Centers

For many years, my center routine was a source of a lot of thought and concern. I kept changing the way I ran them, how they were organized, and where I kept the materials. Teachers have so many different styles and I have seen a variety of center routines that work well. What works in one classroom does not always work in another; so it took me a long time to fine-tune this part of my classroom and teaching style. After about 4 years, I finally figured out what works best for me and I love the way I do centers now! Feel free to adopt/adapt this method if you feel like it would work for you!

I had a hard time deciding whether to assign work or offer free choice; so I ended up doing both! My students MUST complete the first 2 centers (which are more academically based) and then they make a “pocket choice” (which is more like free play). Hopefully, this motivates them to manage their time wisely so they can earn more free play time. Aside from that, we all know that “play” promotes cause/effect reasoning, problem solving skills, social skills, and more. Once a week, though, students are assigned to do art (because sometimes it is a longer project) and visit the book center (it is such an important center so I really want them to go there at least once a week).

I try to plan my centers so that students end up with about 15-25 minutes of work and 5-10 minutes of play (occasionally 15, depending on how quickly they work). Most of the centers have a short task to complete individually (like a paper or project to hold students accountable for completion) but they usually do use materials and/or manipulatives to engage students. Barring absences and 4 day weeks, each child will visit every center each week (I simply move the group card once to the right every morning). If the school week is any less than 4 days, I put something else in the place of my center time, so that students are not constantly missing activities. Usually, I allow centers to last for about 30-40 minutes since it is an excellent opportunity to run small literacy groups and/or work with or assess students on a one-on-one basis (once students are trained in independent work). It is extremely helpful to have another adult in the room if at all possible.

Grouping

I try to keep the groups at 4-5 students (no more than 6 if ABSOLUTELY necessary). I try to group students heterogeneously. Because I want to be running small groups during this time, it is helpful for each group to have at least one student who can provide a little direction if necessary. I do not allow more than 4 students in the “pocket choice” centers so that it will decrease arguing over materials. This is the reason students must identify their choice with a name-labeled stick. Many teachers have students post their choices at each center and that is certainly another option; I just like to have mine consolidated in one place.

Keep checking the blog for more specific information about each center, and how I teach and introduce the routine at the beginning of the year.

P.S. – My center graphics will soon be posted in my store at TeachersPayTeachers. I will include the assignment pages and a page of small labels for tables and material buckets/containers.