Busy Bee’s Station Management Training

Using the same language… All classrooms on campus will be using the same station management system. Busy Bee’s Management Plan will be used daily. This will help in ease of team planning and consistency across our classrooms.

Campus Guided Reading Instructional Requirements All students are to receive guided reading instruction for a minimum of 4 days a week. All at-risk students will receive guided reading 5 days weekly + additional ARI instruction. Using this consistent management system will ensure ALL students WILL receive daily instruction.

Review of Busy Bees Students go to 4 stations daily. The length of time depends on your grade level… minutes per station. This occurs Monday-Thursday. Stations/ Guided Reading should be done at all costs!

Finish-Up Friday Friday is meant as a time to finish up and correct work, review misconceptions and re-teach as needed. Many teachers use fun stations as an incentive for good behavior and completing work. “Fun Stations” should still have academic goals and basis.

Fun Friday Management Take a minute to discuss at your table some ideas you have for Friday… –Management –Activities –Routines and Procedures

On the Job… Students are to have a specific job at each station. They are held accountable for these jobs by you. The more specific you are about the job the students are to complete the more on-task the students will be.

This is not a time for new learning! All “jobs” should be a REVIEW of material that was previously taught. This is a time for students to practice TEKS that were taught to mastery. Often times lessons that were done the previous week are modified and put into stations to perfect and practice the new learning that previously took place.

This is not a time for worksheets! Students should be working with hands- on materials. Genuine activities that promote learning. Cooperative learning should be encouraged.

A Student’s Job is Never Done! A student should never be able to say “I’m done!” Always have specific routines and procedures for what to do when you are finished. All follow up activities should be TEK based and again a review. Think about leaving out old favorites for children to revisit.

Holding Accountable Make sure that you are holding students accountable for a job that they are to complete. This may be by a product that they are turning in or by observation prior to clean up of what they have done. Folders should be checked Thursday so that you know who still has work to do.

High Standards You will get what you accept. If you accept messy, half completed work… this is what you will get. You must set standards and enforce them consistently. Students must know ahead of time and be held accountable for your expectations.

More than just the TEKS… Students learn through stations… – Responsibility and self-motivation. –Compromise. –Cooperation. –That their actions have consequences. –To help others. –Patience and tolerance.

What’s the 1 st step? Decide what your stations are going to be. You will need to have eight stations in place in addition to guided reading (horseshoe) and light bulb.

Examples might include: –Listening –Library –Fluency –Poetry –Word Work –ABC –Writing –Big Book –Computer

Non-negotiable Fluency is a huge issue on our campus! 1 st & 2 nd grade classrooms must have: Fluency station –Fluency cards, rereading familiar books Poetry Station Listening Station

Two Daily Stations There are two stations that children go to daily these are: –Horseshoe… Guided Reading –Light bulb… Math board Word Work Waterford Familiar book reading/ book buckets

Light bulb Take a moment to discuss at your table ideas for management of light bulb. This is your largest station. Think about… –Where will the kids sit? –How will I store activities for the week? –What has worked in the past? –What do I need to change?

Designating a Space Gather the materials that are needed for each station. Designate a space for each station. Think about the noise level at each station and what kind of movement there will be.

Defining the Space Think about where you will be sitting for guided reading. Can you see all the stations clearly? Are there barriers that you can use to keep children in their area? –Rug –Shelf –mats

Things to Think About! How often will you add or change your materials? How will you differentiate your materials within your stations? When will you do your mini-lessons to introduce new stations?

Setting Routines During the first week of school begin introducing the stations. Give the children an opportunity to explore what is at each station. –Model whole class Demonstrate and practice how to properly use and store materials.

Introductions… Introduce stations one at a time, explicitly demonstrating and practicing the routines for using it with the children. A new center should not be introduced until the children fully understand how to use the station previously introduced. Consider introducing one to two stations daily the first week of school.

Get Moving! Role play with your children how to move through your stations. –How do you read the station map? –What should the noise level be? –What signal will you use to lower the noise level, move children, and signal attention? –What should the students have with them when they go to stations?

To/ With/ By Think about how to go through the gradual release of responsibly with each routine and station you go through. –First demonstrating by the teacher –Completing with the students… teacher observes and redirects. –Handing responsibility over to the students.

Guaranteeing Independence Teachers must… model appropriate behavior allow for a gradual release of responsibility provide a risk free environment and a proper independent work level communicate clear, explicit expectations.

How to store work… Talk with students about how to store completed work. Where does the work go in their folder –When it is done?... –When they are still working? Where and how are folders stored?

2 nd Week of School… Students should be walking through the stations with you monitoring their behavior and routines. Consider putting review work from the previous school year that they should already be able to do. Walk around and talk with the students, redirecting as needed.

Make a Big Deal of the Little Things! Stop and have mini-lessons when needed as you see problems arise. Point out the good behavior you saw happening. Make Looks Like/ Sound Like charts for stations. Make I Can lists for follow up activities and post at stations.

3 rd Week of School… The students should be in stations full swing! All teachers should be beginning to teach guided reading. Guided Reading books should be going home with students no latter than this week.

The Characteristics of a Well- managed Classroom Students are deeply involved with their work, especially with academic, teacher- led instruction. Students know what is expected of them and are generally successful. There is little wasted time, confusion, or disruption. The climate of the classroom is work- oriented, but relaxed and pleasant. –Harry Wong The First Days of School

All Battles are won before they are fought. Sun Tzu