I do not get the concept of centers. I have 3 groups of students in 1:50 minute blocks and then intervention for 35 minutes at the end of the day. For example, I am teaching roots and affixes tomorrow I do not know what centers to setup in my classroom. How do I teach them something and then send them to a silent reading center? I am confused. Please help.:huh:
I did traditional centers in 3rd grade where I spent a lot of time making or buying games/activities for each center. I had 5 rotations: Guided Reading (with me), Independent Reading, Technology, Word Work, and Listening to Reading. The idea is that they move in groups, but it can't be something you just spring on them. You need to set expectations and practice 1 center at a time. This year I am moving to Daily 5/CAFE. If you Google the books, they are totally worth it. This is not a centers curriculum, but a structure. The components are similar. I have also seen it done where Independent Reading is not a "center" as much as it's a block of time that everyone does for 20 minutes....then you might have another 20 minutes where everybody goes to one of the other 4 centers. Most of the upper grades I've seen do some kind of response to writing...either journaling or talking to the text, etc. I was always taught that centers are not for teaching but for practice. Whatever you put in them should be something the kids can do independently so that you can work with a small group or confer without interruption. Some other resources: Debbie Diller: Making Centers Work
