Emma Morgan

Math Stations

Critical Task

Concept Focus: Decimals

10 minutes each station.

Complete the instructions for the color of your group. (Purple, blue, orange)

ROTATIONS

COMPARING DECIMALS – PURPLE, BLUE, ORANGE

ORDERING DECIMALS- BLUE, ORANGE, PURPLE

(Teacher observed) BUILD A DECIMAL- ORANGE, PURPLE, BLUE

Groups:

Groups: Purple l Blue m Orange h

Joanna Antonio Juvenal
Rylie Adrian Justin
Gigi Matthew Abbey
Yarely Jonathon Jakob
Janiyah Yanely Gisele
Wendy Lizbeth

Differentiation- Centers’ instructions will be read out and explained by teacher before
centers begin.

STATION 1:
Comparing Decimals!
(1)Purple
Instructions:
 COMPARING DECIMALS!

MUST WORK IN A GROUP.

1) Take a card and read the numbers.

2) Using a clip, mark the numbers that are under or over the number on the
card, depending on what the card asks.
3) On the back of the card, check your answers.

Materials: Wooden Clips, Cards, Place Value Number Reference Sheet.

1.007

1.14

1.05
1.25
1.35

14.808
14.5

14.008
14.08
14.09
 (2)Blue
Instructions:

COMPARING DECIMALS!

MAY WORK IN A GROUP OR INDEPENDENTLY

1) Take a card and read the numbers.

2) Using a clip, mark the numbers that are under or over the number on the
card, depending on what the card asks.
3) On the back of the card, check your answers.

Materials: Wooden Clips, Cards, Place Value Number Reference Sheet.

 ( per student)

(3) Orange
Instructions:

COMPARING DECIMALS!

MUST WORK INDEPENDENTLY.

1) Take a card and read the numbers.

2) Using a clip, mark the numbers that are under or over the number on the card,
depending on what the card asks.
3) On the back of the card, check your answers.

Materials: Wooden Clips, Cards. Place Value Number Reference Sheet. (if needed)
 745.05

745.763

745.745
745.765
745.795

598.076

599.5

598.002
598.065
598.556
(per student)

Differentiation: Students are having higher level numbers; students may use reference
sheet if needed.

Station 2:
Ordering decimals!
(3) Purple
Instruction:
 ORDERING DECIMALS!

MUST WORK IN A GROUP.

1) Layout the cards and order the decimal numbers from least to greatest on the
vertical line.
2) Complete all number cards.
3) Once you complete all the cards get answer key and check your answers.

Materials: Number Cards: (Per Student)

(Per student)
Greatest

Number Cards:  Place on

Least
 Answer Key:
Greatest

9.6
8.6
7
6.9
6.8
5.1
4.1
3.4
3.2
2.3
1.5
0.7

Least

Differentiation: Students must work in a group. Student will have less difficult numbers.
(1) Blue
Instruction:

ORDERING DECIMALS!

MAY WORK IN A GROUP OR INDEPENTENTLY.

1) Layout the cards and order the decimal numbers from least to greatest on the
vertical line.
2) Complete all number cards.

Once you complete all the cards get answer key and check your answers.

Materials: (Per student)

(Per student)
 Greatest

Number Line: (Per student) (Laid out on desk)

Least

Number Cards : (Per student)

 Answer Key :

Greatest

912.043
736.18
692.451
312.56
243.806
124.483
105.4
45.94
21.003
0.907
0.893
0.62

Least

Differentiation: Students will have the choice to work together or independently.

Numbers will vary with a few harder numbers and some middle-difficulty numbers.

(2) Orange
Instruction:

ORDERING DECIMALS!

MUST WORK INDEPENDENTLY

1) Layout the cards and order the decimal numbers from least to greatest on the
vertical line.
2) Complete all number cards.

Once you complete all the cards use the answer key to check your answers.

Materials: (Per Student)

(Per student)
(Per student)
 (Per student)

Answer Key:

Differentiation: Students will have to work independently; they have more difficult
decimal number to order than other groups.
 STATION 3

Drawing decimals!
(2) Purple

Instruction:

BUILD A DECIMAL!

MUST DO IN A GROUP.

1) Use the manipulatives on the table to build the number by the tens,
ones, tenths, and hundredths place.
2) Place the manipulatives on the column to represent the number by
place value.

Materials: Reference sheet , Manipulatives, Poster.

Differentiation: Students will have less place values in their numbers. They will work in a
group for extra support, and will have teacher support to represent that the numbers
can go further. (thousandths) Students will also be provided with a diagram for
reference of place value.
(3)Blue
Instruction:

BUILD A DECIMAL!

CAN DO IN A GROUP OR INDEPENDENTLY.

1) Use the manipulatives on the table to build the number by the hundreds,
tens, ones, tenths, hundredths place, and thousandths place.
2) Place the manipulatives on the column to represent the number by place
value.

Materials: Reference sheet, Manipulatives, Poster, and individual sheets of chart

Differentiation: Students have more place values than low group, students have the
choice to work together or in a group. Students will be allowed to use place value
reference sheet if needed.

(1) Orange
Instruction:

BUILD A DECIMAL!

MUST DO IN PAIRS.

1) Use the manipulatives on the table to build the number by the

thousands, hundreds, tens, ones, tenths, hundredths place, and
thousandths place.
2) Place the manipulatives on the column to represent the number by place
value.

Materials: Manipulatives, Reference sheet (if needed), charts for every student (paper
that they place manipulatives on to.
Differentiation: Working in pairs instead of group, students must complete higher digit
numbers (more place values). Student are strongly encouraged to not use place value
reference sheet, unless they cannot complete activity – Then the student can use sheet
as a guide.
PURPLE GROUP NUMBER
CARDS :

BLUE GROUP NUMBER CARDS:

 28.986 498.9

345.76 431.86

54.875 32.7

243.674 685.63
4444
680.76 127.97

45.987 387.675

Orange group number cards:

 3,876.44 698.5

6,896.87 4,876.086

45.765 4,007

343.506 209.598

9,761.138 7,985.953

435.765 2,864.801

Place Value chart for purple group:

Place value chart for blue and orange group:

(per student)
Written Analysis: Write a narrative that describes:

1. Mathematical Goal: What specific mathematical conception do your

stations intend to promote? Why do you believe these stations will
promote this goal?

The mathematical concepts these stations intend to improve is

place value and decimals. More specifically, place value regarding

decimals. These math stations are there to help students deepen their

understanding for how decimals work and what they actually mean.

Understanding that even though the number may be “longer” and have

more digits, that doesn’t mean the number is a larger quantity. For

example, 1.02 is less than 1.2. This is a complex concept to understand.

Letting the students play with this idea through manipulatives at the

concrete level, models through the representational model, and abstractly

if they are at that level. These stations allow the students to understand

decimals not only as they are but compare decimals and order them by

value. It also pushes them to be able to create the decimal with their

concrete manipulatives. This can completely deepen their understanding

about place value and decimals. The stations are differentiated by level of

student. The students who need help understanding the idea of place value

in decimal numbers. These groups will have less place values in their

centers. For example, the “lower” groups will have a number like 54.98

where as the “higher” group will have numbers like 345.876. This will

help build their understanding, while the higher group is getting

 challenged to dig deeper in their thinking. The middle group will have a

mix of both to see how far in their understanding they can go.

2. Students: What would you expect students (at each level) to do during
their completion of your stations? What mental actions do you hope your
students will perform?

During each of these math stations, I expect students to work

concretely, and abstractly. The higher group, I expect to work with one

another in a more abstract sense. The lower group, I would hope to see

them using their manipulatives as they complete each station, as well as

collaborating amongst one another to explain their individual ways of

thinking. The middle group, I hope to see thinking both abstractedly and

concretely, as well as using their effective collaboration skills to complete

each station effectively. As for the high group, they are expected to work

through the stations independently, however, I would like to see them

discuss with each other their findings as they complete the stations to both

compare and understand other students’ ways of thinking. Ideally for the

teacher, they would be able to observe the high group and ask for their

ways of thinking as they complete each station to better understand their

ways of problem solving. As the group is striving for abstract thinking, it

is important for them to know that it is acceptable to use concrete and

representational thinking skills as well. Even though the higher group is

expected to work independently, it is important for students to understand

that they can discuss with one another their way of thinking. It is

encouraged for students to “prove their answers” by explaining how they

 completed their station. I hope to see students counting on fingers,

speaking to one another, using manipulatives, drawing out models, and

using their place value reference sheet as they complete their stations. I

would also hope to see students asking questions to one another and the

teacher. This would show student interest in what they are learning, and

their curiosity about math. Having students be able to explain place value

would be an incredible achievement as a goal from completing these math

stations. Being able to identify, hundreds, tens, ones, tenths, hundredths,

and thousandths place would be a success. Overall, the students should

gain deeper knowledge regarding decimals and place value during these

math stations.

3. Context: What considerations have you made to promote an authentically

purposeful experience for your students? How do your stations support
your ESOL students?

The considerations I made for my students are that the students

love technology and the idea of communicating through technology. I

have a station that incorporates emojis. This is something I think the

students will find fun and exciting. The students will have more attention

focused on this station because of the detail that incorporates something

fun that means something to them. There is also a station that incorporates

sports. This will help the students grab more interest into the station. A lot

of the students in this class appeal to sports and technology. Therefore,

this will help add some fun and excitement to their math stations. These

stations are not just written worksheets for students to complete “busy

work”. These stations provide opportunities for students to work with

math in a hands-on way, and in a visual way. The components of CRT are

incorporated in these stations as well. There are abstract, representational,

and concrete ways to think and solve in these stations. My stations

support ELL students by providing little amounts of words in written

instruction and will be mostly teacher led instruction. They will have

manipulatives at their stations to help them use visuals during the centers.

The teacher will show and read through the instructions before students

begin their stations.