Hi! If you follow me on Instagram (@mrswheeler44), you saw my poll asking if you'd like to see what I do for literacy centers! I used to do a weekly post sharing my centers, but got away from it. Based on the poll results, you want to see it return! So here is my first post in a while about centers!
Quick and dirty explaination of how I run literacy centers: I have 4 centers (some years I have 5 centers...depending on class size). Each center has 3-4 kids. Yes I have more than 15 students, however, some are out during center time working on their IEP goals and/or intervention. The remaining students that are in the classroom go to centers. The students visit ONE, just ONE center per day. Kudos to those who manage a Daily 5-type system. That's just too overwhelming and chaotic for me. The kids know which center to go to because I have a small, Target Dollar spot pocket chart up with their pictures and center number. Each night, I rotate the center number cards down. Every 4 days, I switch the center buckets. Grab the center labels below.
Each center bin has one activity inside. Many activities contain a corresponding recording sheet. *If you don't have unlimited copies, you can use the sheet protectors shown below! Just make several copies of the recording sheets and place them in the sleeves with dry erase markers. The children do the activity inside and then read or color when they finish. Note: One of my literacy centers each week is the Listening Center. This is where there are multiple copies of a book and a matching tape or cd. Yes, I said tape or cd. I know it's 2019 and kids don't even know what a cd is these days, but aint nobody got time or money to replace all those tapes and cd's and let's face it, they work great! *We also don't have much technology in our school district. A cd player and a 1972 tape player counts as technology, right?! Hahaha! Anyhow, the kids listen to the story and then complete a listening report afterward. Grab the reports for free below. You can read all about the benefits of a listening center HERE.
I have been collecting my listening center materials for all 15 years of my teaching career. Many were purchased with my own money or Scholastic bonus points. I store them in gallon Ziploc bags. I have two drawers full...one full of holiday-themed sets and the other with general sets.
Here's an example of the more advanced listening report:
Here's an easier version with a spot for a picture:
In a nutshell, that's how I run centers. I might also rewind and say that it took my kids a LONG TIME to reach center independence. Here are some tips for getting your kids independent:
1. Introduce each activity in class FIRST. If you don't have time to have them practice a similar activity, at least go over the type of activity in the center briefly on the first day of new center materials.
2. Do NOT run a group during centers UNTIL your class is under control. Establish rules. Spend the first few weeks, even months of school floating around and re-directing. Your kids need to know that center time is NOT play time. Have consequences. If my kids don't do their work during centers, they stay in and do it at recess. Not fun for me or them. Once they've done this once, they never mess around during centers again. Not able to take recess away? Turn their picture card backwards and tell them they have to sit out a day of centers. Also, not fun for them, but works like a charm. Discuss appropriate noise level for centers. Practice, practice, practice! Praise, praise, praise for a job well done.
3. Put developmentally appropriate and activities that promote independence into the centers. Don't put something inside that your kids can not do on their own. The last thing you want is them constantly running up to you asking for help when you are to the point in the year where you are having a reading group during center time. Consider putting activities in that cover skills you have ALREADY TAUGHT. This helps the kids feel confident about completing their work!
4. Put FUN and ENGAGING activities into your centers. A worksheet is NOT a center! Incorporate a game or activity with the worksheet first. Be creative! Think letter stamps, magnetic letters, letter beads, salt boxes, play-doh, etc! You can do a lot with a list of words and some hands-on manipulatives.
*Baskets with lids are from Target. They are several years old. I haven't seen them in years. I also like these latch-lid boxes that are linked below.
Quick and dirty explaination of how I run literacy centers: I have 4 centers (some years I have 5 centers...depending on class size). Each center has 3-4 kids. Yes I have more than 15 students, however, some are out during center time working on their IEP goals and/or intervention. The remaining students that are in the classroom go to centers. The students visit ONE, just ONE center per day. Kudos to those who manage a Daily 5-type system. That's just too overwhelming and chaotic for me. The kids know which center to go to because I have a small, Target Dollar spot pocket chart up with their pictures and center number. Each night, I rotate the center number cards down. Every 4 days, I switch the center buckets. Grab the center labels below.
Each center bin has one activity inside. Many activities contain a corresponding recording sheet. *If you don't have unlimited copies, you can use the sheet protectors shown below! Just make several copies of the recording sheets and place them in the sleeves with dry erase markers. The children do the activity inside and then read or color when they finish. Note: One of my literacy centers each week is the Listening Center. This is where there are multiple copies of a book and a matching tape or cd. Yes, I said tape or cd. I know it's 2019 and kids don't even know what a cd is these days, but aint nobody got time or money to replace all those tapes and cd's and let's face it, they work great! *We also don't have much technology in our school district. A cd player and a 1972 tape player counts as technology, right?! Hahaha! Anyhow, the kids listen to the story and then complete a listening report afterward. Grab the reports for free below. You can read all about the benefits of a listening center HERE.
I have been collecting my listening center materials for all 15 years of my teaching career. Many were purchased with my own money or Scholastic bonus points. I store them in gallon Ziploc bags. I have two drawers full...one full of holiday-themed sets and the other with general sets.
Here's an example of the more advanced listening report:
Here's an easier version with a spot for a picture:
In a nutshell, that's how I run centers. I might also rewind and say that it took my kids a LONG TIME to reach center independence. Here are some tips for getting your kids independent:
1. Introduce each activity in class FIRST. If you don't have time to have them practice a similar activity, at least go over the type of activity in the center briefly on the first day of new center materials.
2. Do NOT run a group during centers UNTIL your class is under control. Establish rules. Spend the first few weeks, even months of school floating around and re-directing. Your kids need to know that center time is NOT play time. Have consequences. If my kids don't do their work during centers, they stay in and do it at recess. Not fun for me or them. Once they've done this once, they never mess around during centers again. Not able to take recess away? Turn their picture card backwards and tell them they have to sit out a day of centers. Also, not fun for them, but works like a charm. Discuss appropriate noise level for centers. Practice, practice, practice! Praise, praise, praise for a job well done.
3. Put developmentally appropriate and activities that promote independence into the centers. Don't put something inside that your kids can not do on their own. The last thing you want is them constantly running up to you asking for help when you are to the point in the year where you are having a reading group during center time. Consider putting activities in that cover skills you have ALREADY TAUGHT. This helps the kids feel confident about completing their work!
4. Put FUN and ENGAGING activities into your centers. A worksheet is NOT a center! Incorporate a game or activity with the worksheet first. Be creative! Think letter stamps, magnetic letters, letter beads, salt boxes, play-doh, etc! You can do a lot with a list of words and some hands-on manipulatives.
*Baskets with lids are from Target. They are several years old. I haven't seen them in years. I also like these latch-lid boxes that are linked below.
That's it in a nutshell for how I manage centers. Next up are the activities we had last week!
Center 1: Listening Center--We listened to "Will You Be My Valenswine?"
Center 2: Pocket Chart Activity--We practiced verbs with a fun Valentine flair! After the kids matched the cards, they wrote the verbs next to the pictures on the provided recording sheet. All of my parts of speech activities are available for individual or bundled purchase. See below.
Center 3: Sentence Scramble--This is from my "Fundations Phonics : Level 1 game/activity bundle. If you teach Fundations Phonics, you NEED THIS RESOURCE IN YOUR LIFE!!!!!! Each week, there is a sentence scramble center. The scramble is a spiral review from the previous unit that I explicitly taught during our Fundations Phonics block. Activity bundle linked below.
Center 4: Glued Sounds Match--Again, this is another Fundations Phonics Level 1 activity. Great practice!!! Check out the activity bundle below.
That's a wrap! See you next week for an update of our weekly centers!
xo
Megan
Megan
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