Centers - I've heard both sides - some teachers despise them while others love them. I am on the 'love them' side! To be clear, my experience with centers is limited, but what I've experienced has been awesome.
So let me tell you how I came about doing my centers the way I'm about to explain. I was a student teacher a year ago, it feels like SO long ago! During my students teaching I had the opportunity to work with an amazing cooperating teacher and other just-as-amazing teachers. I learned so much from my cooperating teacher, including how to set up awesome centers. So full disclosure, this center set-up is not my idea, but it's so great it needs to be shared!
Moving on, I began teaching 4th grade at the same school I student taught at in January, right after the Holidays. I was unsure whether I wanted to do Choice Boards or Centers for 4th Grade, previous teachers before me had done both. So, me, being ambitious decided to do choice boards (after having no experience with them) and it was kind of a disaster. Definitely one of those "live and learn" moments. I kept the choice boards going to until PSSA time, then switched over to a smaller version of centers, which was better, but also a disaster.
So needless to say, I'm ecstatic about starting out fresh with a NEW center rotation!
Here it goes,
What you'll need for a successful center set up is a good storage system. Using my cooperating teacher's center organization idea, this works best for me.
This center set-up has 10 centers, with two rotation per day. Each bin in labeled with a number and the title of the center. And each bin has a labeled folder like below.
Once you have a good organization system, you need to move on to the rotation.
What you need:
-wall space for the center rotation display
-groups & group names
-labels 1-10 or Centers 1-10 (I like clothespins)
I am using a pocket chart this year. I ran into a hiccup when I realized my cards were too big for the chart, but I figured out a solution. I am grouping my students by animal names, so I printed and laminated clip art - this is what will stay in the pocket chart. I'm kicking myself in the behind for not remembering to take a picture before I left my classroom today!
So picture this,
A pocket chart. animal clip art pictures going vertically down the side of the pocket chart. You need to put clothes pins that are numbered 1-10, - one beside each animal . This is the center that students start at. I plan on instructing students to take out their center notebooks and folders, then I will announce what center each group is at. Ex. "Elephants, Center 1" "Penguins, Center 2" Once I announce all ten groups, I will put 2 minutes on the timer, this is the amount of time students have to get to their center and get started working quietly. During this time, one captain from each group will retrieve there bin and take to their group. After the two minutes are up, the timer is set for the first rotation (20 minutes), but this can be any time you choose. Then pull your guided reading group!
BEEP! 20 minutes are up! This is where I adapted the original idea slightly.
At this time, I will get students attention and instruct them to rotate to the next center. While my students are still learning the rotation, I will get students attention, and say something along the lines of "It is now time to move to the next center. Elephants, move to center 2, Penguins, Center 3, ect.". The numbered clothespins should be rotated - I might have a student do these eventually, but I will do it at first. Students should not move until I am done speaking and the timer is back on the board. Students have 2 minutes to clean up there center, leave the bin at the center location, then walk to the next center with there folder and notebook. Then 20 more minutes goes on the board. Then meet with guided reading groups again!
BEEP 20 minutes are up! At this time, I will tell students that it is time to clean up there center and return to their seats. Students will have 3 minutes to clean up there center, walk back to there seat, and put away their notebook and folder. The group captains will put their bins back in the correction spot.
And that's it!
Stop back again in a few weeks to see how the center rotation is working for me!
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