On the Right side of the chart are my ACADEMIC CENTERS
(Teacher, Math, Writing, Science & Reading)
On the Left Side are my FREECHOICE CENTERS
(Kitchen, Sand, Paint, Blocks & Computers)
Academic Center Explanation
We begin by doing the Academic Centers first. Everyone's name is written on a clothespin. (For some reason I only have half my class' clothespins up during this picture. There are normally 4 on each spot. ) Wherever their name is that is the center they will go to for the day. The next day I just move the clips down one & the people on the bottom come to the top. As you can see I only have five choices enough to do Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday. They will do one academic center each day.
I will read off everyone's name as to where they are going. They will go to that center & do that activity for approximately 20 minutes. I usually have a parent helper who helps them if they need it and looks over their papers.
We do cooperative groups. In other words, I put 2 academically high kids with 2 academically low kids so that in case a parent doesn't show up they can work cooperatively to figure out the answers. They don't cheat because someone in their group will always tattle if they do and they know they will have to sit out during freechoice time & no one wants to do that because that is their favorite time of the day.
What do kids do at teacher center? During this time I work one on one with that group and teach them how to read or work on what they are having difficulty with. I have a checklist that they have to master each week they come to me. They have to know the alphabet letters & sounds that we've learned so far; the sight words we've learned up to that point; and numbers to 100 that we've learned up to that point. Once they have most of that mastered then I begin them in short easy readers. We choral read it together first & discuss the story. Then they read it back to me. They have their own reading folder that they stick the book in and read it that night for homework to their parents.
I change my activities once every 2 weeks. The only reason I do it that way is because I do this with the other Kindergarten class, too. Half of my class stays with me & the other half goes in Mrs. Foxes room. Then half of her class comes in my room & the other half of her class stays with her. Then the next week we switch. I give her the clothespin with the children's names on them & she now puts them up on her chart & visa versa. The kids that were in my room go to her room & the kids that were in her room come to my room. It really works out great! If you are lucky enough to be able to do centers with your co-worker then you will only have to change your centers once every 2 weeks. Otherwise, you will have to change them weekly. In her room she has the same chart & same choices for her academics, however, she has different activities than I do. That way the children do not repeat the same activity.
FREECHOICE CENTERS
I have colored clothespins on the left side of the chart. Each center has their own color. When students are finished with their academic center then they may choose any colored clip they want & then put it on the bottom where it says: PUT YOUR CLIP HERE.
I have four colored clips on each freechoice center. If, for example, the first four kids choose blocks and put their clip on the bottom then there would be no more clips on the block freechoice center. That means this area is now closed and no one else can go there. This prevents too many kids being in a center. Too many kids in one center can cause discipline problems. Therefore, it is a first come first serve basis. The kids who finish first with their academic center may go select a freechoice first. Students stay there for approximately 10 - 15 minutes.
Then I do a second rotation. All the clips that are on the bottom of the chart where it says "Put Your Clip Here" will now go back on the side. I kind of keep my eye on who was first & I make them last. Or, I choose the center who kept their voices the quietest to go first.
Children must choose a different freechoice center to go to. They cannot go back to the center they were just at. They will stay there 10 - 15 minutes. Then it is clean up time. This takes about 10 minutes. Altogether, my center time takes one hour.
Please see some of my thematic unit pages for ideas on learning center activities. My center chart works! I will never go to anything different.
