MathBaskets are storage containers with books, games, and other manipulatives in them. The baskets are organized by category and stored on shelves. The categories are: addition, subtraction, number sense, place value, graphing, telling time, counting and using money, measurement, fractions, problem solving, patterns, geometry, multiplication, and division.
In each basket are math games, manipulatives, and lots of books. There are only “can do” activities in the baskets. This means that any of the activities or books are available for the students to use. The materials in each basket are organized by the specific strands that are taught throughout the year during math. This provides a differentiated learning environment for this curriculum. Most students have access to classroom technology. Technology is a way to fully and actively engage students in learning activities. I have assembled a collection of interactive websites that correlate with each strand the Math Baskets address. Scroll down to the bottom of this page to download a list of materials in each basket.
When students are finished with their math assignment for the day they may go to their assigned Math Basket. They leave their assignment on their desk for me to check. If there is something they need to fix or I need to explain to them further, I can easily call them back to their seat. I can also work with a small group of students to provide more individualized instruction to those who need it.
Students learn things in different ways and at different times. For example, one student may grasp the concept of counting back change very quickly while another student still struggles with counting groups of coins. The MathBaskets allow me to work with a smaller group of students while the rest of the class is strengthening their skills on previously taught concepts.
I have the Math Basket icons on a corner of the whiteboard with magnets. My students are in groups of 3 or 4. I place their number under one of the icons. I can easily rotate the icons each day to change the Basket they go to.
