The children in my class are randomly divided into four color coded "teams". Each team is assigned one of four language arts centers to visit each day. During the course of the week every child visits each center one time. I have chosen to go with four centers, so that on four day weeks, the schedule is not disrupted. On Fridays we have different activities. Center assignments are kept on a bulletin board. Each team has an icon with a hole punched in it and the icons are moved under the label for the center each day. As the icons are moved I read off which team goes to each center, but if a student chooses not to listen, he/she is responsible for checking the bulletin board and going to the correct center. Only stating directions one time is a good way to help children improve their listening skills. The four centers are as follows:
The Listening Center
Our listening center is a free standing center with 7 tape recorders and headphones at a table, so that each child in the group has his/her own equipment. A standing blue pegboard serves both as a room divider and display for our books and tapes which are stored in hefty one zip freezer bags. Our collection of books and tapes is built weekly as the small copy and word-for-word tape of our big book is added to the center. Sometimes we read supplemental big books as a part of our theme and these books and tapes are also added to our center. Once a book is added to the center it remains for the rest of the year, providing the children with lots of choices in reading material. Before the children are allowed to use the center they are carefully trained on the use of the tape recorders and books. They are taught how to operate the equipment and how to clean up the center when time is up. The consequence for using materials inappropriately is being "grounded" from the center for the rest of the day or sometimes for a week for repeat offenders. The children enjoy the listening center and develop towards conventional literacy with the correct reading model the cassette tapes provide and develop appreciation of literature as they self select the title to listen to.
The Art Center
The Art Center materials are stored in a tub (similar to the Math Their Way tubs) on a shelf at the back of the room. The children get out the tub and place it in a designated spot in the room. The art activity relates to our big book for the week and is usually something simple to do, such as a stick puppet, paper sack puppet, paper plate animal, etc. The directions are given orally on Mondays to the entire class and written and pictoral directions and an example are provided in the tub. The students are expected to work in this area independently or cooperatively with their group. Since I am leading a small group lesson at this time, they are not allowed to ask for teacher assistance except in an emergency. Therefore it is important that they listen to the directions when they are given. They are encouraged to ask their peers for assistance when they don't understand. They are expected to clean up the area when finished and leave the tub neat for the next team. An optional activity, such as a step by step drawing card to copy or a coloring sheet, is usually provided for the kids when they finish or they can get out books and spend their extra time "free reading".
The Alphabet/Phonics Center
The Alphabet/Phonics Center (ABC Center) is also stored in a tub and set up in a designated area by the students. The tub has an assortment of activities to reinforce letter and sound recognition. Students are free to work with any item in the tub during their time at the center. Some activities can be done with a partner and some can be done independently. The activities are left in the tub as long as there is student interest in that particular activity. Activities placed in the tub become increasingly difficult as the year progresses. Some activities that are included are stencils, alphabet stamps, stamp pad and paper, alphabet stamper markers, puzzles, magnetic letters/words, puzzles, neon plastic letters, picture/word matching games, alphabet matching games, do-a-dot markers and letter page for the week (that goes with our big book), boggle jr., etc.
The Guided Writing Center
The Guided Writing Center is a teacher-led center that meets at a horseshoe table at the front of the room. The supplies needed are stored in a tub and brought to the table. Most of the time the activity is a patterned writing extension of our big book we have been reading. An example of a patterned writing activity we do with Mrs. Wishy Washy is "In went the _________. Wishy, washy. Wishy, washy." In the story there was a duck, a cow and a pig. In our students' stories they would fill in the blank however they wanted, except for what was already in the book. Then they illustrate the page to go with the words that are written. The student responses are usually collected and compiled into a class book for everyone's enjoyment. Our goal this year was to create enough class books so that everyone could have one at the end of the year to keep. With 26 kids in our class we came up a little short this year, so one of the kids suggested binding each book into two books to make enough books! Brilliant idea!!! So, that is what we did.
Working in this small group format while writing allows me to help each child progress at his or her own rate. Usually there are only one or two in each group that really need intense help. Most of the rest of the kids need a little help getting started and then they work on their own. This is good, because I can really focus on the kids who need extra help. If I were trying to help the whole class write, it would be nearly impossible to give everyone the help they needed. The small groups also give me the opportunity to more closely observe each child's progress. At the beginning of the year the children dictate what they want and I write it for them. As their skills increase, I have them write the first letter of the word and eventually they move into invented spelling. At the end of the year, the children copied parts of the phrase from the board and did some of their own writing on lined paper. We don't always move into the lined paper, but last year's class happened to be ready, so we did.
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