Trying Math Journals

Last year, as I was searching the web, I came across Deedee Wills' math journals and I loved the idea of them and I thought well I could do this myself. After downloading the free sample, I began creating my own, but not very well or consistently, and eventually they fell through the cracks. My students still flourished in math in so many ways, but their math journals didn't turn into the tool I had hoped.

This year Patterning using different sizes.

This year I took the plunge and purchased the whole bundle... And I love them. They really do make math journal time so quick, easy, and painless. 90% of the time I don't even give a mini lesson about the prompt because they are so relevant to the curriculum we are working with. We use Everyday Math, but I do supplement my centers with lots of activities found on TPT or Pinterest. Occasionally I come across one, and want to save it for a mini lesson to guarantee success.

Our quick mini lesson on showing it a different way.

The beauty of the prompts is that even when you need a mini lesson it can be a simple as a white board and class discussion. Excuse the awful picture, but I showed one way to make 5 then challenged my kids to make 5 in 3 other ways. We just drew it right on the board and bam! We were done and it was their turn.

These math journal prompts have cut down the amount of time we spend on math journals. Between getting journals, reading the prompt up to 10 times, and completing the prompt is 10 minutes. JUST 10 minutes. The bundle comes with extra prompts for each month, so I can use some of them during my small group if children need more assistance with a concept.

My last favorite part of these journal prompts is that they are the fastest way to assess the children on a daily basis on all the topics. We are not using Common Core, but each month includes shapes, patters, addition, comparison, subtraction, and writing numerals. Within 10 minutes each day, I know exactly where each child lies within a specific topic. I can choose to stop and teach then or make plans to cover it whole group during another mini lesson.

If you have been on the fence about these prompts... take the plunge, do it!