Centers and Independent Work - Part Six

Word Work Centers – Part Two

            Digging into the Dictionary is just one idea of a word work center.  Other word work centers might include:

·        Compound Words – Write words on index cards.  Students will combine words to create compound words.  They can then write them down on a sheet of paper or in a notebook with definition of the compound word.  Students can then use the word in a sentence or look for more compound words in a piece of a text.

·        Contractions – Write contractions on index cards.  Write the two separate words that when put together make a contraction.  Students will find the two words that when put together create the contraction.  Students will use the contractions in a sentence.

·        Scrabble – Students will play Scrabble (either the board game or a teacher made version).  Students will get bonus points for a word with the phonics pattern they are studying.  Students will record the words they played in a journal and use them later in a writing activity.

·        Vocabulary Match – Teacher will have several pre-taught vocabulary words written on index cards.  Teacher will have the definition written or pictures on other index cards.  Students will match the definition or picture to the correct vocabulary word.

·        Matching – Students can match antonyms and synonyms, common nouns and proper nouns, vocabulary words with definitions, multiple meaning words with definitions, words parts (prefix, suffix, root) to definitions.  To extend this activity students could write the sentences with the words they matched.

·        Making Sentences – Students select a bag of pre-made word cards.  Students will construct a sentence using the word cards, checking for correct capitalization, organization, punctuation and spelling.  Students will write the new sentence on a sheet of paper or in a notebook.

·        Wow Sentence Revision – provide sentence strips with very simple sentences.  Ex. A dog sits.   Students will rewrite the sentence to create a “wow” sentence using more descriptive words.  Ex. A black dog with white spots sits while waiting for his owner to come home.  

Centers and Independent Work - Part Five

Word Work Centers – Part One

          Word work and vocabulary are key components of literacy instruction. Students should be working with words daily.

There are several ways word work centers could looks like. This teacher uses drawers to organize materials and activities. Students may have a choice over which activity they want to do or the teacher may direct which activity they do. Different groups of students may do different activities, or the whole class could do the same activity. With centers, the options are endless.  Some materials you may consider keeping at a work center are: pocket charts, magnetic letter tiles, word cards, vocabulary cards/pictures, blank index cards, notebooks, paper, created word lists.

Digging into the Dictionary

One center for word work center idea is called Digging into the Dictionary. In this center students use the dictionary to use guide words, define vocabulary words, and use words in context.   The possible steps students could do at this center are

1) Write your word on an index card,

2) Find the word in the dictionary,

3) Write the part of speech,

4) Write the definition,

5) Write a synonym for the word,

6) Write your word in a sentence,

7) Reread the definition and the sentence to make sure it was used correctly. 

You probably wouldn’t have students do ALL of these steps. You would need to choose which ones you’d want your students to do.

          We just talked through what Dig into the Dictionary could look like. It’s just one idea. If you want to use Dig into the Dictionary in your classroom, you’ll need to tailor it to fit your students’ needs.  If you haven’t taught your students how to use guide words, you wouldn’t want to include that component.  Some other considerations might be:

• ·        Are students doing this activity in pairs or independently? You may have students who need a partner as a support. Other students may be able to work independently.
• ·        What might this center look like?  I could write our vocabulary words for the week on index cards and use a binder ring to keep them together. I could put the directions in a page protector and hook it to the binder ring, too. Will students use a print dictionary or a digital dictionary? The standard requires students understand and use both.
• ·        What skills would my students need to have in order to do this center? If you use the center as is, your students would need to know how to use the dictionary.

Centers and Independent Work - Part Four

Writing Centers – Part Two

Book review is just one idea of a writing center.  Other writing centers might include:

• ·        Letter Writing – friendly letter to classmates, family, teachers, administration, get well cards, birthday cards, holiday cards, letters to a favorite author, celebrity or government leader, letter to pen pals or student from a different class or grade level, letter to a family member that live out of town.  Bag a story
• ·        Bag a Story – place seven objects in a brown paper bag.  Have students fold a piece of paper into eight sections.  Ask them to introduce a character in the first section and write a story using all of the objects in the bag as part of the story, one section for each object.  Students may act out their story using the items when completed.
• ·        Top Ten – students will brainstorm and write a list of ten items related to a given topic.  The topic can be animals, places you’d like to visit, favorite stories, things that start with the letter D, favorite characters, etc…
• ·        Think and Thank Thursday – students think about someone that has helped them and then write a thank you letter or card to them.  Students can list things they are thankful for and explain why
• ·        Wish You Were Home – students create postcards from settings in stories they’ve read.  Students write a note as one character in the book to another character in the book.  On the other side, students can draw a picture of the setting.  Examples of postcards for students to refer to may be needed.
• ·        Story Starter Journal – create multiple journals with a story starter already written in it.  Students will select a story starter journal, read it, copy it, and use it to write a story.  These journals can be shared so that the entire class can write in them throughout the year.  Once students finish their story, they can go back and read their classmates stories.
• ·        How To – students will explain “How to” do something, including each step and specific details explaining those steps.  Some ideas of “How to” are: make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, get to their classroom from the school office, play a game or check out a book from the library 

Centers and Independent Work - Part Three

Writing Centers – Part One

          Writing is a skill that our students should always be practicing, especially across the curriculum.   Some materials you may want to keep in your writing center are: paper (lined, unlined, variety of sizes, shapes and colors), index cards stamps and stamp pads, pens, markers, crayons, pencils, colored pencils, dry erase markers, stationary and envelopes, magazines, greeting cards, sight word cards, vocabulary word cards, writing journals or folders, clipboards, graphic organizers.

Book Review

          One writing center idea is called Book Review and it’s one way to tie writing and reading together. In this center, students write a review for a book they have read. It could be a book from whole group or small group instruction, or it could be a book they’ve read independently. After reading, students write a review of their book containing the following components: summary, rating, recommendation, and connection. You could have a premade form, or you could have the directions posted and students could use lined paper.  Students would write a brief summary of the book, making sure to include Who? (the character), Wanted? (the goal), But? (the problem), So? (the plan), Then? (the resolution).  Students will then rate the book.   Students will write a recommendation.

            That is just one way a book review could look like. It’s just one idea. If you want to use Book Review in your classroom, you’ll need to tailor it to fit your students’ needs.  If you haven’t taught your students to summarize with the “Who, Wanted, But, So, Then” strategy, then you wouldn’t want to include that strategy.  Some other considerations might be:  Are students doing this activity in pairs or independently? You may have students who need a partner as a support. Other students may be able to work independently.   What might this center look like?  Teach your students this center explicitly, I could have made an anchor chart during the lesson and that chart could live with this center at a table in my room. Another option would be to put the directions and an example with a familiar text in a file folder with paper and students could take it to their desk to complete. You might start the students with a premade form, and then transition them to a journal or blank sheet of paper.   What skills would my students need to have in order to do this center? If you use the center as is, your students would need to know how to summarize.   How can I support students with this center? In addition to allowing students to work with a partner and providing an anchor chart and/or premade form, you could also support students by providing sentence frames they might need to write their review. Students could practice this center with text that they have read multiple times, so they are familiar with the story. All of these things could support all students and especially EL students. For students who are on grade level with extension, this center could be extended by letting them write their review online on a class website. If you have technology, they could use the iPad to film their review and make an iMovie to share with the class.  How can I hold students accountable for this center?  Students could write their book reviews in a centers journal that is turned in every week. 

Centers and Independent Work - Part Two

There are many ways to manage centers.   Some teachers use a pocket chart to show students each rotation for the day. For example, group one will do spelling and guided reading.  Some use clothespins to show students where to go during centers for each rotation.  Some use the whiteboard and sticky notes to color code the groups.  There really is not a right or wrong way to manage centers.
          Ask 3, Then Me is a very simple and straightforward procedure for students to have their questions answered. The students would ask three other students their question before they ask you.  Just remember that you would need to explicitly teach this procedure and give students the chance to practice it. After some practice, you’ll notice that fewer and fewer students are coming to you to ask questions while you are with a small group.         

This is the time when the teacher is pulling small differentiated groups.  During this time, the rest of the students need to be working on tasks that are purposeful and engaging. Students can be working in pairs, groups, or independently to practice grade level skills that have been previously taught whole group. This is center time.  This time isn’t intended to be a time for students to sit and do endless worksheets and packets. It’s not a time for busy work. This is instructional time aimed at helping students become independent learners. There are many authentic ways students can practice literacy skills. Practice makes permanent. The more chances students get to practice a skill, the more successful they will become with it.  And when a student is engaged in an activity, they are more likely to stay on task and less likely to cause disruptions that distract you from your small group instruction.  Hold students accountable for the work they do during centers.  Students should be using their time to learn and you can use their work as formative assessment.  However, don’t take grades on their center work because it is meant to be practice. 

Centers and Independent Work - Part One

       Centers can seem daunting at first, but I have some ideas on how to get centers up and running in your classroom.  Centers don’t have to cost a lot of money. There are lots of things that you already have in your classroom that you can use to make centers. Reusing and repurposing is also a great way to get materials.  Centers also don’t have to take hours and hours to prepare every week.  Some centers may continue all year, with the only difference being the content.  For example an independent reading center may have questions specific to the skills (for example, narrative elements) you’re currently working on in class.   With all that in mind, let’s talk about what a center is.  Ideally, a center is an area of the classroom where students can engage in meaningful activities tied to standards.  For most of us, space can be an issue in the classroom. With that in mind a center can be organized in many different ways. Centers could be a physical space in your classroom, like at a table, on a carpet, or in the classroom library. Centers could also be in a file folder or in a tub or bin.

            There are many reasons to utilize centers in your classroom. Centers are the answer to the question, “What are the other students doing while I pull groups?” Centers give the teacher the opportunity to meet the needs of individual students through flexible grouping.  Centers allow teacher opportunities to differentiate.  Centers allow students the chance to practice and apply skills.  Centers allow students time to become independent learners.

            Implementing centers in your classroom takes careful consideration and planning when you’re first getting started. There are many things to think about ahead of time. Here are some questions you’ll want to consider:  What are my goals for centers?  How long will students be at each center?  How many centers do I want?  How many students do I want at a center?  What do students do when they are done with a center?  The more thought you put into planning your centers, the more likely that they will run efficiently. But remember, it takes time and practice for you and the students.

            Management is a major component of centers running smoothly in your classroom. Clear routines and procedures are crucial. Without them, you will be bogged down with questions and issues and unable to pull groups.  Management is a very personal, but here are some things to think about:  Will students rotate in a group? What will the signal be?  Will groups be homogeneous or heterogeneous? What do students need to do if they need to sharpen a pencil, go to the bathroom, or get a drink? What do students do if they have a question?

Anchor Charts - Part Two

For best results, teachers should plan ahead.  Use pre-made materials, look online for pictures of anchor charts or plan with a colleague but remember anchor charts do need to ultimately be made with your students. 

To make anchor charts as effective as possible anchor charts should:

·        Have a single focus – the noun and verb of the standard.

·        Be co-constructed with students – when the visual represents a learning event that includes the students it becomes an artifact of the learning experience.  It has meaning for the students because they participated in its construction.

·        Large Text – Write in letters large enough to be read easily from anywhere in the classroom.

·        Examples – Include student ideas and teacher – selected examples.

·        Color Use – Highlight crucial information or draw attention to a particular place with bright colors or highlighters.

·        Supportive Graphics – Use pictures, thinking maps, drawings or photographs.  These are beneficial for all your students but especially effective for your English language learners and your special education students.

·        Background of Chart – Use butcher paper or posters with light backgrounds.  This creates enough contrast so that the words can be read.

·        Placement of Chart – Place chart somewhere that is easy to access for quick reference

·        Space Availability – Kids take responsibility for the charts and add more examples throughout the year.  This can be done by having kids write on the anchor chart or with the use of sticky notes.

·        Standard – Put the standard that the anchor chart is meeting in the top corner of the anchor chart.

Anchor Charts - Part One

Nearly all teachers use anchor charts.  Anchor charts are more than decoration.  Anchor charts build a culture of literacy in the classroom, as teachers and students make thinking visible by recording content, strategies, processes, cues, and guidelines during the learning process.  They are a living part of a classroom’s meaning-making journey visible to all. The readability, legibility, reliability, clarity, balance, icons, patterns, consistency, and accessibility inspire deeper understanding and independence to empower students for a greater purpose.  Let your classroom walls be a gigantic scaffold, a place to hang and categorize new knowledge, to see connections, to form patterns. 

Teachers model building anchor charts as they work with students to debrief strategies modeled in a mini-lesson.  Students add ideas to an anchor chart as they apply new learning, discover interesting ideas, or develop useful strategies for problem-solving or skill application.  Teachers and students add to anchor charts as they debrief student work time, record important facts, useful strategies, steps in a process, or quality criteria. 

Anchor charts immortalize your teaching and the students learning.  Posting anchor charts keeps relevant and current learning accessible to students to remind them of prior learning and to enable them to make connections as new learning happens.  Students refer to the charts and use them as tools as they answer questions, expand ideas, or contribute to discussions and problem-solving in class. Anchor charts are referenced by teachers to “anchor” thinking.  When planning an anchor chart keep the following question in mind: What are my students learning from this lesson?

Anchor charts contain only the most relevant or important information so as not to confuse students.  Post only those charts that reflect current learning and avoid distracting clutter—hang charts on clothes lines or set-up in distinct places of the room; rotate charts that are displayed to reflect most useful content.  Charts can be place on top of each other so the students have access to older charts if needed as a resource.  Teachers can also take pictures of their anchor charts and put them in a book for students to access as needed.  Interactive notebooks are also a great way to give students access to anchor charts, as they can create smaller versions of the anchor charts to keep in their notebooks. 

Charts should be neat and organized, with simple icons and graphics to enhance their usefulness.  Organization should support ease of understanding and be accordingly varied based on purpose.  

     I am so excited to finally be writing a blog.  I have been a teacher for 12 years.  I have taught kindergarten, first grade, second grade, and fourth grade and now I work as an instructional coach.  I am so lucky to be able to work with teachers from K-5 across all subject areas.   When I was in the classroom, I felt like my students made me a better teacher every day and now as a coach the teachers make me a better teacher and coach every day.  My goal with this blog is discuss instructional strategies, share lessons and to meet and learn from even more teachers from all around the world.  I am so glad that you have decided to take this adventure with me!