Using Math Journals K-3

using math journals

I began using math journals as a part of my guided math rotations four years ago mid-year!  It was such a great experience!  I have shared in the past about how skeptical I was when we were first asked to begin having students keep a math journal.  After stepping out of my comfort zone, I realized what a fantastic record of math skills students keep in their treasured composition books!

Student created math journals for the entire year! These interactive math notebooks are a great way for Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade to practice math skills in an interactive way. These math journals cover number sense, addition and subtraction, graphing, shapes, money, word problems and so much more!

All of the example journal activities in this post are from math journals K-3.  The links to the math journal resources are near the end of this post.

Student created math journals for the entire year! These interactive math notebooks are a great way for Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade to practice math skills in an interactive way. These math journals cover number sense, addition and subtraction, graphing, shapes, money, word problems and so much more!

Starting Out with Math Journals

I had my doubts on how students would react to working in a math journal daily.  I knew the daily activities I provided would have to appeal to them.  We all know that the average first grade class consists of students who are budding origami masters to those that are spatially challenged.  I am most definitely the kid that was raising her hand for help when it came to paper folding in school.  For this reason I wanted to keep it simple!

Student created math journals for the entire year! These interactive math notebooks are a great way for Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade to practice math skills in an interactive way. These math journals cover number sense, addition and subtraction, graphing, shapes, money, word problems and so much more!

To help make life easy for both teacher and student, I created an example journal for each activity.  This saves me because it provides a layout example right up front in the classroom.  It also helps students see how the folds should look.   To begin, I cut the activities and students only work on folding and placing them in the correct layout themselves.  As students get better at this, I do less and less of the cutting.  Most of the year, students can handle it all themselves.

Student created math journals for the entire year! These interactive math notebooks are a great way for Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade to practice math skills in an interactive way. These math journals cover number sense, addition and subtraction, graphing, shapes, money, word problems and so much more!

Teacher Tip

A couple of tricks to help you are to sprinkle in activities run on colored paper.  Students fall in love with their math journals and begin to take a lot of pride in their masterpieces.  The first year I introduced math journal activities, my students would BEG for me to hurry up and get to the math journal activity.  I had to wipe the look of shock off my face because I thought this would be a struggle rather than a favorite rotation!!

Student created math journals for the entire year! These interactive math notebooks are a great way for Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade to practice math skills in an interactive way. These math journals cover number sense, addition and subtraction, graphing, shapes, money, word problems and so much more!

Realistically, every activity  is not run on colored paper, but I did try to do it as much as humanly possible.  My students LOVE flipping through their colorful, work-filled journals.  I get most of my Astrobrights paper on Amazon.  (affiliate link)   I love stocking up on these assorted packs for math journals.

Student created math journals for the entire year! These interactive math notebooks are a great way for Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade to practice math skills in an interactive way. These math journals cover number sense, addition and subtraction, graphing, shapes, money, word problems and so much more!

Not all activities need to be colored.  Most will just be run on plain copy paper.  On this activity below, I ask students to color the two parts of the snowman that make ten.  Then inside the flap they write the number sentence and solve the addition problem.

Student created math journals for the entire year! These interactive math notebooks are a great way for Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade to practice math skills in an interactive way. These math journals cover number sense, addition and subtraction, graphing, shapes, money, word problems and so much more!

Using Math Journals

From Kindergarten through third grade, students can show what they know and apply concepts.  Here are some more examples of journal activities to use in a guided math station activity.
Student created math journals for the entire year! These interactive math notebooks are a great way for Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade to practice math skills in an interactive way. These math journals cover number sense, addition and subtraction, graphing, shapes, money, word problems and so much more!
Student created math journals for the entire year! These interactive math notebooks are a great way for Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade to practice math skills in an interactive way. These math journals cover number sense, addition and subtraction, graphing, shapes, money, word problems and so much more!Student created math journals for the entire year! These interactive math notebooks are a great way for Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade to practice math skills in an interactive way. These math journals cover number sense, addition and subtraction, graphing, shapes, money, word problems and so much more!

Student created math journals for the entire year! These interactive math notebooks are a great way for Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade to practice math skills in an interactive way. These math journals cover number sense, addition and subtraction, graphing, shapes, money, word problems and so much more!Student created math journals for the entire year! These interactive math notebooks are a great way for Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade to practice math skills in an interactive way. These math journals cover number sense, addition and subtraction, graphing, shapes, money, word problems and so much more!

Another little tip is to keep your favorite blank graphic organizers or thinking maps run off and in your math journal activity basket.  When you have a concept that lends itself to a graphic organizer, you can grab and go!

Student created math journals for the entire year! These interactive math notebooks are a great way for Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade to practice math skills in an interactive way. These math journals cover number sense, addition and subtraction, graphing, shapes, money, word problems and so much more!
Student created math journals for the entire year! These interactive math notebooks are a great way for Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade to practice math skills in an interactive way. These math journals cover number sense, addition and subtraction, graphing, shapes, money, word problems and so much more!
Student created math journals for the entire year! These interactive math notebooks are a great way for Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade to practice math skills in an interactive way. These math journals cover number sense, addition and subtraction, graphing, shapes, money, word problems and so much more!
Using graphic organizers allows you to plug in any content!  Comparing fractions to decimals, shapes, coins, or even addition and subtraction!
Student created math journals for the entire year! These interactive math notebooks are a great way for Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade to practice math skills in an interactive way. These math journals cover number sense, addition and subtraction, graphing, shapes, money, word problems and so much more!

Some activities end up being a  lot like a math tub activity.  If there is a way to incorporate your manipulatives in a journal activity, it is always appreciated by the students!

Student created math journals for the entire year! These interactive math notebooks are a great way for Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade to practice math skills in an interactive way. These math journals cover number sense, addition and subtraction, graphing, shapes, money, word problems and so much more!
Student created math journals for the entire year! These interactive math notebooks are a great way for Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade to practice math skills in an interactive way. These math journals cover number sense, addition and subtraction, graphing, shapes, money, word problems and so much more!

I have been asked if the monthly journals and monthly math centers align with the Guided Math Units.  The answer is YES!  The math journal activities for all 4 grade levels provide spiral review of previously learned concepts while also containing activities with the current concept.

I firmly believe that students at the first grade level need to work independently on concepts that are already learned.  I don’t want my students to work independently on the concept that I am still introducing.  These monthly journal packets spiral review previously learned concepts and provide practice with current concepts as well!

The Math Journals

Kinder                                                                           First                                                                           Second

Student created math journals for the entire year! These interactive math notebooks are a great way for Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade to practice math skills in an interactive way. These math journals cover number sense, addition and subtraction, graphing, shapes, money, word problems and so much more! Student created math journals for the entire year! These interactive math notebooks are a great way for Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade to practice math skills in an interactive way. These math journals cover number sense, addition and subtraction, graphing, shapes, money, word problems and so much more! Student created math journals for the entire year! These interactive math notebooks are a great way for Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade to practice math skills in an interactive way. These math journals cover number sense, addition and subtraction, graphing, shapes, money, word problems and so much more!

The third grade math journal can be found HERE.

During our math block, following the whole group mini-lesson, students rotate through 5 math activities.  Math journal is one of the five activities.

Student created math journals for the entire year! These interactive math notebooks are a great way for Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade to practice math skills in an interactive way. These math journals cover number sense, addition and subtraction, graphing, shapes, money, word problems and so much more!
How do you use math journals?  Are you ready to give it a try?
If you are ready for even more help in the area of guided math or want to dive into guided math rotations, you can check out this Launch guide too!  It’s free! 🙂
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8 Comments

  1. I am in love with all of your products! I am wanting to start math journals in my first grade classroom next year. My question is how many composition notebooks does each student need for the whole year?

  2. I’m moving to fourth grade. So you have any of these resources for fourth grade?

    Thanks!
    MaryAnne

  3. I am teaching Dual Language this year so the oral language component is a huge focus as students learn math in english, no matter their home language. I want Math my math stations to remain the same as yours. In Kinder the students take their Math Journal with them to every station and write the sentence stem in their journal to add in that extra language component and then this is how the teacher holds them accountable for their math game stations.
    Do you only use math journal as a station or do you also have your students have a math journal spectate to record their thinking? I am not sure if I should have them mix these or if I could just have them write the sentence stem after completing one of your journal activities in their math journal

  4. Can you tell me if your first grade journals follow all of the Common Core Standards?
    I’m looking for one that follows it to the tee, and includes money and fractions.

  5. I am a special ed teacher and I work with students at all levels. Is there a bundle for all of these at a discount??

  6. How do you manage reviewing these? Do you check/grade them each day? Do you provide answers for checking them?

    Thank you!