Making Centers Work for You in the Primary Grades
As teachers in early education, we believe that our instruction should be “hands-on” and “inquiry-based.” However, teaching multiple subjects to young learners with limited attention-spans can be draining, leaving us with limited time and energy to plan and prepare. The idea of setting up centers, purposeful activities where students work together in small groups, can feel overwhelming. However, center time can offer students an opportunity to collaborate with peers, problem solve, and practice new skills. How can primary teachers structure center work to maximize instructional value and minimize classroom management problems?
If you have never taught using centers before, procuring materials and organizing activities will require a time investment up front. The idea that small groups of kindergarten or first grade students could work independently may sound too good to be true. The truth is, students love working together in ways that are creative and enriching. Properly structured, students will work on their own in centers, providing teachers an opportunity to pull small groups or individual students for differentiation.
Before you tackle the “what” of centers, consider the “how.” How can center time be structured so that students work together effectively and remain focused on the activity? Effectively modeling in the beginning will ensure centers run smoothly for the rest of the year. In general, students really enjoy working in centers, but will need adequate guidance in the beginning. When I first introduce centers with young learners, I begin with an explanation of behavioral expectations for center time. I focus on three expectations:
- Use quiet voices.
- Share the materials.
- Do your work.
Equally important to teaching the activities students will do in the centers, young students must understand behavioral expectations during this time. You might also consider a T chart if you are starting with centers, asking students “What should we hear while students are working in centers?” and “What should we see when students are working in centers?”
When I am starting centers in the beginning of the year, I introduce the behavior expectations first. Then, I use a timer. The first time students work I centers, I may only plan to have them work there for a maximum of 10 minutes. If I see any student not following the rules, I stop the center time immediately and bring them back to the rug. Once on the rug, I focus on the positive, asking “Who saw someone using a quiet voice? Who saw someone sharing? Who saw someone doing their work?” Students acknowledging one another builds community and provides positive reinforcement of the behavioral expectations.
As the year progresses, I incrementally increase the time that students work independently in centers. By the end of the year, some classes are able to work for as long as 20 minutes. This time has been invaluable for me as a teacher to assess students and pull small groups based on need.
Now that you’ve decided how to best structure your center time, what types of activities are best to include? Many teachers worry that procuring materials and setting up activities could be costly and time-consuming. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the idea of multiple small groups of youngsters, each working on a different activity. My advice is to start small, and build slowly. I started using centers my first year teaching. Here are some ideas to get your started.
Langauge Arts:
- Listening center- A listening center can be an investment, but definitely pays off. I posted a project on Donor’s Choose, including a CD player, headphones, and sets of books, and had it funded quickly. Students love listening to books, and don’t forget to include a comprehension activity such as “Draw your favorite part of the book.”
- Puppets- Students enjoy dramatizing with hand or finger puppets. Have them reenact literature from read-alouds, or creative their own stories. A center where students make puppets from paper bags is another option.
- Library- Opening up the library as a center can be a good opportunity for student choice. Students can read and look at the pictures in books together.
- Poetry- I use a different poem or song for shared reading each week. Then, I cut up the words and the poem becomes a center. After students put the words in order, it is so cute to see them playing “teacher” and teaching one another the poem!
- Puzzles- Puzzles make a great center, and teach students problem solving and collaboration.
- Legos- Students love building with legos. I have tied this into a science unit, where students build different habitats with legos.
Math
- Whiteboards- I use individual whiteboards with students to check for understanding. Students also like working on whiteboards during center time. They can roll dice, and record equations.
- Games- I usually teach students math games as part of math units. Then, I move the games to center for retention and review. Students can pull cards from a deck and student with greater number takes both cards, for example.
- 3D Blocks- Building with blocks gives students hands-on practice with three-dimensional shapes. Students can identify flat and curved surfaces.
- Pattern blocks- Pattern blocks also work well in open-ended activities. Students can sort blocks, build patterns and create designs.
I hope these ideas have inspired you to get started using small group center work with your primary classes! I like to vary my instruction whole group, small group, partner and individual, and my daily schedule would not be complete without a “Workshop” or center block. Don’t forget to scaffold behavioral expectations regarding how students will collaborate before excusing students to work in centers. This investment of time early on will pay off big time as students are learning to work and play together!
