Ok, I'm trying to work on getting my schedule set, and I'm really struggling with how to set up my centers to go along with this reading series. In my old school we didn't follow a set reading curriculum, so we just taught a letter a week, and basically came up with the activities on our own to go with each. This series gives suggestions for 6 centers each week. There are also the 3 leveled reader groups. How do I fit it all in????? I was just going to choose 4 of the 6 center activies, but I still don't have enough time. While I am meeting with the reading groups, what should I have the others working on? I feel like I have too much stuff, and not enough time to get it all in. What have others done that has worked? For my centers in my old school, we just kept them in their 4 table groups, and after 15 min. at a center I would ring a bell, they would get up, and rotate to the next table. Centers would last for 1 hr. each day. This seemed to work really well. Sorry for rambling, any help is much appreciated!
I could, but then I don't know when they would get time to finish all of their centers. It just always worked out that they would each work at their center for 15 min. and rotate, it worked out well that it went for 1 hr. How could I make sure that they all finish each center?
This is my second year with reading street. Here's a tip...Don't use the centers suggested in the book. For my students, they didn't really seem to meet their needs. You DON'T have to use everything in the book. We have a 90 minute reading block. This is my order - 20 minute whole group, 60 minutes of small group and 10 minutes of whole group bringing them all back together. I have three sets of centers - one for each group. Some of the activities are the same and some are different. I try to meet the needs of the student. I try not to have an activity that would take more than ten to 15 minutes. They have one center activity to complete. Here is my basic rotation - (first 20 minutes) yellow with me, green at centers and blue at their seat with enrichment; (second 30) green with me, blue at centers, yellow with enrichment; (last 10) blue with me, green with enrichment and yellow at centers. The time is flexible as the week goes on because you don't do blue group every day. Don't stress about Reading Street. I have some very good websites that I have made some of their homework into centers. http://www.scsk12.org/SCS/subject-areas/Kindergarten-Kove/Welcome.html
Could you keep your four center like you are used to and comfortable with and just have three of them be table centers and the fourth center they go to is you for guided reading?
Thanks for the great suggestions! Both of these ideas are things I've been tossing back and forth. I just don't know what would be the best. I guess the thing that I was hoping was to be able to include some of my old K stuff that I used to do in centers, and it just didn't seem like I'd have enough time. I'm wondering if I could guided centers like wcvetwife suggested, and then in the afternoon do another set of centers focusing on the letter of the week with more art/free play/independent/manipulative activies (one of each) or am I going to get way too burned out on centers? wcvetwife- what do you generally do for centers? And you have 3 different activies- one for each group? What do you do for enrichment? I like this, but does it take you forever to come up with the activies, that seems like a lot of stuff. Also, how many days per week do you run centers? Thanks for all the advice!
I spent too much time on centers in the past so I just pull what is appropriate for the week. Since the first 20 days we are working on letters, I just activities for letter identification and handwriting. My enrichment activities are something that correlates back to the center which goes along with the reading program. I try not to reinvent the wheel when it comes to centers. I just try to use what I already have and incorporate it into RS. The centers that Reading Street suggests are great for extra activities during the day while I am doing intervention. Some of those I would have to create so I don't typically like to do those. I try to be as effecient with my time as possible.
center rotation I usually have about 15-20 (kids go to 3 or 4 a day) centers going a week without using a timer etc. Use a pocket chart. On large index cards put the students in groups of 3 or 4. Create 5 groups. Use icons for your centers (or table colors) and place them in the order you would like the students to complete the centers beside their name. The students move as they finish (so if you call some over for a reading group they go back and finish what they need) I always have one or two centers for them a day that do not require "work" so if I pull them they do not miss completing anything. Group 1 Art Center Writing Center Poetry Center Group 2 Listening Center Science Center Write the Room Group 3 Computer Center Word Work Math Center Group 4 Dramatic Play Sticker Story Red Table(theme) Group 5 Book Center Block Center Computer At the end of the day move the bottom index card with Group 5 out, and rotate everyone down a spot. Do this at the end of each day and by the end of the week each group will have rotated through the centers. My students pick this up after the first week and it works beautifully. I have my whole week planned on Monday and just focus on pulling groups. This way my center groups can be heterogenous and my reading groups homogeneous. I call who I need and when done, the students go back to their center and finish.
We just started Reading Street yesterday. There is a lot to take in. There are so many materials to get accustomed to. Our school is of the opinion that we bought into it, so we're going to use it to its fullest extent. I have a low group of 5 (includes two ESL), and two on-level groups (one low and one high) with 4 in each group. My top-scoring student got an 80, so he is just on the threshold of the independent level.
