Up and Running Centers!

The beginning of the year is so hard to get centers up and running because so much time is used to behavior management.  I started my centers at the end of August this year and it is so nice to have the students independently working already!!!  I have students in 5 groups of 4, and they rotate between stations that last anywhere between 7-9 minutes depending on how much time we have for the day.  Below are some stations that the students have been working on.

Students working on Starfall at our computer station.

This is also a math station where students trace numbers using PlayDoh

This math center is for 1:1 counting, students have to build and count out the corresponding blocks.

This center is called "PomPom Placement", in order to help with fine motor skills as well as color matching

"PomPom Placement" in action!

This is a math station called "Domino Parking Lot" where students have to park the correct domino on the corresponding number

Listening center is also used to share and play on the iPad.

iPad Books

I don't know about you but my poor iPad has run out of space :(  Over the years, I've collected free books or bought books on iTunes to start my collection.  I hook up my iPad at my listening center and will play a story for students to listen to and they really enjoy it!  So, over the summer one of my projects was to listen to all my stories and organize them by length.  Last year, I would randomly choose a story for students to listen to and sometimes they would be done is three minutes and sometimes they didn't get to finish the story.  I told myself that I had do come up with some organized system for all this books I had on my iPad.  It took a few days but I downloaded all my books by going into the App Store and clicking on "Purchased".  I then downloaded all the books in alphabetical order, so I could know that I didn't miss any.  This was also a great time for me to delete any books that I didn't like or that didn't read out loud for the students.

This is the spread sheet that I came up with.  I've put a bullet next to the stories that we've listened to and underlined the stories that aren't my favorite but just didn't have the heart to delete yet.  I print this out and update it every so often, when I get a few new books and add them into the list.  I keep this in my data binder along with my center schedule.  I also created lists of all my Language Arts and Math manipulatives to help me organize my centers!!!

Guest Readers

The other day, we were lucky enough to have guest readers join us in the classroom and read to the students.  Our special readers were Tameka Johnson from the Seattle Storm and Lawrence Wright who is an international pro basketball player!  Tameka wrote the story "Temeka's Choice" and also wrote Decisions, Decisions, Decisions" with Quency Phillips.  They were also kind enough to donate a set of their books to the class!

PlayDoh Containers

I found this post on Pinterest last year from Chickbug and thought it was the cutest idea, and I've been dying to recreate my own version of these containers.  It wasn't until my Mother's Day project failed that I had to resort to PlayDoh and remember about this craft.

I'm you have dried out PlayDoh somewhere in your closet or craft corner and with a few pieces of scrapbook paper you could make your own monster containers.

After creating the strips, I laminated them to ensure that they would hold up to five year olds handling them.  

I'm using the monster containers to store my letters for when we use them during a small group or a Language Arts center.  

Read Across America

While looking through Pinterest, I saw some super cute posts from First Grade Fever, where they had done a writing regarding Thing 1 and Thing 2 coming to your house and what would the student do!  I had a hard time coming up with the template, but after lots of research, I finally came up with a way to make Thing 1!  After lunch, we read The Cat in the Hat and did this art project afterwards.  I then asked the students what they would do it Thing 1 and Thing 2 came to their house, some responses were just too funny!

"I would tie them up!"

"I would want them to go away!"

Non Sense Words

Here is one of my newer centers that I just created.  My students needed help reading and decoding reading real words and non sense words.  So, I had the idea to use scrabble tiles, I don;t know why but I'm in love with the end result.  I bought the tiles through Amazon, 200 tiles for about $20.  I also, got this container from our Christmas party and I thought what a perfect container for this center.

Now, I know this doesn't look like much right now, but this is how easy the center folds up.  I struggled for a few days on how to display real words versus non sense words. and I figured red and green made the most sense.  I used my Cricut to make the perfect circle and then cut it in half, and traced the half circle onto the colored paper, trimmed the edge and viola!

I used my Cricut to make the perfect circle and then cut it in half, and traced the half circle onto the colored paper, trimmed the edge and viola!

Now comes the fun part!  I sorted the letters and came up with the real words first.  Then, I took all the extra letters and put those together by gluing them with Elmers Glue.  Next, I added a coat of Modge Podge to solidify the tiles.  I wish I hadn't done this because the tiles became sticky and I had one big blob of tiles.  I had clear coating spray paint from a prior project, so I sprayed the tiles down which heloed take away the stickiness!   

Now, when we play this center I lay out all the pieces face down and students and pick up a piece.  After reading the word, they have to determine whether it's a real word or a silly word and put it on the correct side.  Now, if students need help reading the piece they picked, I asked if anyone else can help and if they are struggling because we haven't learned the letter or they can't blend the word, then I intervene and help them out!  I give this center two thumbs way, way up!!!

Syllable Sorting

So, here's is my newest center that I just love and so do the kiddies!  It's called Syllable Sorting!  I came across this idea because I recently got the will power to organize the previous teachers' filing system and moved a whole bunch of stuff around.  There were all these craft books and educational books, so I organized them all together.  Of course, while organizing I had to look through all the book!  I came across this book, which was filled which tons of goodies!

Inside I found these super cute picture cards, that could be used for a syllable game.  All I need was a box to sort the cards into.  I had saved some containers from our Christmas party and I had the perfect one for the job.  Before I did any of this, I photocopied the pages and sat on them for about a week.  I was deciding whether I wanted to color the pictures in or scan then and color them digitally.  I finally decided and photocopied the originals onto card stock and took them home over the weekend to color them, and here is the final product.

Now, came the box to sort the cards in.  I knew I wanted to use something plastic that would make slicing the top to be easy.  So, I got out my Cricut and cut out the numbers 1-4 and glued them on the top.  I then added a coat of Modge Podge on top, so secure the numbers.

Over night, I put rulers through the slots to make sure that sliding the syllable cards through would't be a challenge.

Unfortunately, this didn't work that great so in the morning I got out my Xacto knife and made the slots bigger.  Now, the game is good to go and students can independently count how many syllables each picture has and drops it in the right slot.  We played today with my EA and they LOVED it!!!

Journaling

Every time we read a new story, we also journal, which means picking an illustration from the book and I write a short sentence to go along with the picture.  Today we read "Chugga Chugga Choo Choo" and below is my journal.  Please keep in mind, that the students are sitting on the carpet and I am drawing in my journal on my Elmo, which is projected onto my screen, so students are getting step by step instructions on how to draw the picture.

Now, I always have the students bring their journal to me so I can check to make sure they have proper casing, finger spacing, and a period.  This was one of my students' journals, and I was so impressed by her work that I had to post it!  Now, seriously how awesome is this?!?!  Oh, and for kicks and jollies, this students is ELL.  I'm so proud!!!!

Daily Language Arts Centers

Today's Language Arts Centers, please see pictures below to find description of each center.

Students working on filling in missing letters.

Here, the student is consulting their pencil box to them figure out the missing letter.

This is our alphabet find center.  I put letter beads inside a pencil pouch and filled it with rice.  Students need to find the letters in the pouch and then color the corresponding letter on their sheet.  

Here, students work on independent reading with their "reading buddy".  The reading buddy is meant to make reading fun by helping point to each word and they also will the student turn the page.  These are pre-decodable books that we have read throughout the year already.

Daily Language Arts Centers

Everyday, students learn Language Arts through the use of centers.  I have 5 groups, that rotate every 10 minutes, with 2 minutes of transition time.  We started practicing rotating back in August and now students have no problem rotating between centers.  Some times an occasional pencil box will spill, but students love to help clean up a spill!  I have accumulated a whole bunch of activities for students to engage in, and I'm still making and collecting as the year continues,  Here is today's Language Arts rotation.

I found this online timer and for each rotation, I set the timer for 10 minutes and then students can look and see how much time they have left at each center.

I use sign holders to display an example of the work that students must complete, incase they get stuck and to show them how I would like their work to be completed.  

I had recently blogged about this center.  Here, I use my word family cards and verbally give students a word to spell.

Everyday, students must practice writing and blending in their binders and this is where I would post the sign holders, for students to follow along with.

At this center, students are working on their vocab folders.  I recently posted about this too :)

This, is probably the students favorite center.  Here students are at the listening center and working on the letter "Dd".  I bought listen and learn cards from Lakeshore Learning and I absolutely love them!

Students are working on syllables.  They have to write the word from the card and then circle how many syllables the word has and circle the answer.

Word Family Chart

I have been working on word families for my students using paint chips, scroll down to see my previous blog.  As I am making each word family, I was going through the alphabet to make use I have each letter to correspond with the word family.  I thought, wouldn't it be easier to write it all down and reference my chart?!?!  So, that's exactly what I did and you can download the file here: Word Family Freebie.  You don't have to use all the words in the word family but all the words are there :)