LEARNING CENTERS A learning center is an area in the classroom which contains a collection of activities and materials to teach, reinforce, and/or enrich a skill or concept.

TYPES OF LEARNING CENTERS Enrichment Centers Skill Development Centers Exploratory & Interest Centers

Managing Center Rotations

Layer the activities within each tub

Computers

Listening

Matching Words

Pocket Chart Centers

Storytelling Center Using a great storytelling board from Lakeshore. The students love to retell stories using the characters and the storyboard. You can use a flannel board with many pieces. Masks and puppets are good for retelling. Humpty Dumpty Jack and Jill Peter Pumpkin Eater

Magnets Centers- making words or sentences

Site Words and Word Families

Alphabet Order Center- Students put flash cards of the alphabet in order. This can be done on the floor or on a pocket chart. Alphabet strips are put in this station for a visual check. Letter arcs are used for putting the alphabet in order. The students can string letter blocks in order. Alpha- bears can be placed in ABC order.

Overhead Center- The students love the overhead station. Overhead letter tiles, overhead sight words, overhead word family tiles, letter dot-to-dot transparencies, overhead pictures with the correct spaces for the letter tiles, D'Nealian handwriting transparencies are just some of the things that students can choose from.

Guided Reading

ABC Centers- Lengthening Centers

ABC Center Tubs

The students work in Literacy Centers independently for forty-five minutes each day. During this time, I pull students for small group reading instruction. My instructional aide monitors the students during Literacy Centers. For the first four weeks of school, I introduce all of the centers and explain the rotation. After this, each group is given a choice of three centers to work in each day. Literacy Centers-Lengthening Centers

Rules 1.Students must start working on the tub activity they are assigned to first on the chart. 2.Once students complete one activity and have an adult check it, they may bring the second ABC tub to their table if they desire to. 3.Students must work the entire time. 4. Students may not choose an ABC tub or other activity that is not assigned to them for that day.

Checklist for Creating Centers Decide on Type of Center (Standards or Task Analysis) Specify Outcomes Design the Center Secure Materials Design Learning Alternatives and Extensions Determine the Directions Timeline for Rotations and Procedure for Getting Your Attention Where do I start?

Make Sure your CENTERS Include… Title / Picture Instructions / Illustrated Necessary Materials Learning Alternatives Procedures for Assessment/ Accountability

Explaining and Modeling for Students Write and Share Instructions for Students Devise and Explain Management System Set up the Center Orient Students to the Center

Motivate Students to Use Centers By: adding new activities and materials, letting students create their own activities at the centers, having teacher directed lessons in small groups at the center, providing opportunities to share products they have produced as a result of working at the center, providing a means of record keeping and evaluating so that both student and the teacher can account for time spent and learnings accomplished at the learning center.