Planning for Small Group Centers
Jul 21, 2015
Planning for
Small Group
Centers
PlanningWhen in the unit to do centers?
How much time for each center?
• A whole class period
• Half a period
• One-third
• One-fourth
• One-fifth
Challenge: Making centers that take
about the same amount of time.
PlanningHow will you name centers and
move students between them?
• numbered – go in order
• move clockwise
• teacher consultation format
• other fun way?
HINT: Centers CANNOT be sequential
such that they have to complete one
center before they can go to the next.
• timer
• clock
• other?
Watchinga video about the book topic and answering
questions
Listening to a podcast interview with the author and writing about how her life influenced her work.
Teacher TableDiscussing a chapter of the book
Creating drawings to represent various quotes from the book OR, if there are laptops, create a “Pinterest” pin to go with the quote. Write about why you chose that photo to go with the quote.
Academic Vocabulary
Gameson theSmart Board
in Teams
5 Centers
Watchinga video about the book topic and answering
questions
Listening to a podcast interview with the author and writing about how her life influenced her work.
Teacher TableMeeting with
individual students
Creating drawings to represent various quotes from the book OR, if there are laptops, create a “Pinterest” pin to go with the quote. Write about why you chose that photo to go with the quote.
Academic Vocabular
yGameson theSmart Board
in Teams
4 Centersand teacher consultation table (when you need to meet one-on-one with
students.
Planning Grouping Students
• Depends on your objectives• heterogeneous groups
• homogeneous groups (certain assessments)
• behavior issues
• Ways of Keeping Track of Groups– class list highlighted by groups, keep track of
who has done which centers
– construction paper list-up or group folder
• If a particular center is an assessment, keep track of who is absent for that center each day so that you can send them to it the next class.
Planning
Brainstorming Activities
• Teacher Table
• Four to five student
centers
The Teacher Table
What could you do...
if you had 20 minutes
with 3-5 of your students
around a table?
Examples from MBA World
Languages Teachers
• free-style conversation
• scaffolded conversation (with vocabulary)
• situation cards – student choice
• pictures to discuss
Student Centers
What will students do on their own?
Student Centers - Examples• watch a video(s) and respond to a prompt (or claim)
• listen to a podcast and respond to a prompt (or claim)
• do a simple experiment and write about it
• write poetry based on a variety of photos
• interview each other and write about the other person
• read many articles about a topic and synthesize or
respond to questions
• conquer a set of difficult math problems as a group
• draw a representation of math problems, academic
vocabulary, etc.
• cell phone center (!) where they have to text you or email
you about a prompt or other topic.
• watch a PPT that brings them through a topic
Centers during Projects…
• laptop/iPad center for research
• reading center with books related to topics
• writing center at laptops
• “I’m stuck” center with creativity-boosting
photos, quotes, manipulatives
• Teacher consultation area
• Peer consultation area (?)
Planning
The Best Centers
• can be used independently
• can be used by all, but also
differentiated
• have accountability (students
complete something)
• are not too hard to make, change, or
set-up
Giving Directions
for Centers
• Written directions at each center
• Give instructions on a PPT
• Go over on first day of centers
and/or previous class
• Tell them how long at each center
• Walk them through transitions the
first time
Accountability
and
Student
Work
Accountability during Centers
• Group accountability
– Group checklist
– Lead student collects finished papers
– Group behavior system – gain/lose points, money, etc.
– Group performance task(?)
• Individual student
– Checklist for each student as they go through centers (objectives, can do statements, or activities)
– Completing a packet as they go
– Correcting their own papers as they go, inserting in folder
– Test on content at end
– Behavior system for good work/problems
– DAILY Exit Pass
Students correct their
own work
• Keep answer papers in a separate
area, near you, to hand out when
they are ready
• Correct with their peers
• OR, correct as a class after last
center (whole group)
Work you need to score• Collect in “Finished Work” folder or box
for later grading
• Students can email, GoogleDoc you texts (or recordings/videos) to be scored.
Teacher table:
• Clipboard with you at the teacher table, or
• you can have your computer in front of you to enter scores
• and you can have a rubric in front of you to score as they speak
For Early finishers...
• Have other work available and/or
silent reading tasks.
• Finish any current missing
assignments.
• Type up something to email/text to
teacher.
• Continue work on larger project.
• Send a sentence to “polleverywhere”
• Help others
A final note...
• Let unit goals drive center activities
• Do your best to have every activity
be a language activity
• Don’t spend TOO much time
making centers
• Use centers, whole group, and
partner activities to maximize
learning
• Enjoy!