meet with at least three small guided math groups a day. While I am meeting with my FLEXIBLE small groups, the kids are working on BUILD.
In order to keep accountable, they have a small contract per round of BUILD. The contracts look like this:

This contract is from my March BUILD math centers for 2nd grade. With this contract, my students keep track of what they have accomplished. They work on one BUILD station a day. When they are finished, they may make a choice like:

*Completing another BUILD math center
*Reading
*STEM mats
*Technology

After the children leave every day, my time is consumed by looking for math and literacy activities that will meet their needs and enhance their strengths independently. I always tell myself:

Some of the activities that I provide are aligned to 1st grade standards for those students who need the foundation or the refresher. Some of the activities I design to challenge and extend: