Managing Learning Centers
Posted by Debra Liverman on 03 Nov 2008 | Posted in: Classroom Management, Grade 1, Grades 2-3, Intermediate, Kindergarten, Preschool, The Mailbox
If I could peek into all the elementary school classrooms around the country, I’m sure I would find some sort of learning center in every one. Whether it was a traditional center set up in a particular area of the classroom, a collection of file folder centers in a file box, or a pair of students playing a partner game on the floor, almost every classroom would have one. And why not? Learning centers encourage children to work independently (or with a small group) while they practice skills and provide a variety of activities to keep them engaged. They offer a great way to differentiate for your students’ individual ability levels or interests, and, if managed properly, can provide you the time to pull a few students to work with you in a small group.
So, if I peeked into your classroom, would I see learning centers? If so, what kind? Do you have any tricks for making the most of centers with your students? Share with us!
Here are a few ideas from The Mailbox for using learning centers in your classroom.
Personal Passport
Guide students through their learning centers journey with these simple organizers. Have each child fold a sheet of 12″ x 18″ blue construction paper in half and label it “Centers Passport.” If desired, have him add a photo of himself to the cover. Laminate the folder for durability. Program a copy of the “Places to Go” form with the name of each center activity and place a copy in each student’s passport folder. After completing each center, the student stamps the box next to the center’s name and places his work in the folder.
Cleanup Captains
Here’s a tip to put your students in charge of keeping centers in order. After signaling students to begin cleanup, select a hardworking child from each center to be the captain. Have her inspect the center and dismiss her group to the next activity when she thinks the center is neat and tidy. Remind students that if the captain excuses a group with a messy center, the captain must finish the work herself.
Color-Coded Centers
To prevent overcrowding at centers, color-code them and obtain matching inexpensive plastic bracelets. Have each student choose a bracelet and go to the corresponding center. When all of the bracelets of one color have been taken, the students know that center is full.
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23 Responses to “Managing Learning Centers”
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I am currently setting up centers for the first time in my 5th grade class and found this site very helpful. I read about someone using a book by Debbie Diller that was very useful and was wondering the name of the book so I can see about getting it. thanks for all the ideas and help.
Just wanted to say that this is one of the best sites for Kids of all ages. Keep up the good work!
I have “must do” and “may do” centers instead of rotations. My first graders each have 1 learning center to go to each day (such a the listening center, file folder game, sorting center, etc.). They have a centers packet that I hand out at the beginning of the week with a cover sheet that lists all the centers and has a little picture that they color when they finish the center and the center work.
After they have completed their center, they must do independent reading for 15 minutes (I have timers that they love to use) and unfinished work. After those three things are done, they may choose an activity from my “may do” basket such as a game, time on the computer or more reading. This structure allows my fast workers to get enrichment (through the computer or a learning game) and my slow workers more time to complete their work. I have also seen kids rush to get their work done (which means I get all my centers packets turned in at the end of the week) so they can go to “may dos”. It also makes it easier to plan for kids being pulled for interventions, ELL’s and SPED. The kids who leave the room can finish their work as soon as they get back and not have to worry about going to the right center at the right time. I have guided reading groups while the rest of my class is working at centers. Also, I only allow 2 or 3 children at each center to minimize noise. If the center they need to go to that day is full, then they can do independent reading or unfinished work until a spot opens up.
During the past 22 years I’ve taught every elementary grade except 6th and pre-K. Centers have been one of the best parts of my day at every one of these levels. You’ll want to modify according to grade level, but the basic management tips I’ve employed are:
1. Plan a structured rotation. My students get to make lots of decisions about their learning through the course of the day, but which center they’ll be attending isn’t one of them. The kids like knowing where they’re going (and they’re all going to get there eventually anyway.) I need to know that everyone has had the opportunity to visit each center (if the student was in the classroom at the time.) This saves time in trying to figure out who still needs to do what.
2. Practice, practice, practice. This may sound silly, but you’ll be amazed at how much more smoothly your transition times will run. Brief the kids on where each center will be, divide them into their center groups, then tell them where they will move for the next center. Repeat this as many times as necessary. Then practice by ringing a bell to indicate the transition time and have them practice moving through the center rotations without specific direction from you. This makes it easy for you to observe who needs further direction.
3. Establish firm rules for behavior, noise level, bathroom trips, etc, prior to holding your first center period. They need to know what to expect. The more independent you can help your students become the better this time will be for everyone.
4. Accept work from centers without feeling the need to grade everything. Many activities are open-ended, some point to an obvious end product, but won’t be completed by all students for various reasons. You’ll find numerous opportunities to observe and comment on student work while helping kids recognize the rewards of following through with activities independently. As you develop centers you’ll want to use again, record ways they can be extended. I have index cards with three sets of directions (green, yellow, and red) for many of my centers. The green directions indicate basic expectations for the center, yellow directions provide an extension activity, and red directions give a more challenging independent extension. It’ll be heaven when all my centers have sets of these differentiated directions. In the meantime, I try to do this for one or two centers a month.
5. Provide a designated space for any work samples that need to be turned in. At least one student is “hired” each semester to keep track of who has handed in work. They have a clipboard and a spreadsheet with a class list of names. They ALL want to do this job!
7. Display center work whenever possible. Most students want to have their work displayed and this will encourage some of them to work on completing projects.
8. Plan specific time for center preparation. I keep a notebook recording the ideas (many from Mailbox Magazine!) of center ideas for each of our themes. I try hard to incorporate as many different subjects and modalities as possible in centers over the course of the week.
9. Plan specific time for giving center directions to the students each day. Don’t rush. The quality of the experience will suffer if kids aren’t sure about what they’re supposed to do.
10. Plan specific time for clean up and get everyone involved.
The freedom and independence centers provide are so important to students’ learning experiences. I hope my experiences have been helpful.
Taffy I also teach special education preschoolers. I am having a difficult time trying to figure out centers. I have large group, small group(class is divided in half and then we switch groups) We do have specials and then Free Choice and Large group. I have an autistic student in the PM and then will have in the AM in a week. They are the only one’s who have an individual schedule. I have 8 in the morning
(3-4yrs) 6 in the afternoon (4-5 yrs) They have a hard time focusing and some need one on one.
Diana
Hello all,
I teach fourth grade in Florida.
I have (and now am required to have) centers for reading as part of a 90 minute reading block.
When everything goes right…I have 6 centers a week in two 20 minute rotations. The first rotation is one center but different levelled readers (differentiated) where students read collaboratively in groups of 4-6. I work with one group of remediation students at this time. Students read, discuss, and answer questions, complete graphic organizers or respond in their response journals.
The second rotation includes skill based,independent reading, and teacher led centers. I also use the the rainbow ROYGBIV to organize myself. Independent reading (red) is in the library area, Word work is counter clockwise (orange). Word work includes vocabulary, spelling, workbook pages, games or activities. The Listening center is at the computers (I use splitters to have multiple students on the same computer). I use the text this year as we are on a very fast paced schedule; and we have it on audio disc. It is also good because rereading builds comprehension. Green is usually a learning game or multiple copies of a Take it to Your Seat or file folder center,though sometimes it is a webquest or internet activity with groups of two to three students per computer(again using splitters for the headphones), and the Blue is differentiated to the groups working with me. Five groups to five centers in one week. I’d like to read with each group each day….but……..time flies when you’re having fun!
The levelled reading groupings change only when needed; but the skill groupings change to some extent weekly. I will say I an extremely lucky because our school has a lot of levelled reading resources through Social Studies, Reading, and Science. There is never a shortage of material; just a shortage of time to plan.
It takes the first (quite a few this year) weeks to get the procedures set, but once they are comfortable and confident the centers move quite nicely.
Two other things: Students are listed by group on the board and I have them make a table of contents for their reading center assignments. They are to copy the contents page and place all center activities (those that have something written) in that order ready to be stapled and turned in on Friday after their selection test.
I do not grade the assignments because most are self-correcting or group corrected, but to keep them honest and to make sure they are participating I check them and place a grade for the number of assignments they have included.
In math I will do centers a couple of times a week to practice. I have a lot of manipulatives and games that others have cast off; the kids don’t mind. This gives me a chance to work with students in a small group that I see are struggling and challenge students who are ahead of the gang.
Oh, I also have wonderful color coded cans with cemented dowels with “L” hooks attatched so that I can display copies of directions or reproducibles. The top of the dowels are split and have a Y nut to tighten. This is where I put the laminated cards that label my centers. This way I can change where my color or activity goes if it needs to be out of counter clockwise sequence. Thanks to my husband George who follows along with my “ideas” perfectly!
I would love to come into more classrooms myself. Thank you all for sharing your ideas.
I am a new (old - career-changer) first grade teacher. I am required to have at least four centers going each day for most of our 2 hour literacy block. One of the centers is the teacher table, at which I teach small groups. The others vary - writing (process writing), listening (listen to and read along with a story on tape/cd), library (free read or buddy read), computer (currently I only have one working computer
), word work, etc. Most days, a paraprofessional comes in and works with students at my word work table, but unfortunately, no one tells me when she isn’t coming (due to illness, inservice, whatever), so I have no idea! I am looking (begging) for any information anyone is willing to offer on management and center ideas. I have all of Debbie Diller’s books, but haven’t had the time to read them! We are a Title 1, Reading First, very low SES, urban, AU school (I didn’t know this until after I signed my contract), so my babies need all the help they can get!
Andrea, from 11 Nov, I teach third grade and have started doing learning stations. I used the book by Debbie Diller on 3-5th grade work stations to set them up. While the book centers on literacy stations, many of the ideas can be used in other areas as well. I do not grade the work that is turned in at the end of stations, but it does keep the students on task to have a written assignment to turn in. My stations are done one a day, three days a week for 30 minutes. This allows me to do a small group while others are engaged in learning with a partner.
I almost gave up on centers due to the increased planning and correcting they required. Management of 4 centers, 5-6 students at each one, required them to be one more thing I had to “add” into the day. After attending a workshop based upon a book by Debbie Dillar, I now have 11 literacy workstations going 4 days a week. Paired students use materials already presented whole-class or work independently reading, writing, playing games, or working on the computers. Classroom management is a breeze, there aren’t many student conflicts, and students love the hour we spend on workstations. The best thing about them is that I have 45-55 minutes to run guided reading groups while the rest of the class is engaged in activities supporting math and literacy. The class knows how they work and I can even include them in the plans for the substitute without fear the hour will be a disaster. I have to admit that they help keep me more focused on the word study part of the curriculum and they also provide more time to play the math games that support our curriculum.
I’m new to preschool teaching this year. I’m teaching a class of 14 with three and four year olds. At this age, is it better to assign or have choice centers??? Tips on managing centers either type.
I teach Kindergarten and have centers daily. I have 4 or 5 centers a week, however each center has an activity and then a follow up. The Follow up activities stay the same all year, just the difficulty changes. For example, the center will have a student of the week worksheet which will involve reading and writing. When the students are done with this work then they go to file folder games. So, if you really look you will see that I have 10 centers going on, but it allows for differentiated instruction: those that need time to finish a project, and those who do not need a lot of time, have something to move on two. I do my reading groups at this time. I will have math centers every other week. I will teach a topic or two and then the next week we will have math centers supporting and practising those skills. These will be in the afternoon. Hope that helps anyone.
I do centers daily in my kindergarten classroom. They are divided into two separate 30 sessions. The morning session is literacy centers and each center is based around reading and writing. I do guided reading and computer time at this time. They stay at these centers for the entire time. Journal writing is also a weekly center at this time.
The afternoon centers are developmental and there are two required centers that they must do each week at this time. The other groups may have free choice centers at this time if they have completed their required center work. I don’t grade centers because we have an SNU scale for kindergarten, but I do have to approve their work before they move on.