I try centers but I find them very time consuming and I feel like I am teaching the same thing 4 times when I could have just taught it once. I have done leveled groups but they seem to behave worse when with me in a small group. Unfourtunatly I'd rather opt out. They seem like so much work. I also feel like I have great control as a whole group.
I am new to elementary and I am wondering the same thing. I was given the advice by a veteran 5th grade teacher to use centers for my 5 students. I have heard about working in small groups, but it was suggested that I try to work with the students in one group and then one on one with them each going to a different center. I am not sure how this will work out being that I only have an hour to teach the concept. I am having my first and planned observation this Friday. I am very nervous, so we will see how it goes. I am so stressed these days, but I also think that the centers are a lot of extra work, especially with 5 different ones. Any input, please let me know!
Make sure they are self-guided, simple, engaging and lastng only 10-15 min each. Just have one simple rubric for all centers, ensuring they rotate through all and you rotate with your students in the alloted time. Try to make them fun, yet productive and meaningful. Once they are set up, they run themselves and gives you valuable one on one time with students.
I'm not a fan of centers. I've been teaching a long time, and this is the third time I have been pushed to use centers. I think they can take too much work to make and manage. I'm not sure how much the students learn at centers.
I took ideas from Pat Pavelka and other sources. I have only a few different centers, but change cards/words/numbers each week. The students must do 3 centers a day, and then have free choice. I pull my reading groups (by ability) out of the center groups. Centers rotate when I finish a reading group after 15 to 20 minutes. Students leaving a reading join their group for the next center. Before free choice they must do the center they missed during reading. Students stay with a center until I say rotate. My students carry a pocket folder and book to read with them. If they are finished before my reading group ends, they are to read silently. There is no moving to the next center until I tell them to.
If we have a good few days of quiet work, I put out a free choice reward center. That can be computer games, pattern block, geo boards, or other favorite games.
... until I went to a Guided Reading conference (thank you, principal!) during my first year teaching. After that, I was able to implement centers very easily.
Here's how Literacy Centers work in my classroom:
1. There are 10 magazine files, one for each center.
2. Each center focuses on a genre of literature.
3. Each center has two or three picture books in it.
4. Each center has a folder with directions, then, if they finish with the first task, there is an "extra for fun" task (I'll attach these to the post)
5. Students in my class are organized into three groups:
- Meet with the teacher (so that I can do guided reading)
- Work on an independent assignment (in this case, they're reading the Book Club book or working on roles)
- Literacy Centers
6. We work within this framework for 3 out of the 5 days of the week
7. Students work on one center the entire time we're working, and only do one center a week, so at the end of ten weeks, they'll have done all of the centers.
8. At the end of the ten weeks, all I have to do is change out the books.... the centers and the tasks remain the same.
Centers are cute but very time consuming--making them, teaching kids how to use them, correcting the work they do. That's why I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Daily 5 and CAFE. I do not have to prepare ANYTHING and the kids are all doing literacy activities.
I agree that Daily 5 can be "like" centers, but so much better! They don't take time to create and the kids love them. They are engaged in necessary learning that is so important. If you want to call Daily 5 centers, you can! My kids have done D5 all year and they still ask for it on days that we have a program to go to or something else cancels it.
The center idea you posted about your literacy center seems to be a good fit for what I am looking for regarding ideas. How well does this schedule work in terms of time management and preparation. Do you change out the activities related to the books by genre or current learning standards? Thanks!
I've heard of the daily five, but was not sure how to implement it or what it would entail to get it up and running. Is it to late in the year to begin this year? Where can I get some more info? Thanks!!!
I have heard of both Daily 5 and CAFE, but have not used them. I teach first grade and wondered if the Daily 5 and CAFE can be used in lower elementary classroom.
When I do centers, I keep many of the tasks the same. I just change the vocabulary words, spelling words, etc., but student complete the same type of task just with different words. I hope this helps.
You can definitely use Daily 5 in First Grade!!! Daily 5 is more of the structure of your reading time so you can use it without CAFE (which I did last year) or with the Cafe book/strategies.
The Daily 5 are the choices the students have, and they do pretty much the same thing every time they go to each choice. There is Read to Self, Read to Someone, Listen to Reading (books on CD, etc.), Word Work (where a lot of my games fit in), and Work on Writing.
CAFE is another book by the two sisters (who wrote the Daily 5 book). It's all about how to meet the needs of your readers as individuals through conferencing and strategy groups as well as about how to teach the strategies that they have found to be most important. THe letters in CAFE stand for: Comprehension Accuracy, Fluency and Expanded Vocabulary. Then, under each of those areas, they give the strategies that readers use to become strong readers...
I am not a "centers" person either and my classroom runs smoothly. I think it is a matter of style you prefer. All classrooms don't have to fit the same mold and style. Go with what fits best for you and your students will adore what you come up with. If all students did were centers in every classroom, it would soon grow boring. I am currently reading the Book Whisperer and it was nice to see that the writer of this book was not really into centers either.
Some of my co-workers use centers and it works for them and their classrooms. For me, it's just not a good fit. You will have the best luck as a teacher if you go with your own personal style.
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12-13-2010, 03:37 PM
