Centers...Stations...whatever you may call it, is something than can be overwhelming to add into your classroom, especially if you've never experienced them in a classroom before.
Starting out as a Title I teacher, I was able to be "exposed" to many types of stations. After viewing all of these types, I took a little something and created my own. With that, I also researched Daily 5 to create a great foundation for my classroom. With this being said, because my class was never the "model" class, I had to role with the punches to create the best engaging methods that worked for them.
The
Daily 5 should be broken down into these 5 stations: Read Independently, Read
to Someone, Work on Writing, Listen to Reading, & Word Work. I took these 5
stations and created a variation that worked with my teaching style and my students' needs:
- Read to Self
- Writing
- Word Work
- Work with Teacher
- Listening
- Work with Teacher (For
2 years, I was lucky enough to have a Title I instructor in my classroom,
so I added a 6th Station those years)
Before I jump right into doing stations, I spend 2 days during the station times to explain rules & have a practice round. I know these days won't go perfectly, but students will have spent time with me practicing my expectations. A few weeks of practice, my classroom is silent during stations unless a group is supposed to be working together. *Note: I don't normally start stations until the 2nd or even 3rd full week of school. I want my students to master the rest of the classroom/school procedures before bringing in a whole new set of them to learn.
Day 1: Expectations: I walk around with the entire class for the full hour (I'll discuss timing later) and we decide at each station what they should be completing during that time and what I should be completing at that time. I fill out these expectations sheets {FREEBIE} with the students and then post them when I am finished so it is always there at that particular spot so they can reference later. No excuses!
Day 1: Book Selection: In my classroom, I found these great cloth red bags from Goodwill that my students hold their books they selected for that week. Now, I have used these bags now for 3 years and they are still holding up, so I suggest buying something at a higher quality that will last for years instead of plastic baggies or boxes.
When I explain how to pick books, we go through how the classroom library is organized. I explain my expectations that books need to go back in the bin they were selected from whether it by reading level or genre. This takes a while, but a few months (yes months!) they get the hang of it. Once they start understanding genres it becomes easier. My students pick 5 books (4 for my 3rd graders). Of those 5 books, 3 need to be Fiction and 2 need to be Non-fiction. This allows students to read a variety and not pick the same type of books each week. (3rd grade: 2 Fiction; 2 Non-Fiction). Students are allowed to keep the same books from week-week if they are not finished.
Weekly Visits/Timing: I switch each station activity each week. Students visit each station twice a week except (Listening & Word Work). Mondays were for co-teaching and Tuesday-Friday were stations. That is the goal, although students are given different amounts of time based on what they need extra help on. Also, some years I have differentiated within the station. My expectations are different for each of the groups based on what they can accomplish during that time frame. For example, my lower achieving students might only be required to write a paragraph at writing station, but my highest achieving students may be asked to write 3 paragraphs in that given time.
As for timing, in second grade, I had three 20-minute stations. They would rotate when the bell rang. In third grade, because I felt they needed more time to accomplish their goal I had two 30-minute station. Many people thought this was too much time, but I took time and value into planning stations so student activities were worthwhile. I was really able to get quality work from each of them. Quality always trumps quantity.
This is a screenshot of my lesson plans for stations. They are not very detailed as I know my requirements and do not want to take up a lot of room on my lesson plan template.
Grouping: Of all the things needed to prepare to add centers/stations into your classroom creating groups and organizing them can be the most difficult. And if your classroom is anything like mine, students are coming in-out for other services during that time so I need to make sure they are receiving the instruction from me that is needed. It can definitely get confusing. After organizing groups by ability/skill (depending how often you're wanting to change groups), I give each group a name. My groups always go with my classroom theme:
- Rainforest Theme (all animal named groups)
- Garden Theme (flower named groups)
- United States Themed (Midwest states)
On the chart I use, I color code each station so it makes it easier to see if I missed a station for one of the groups. I also go day-by-day to check over my work and literally say "Kentucky is at listening while Indiana is working with me. Ohio is working with Title I, and Michigan is at writing". I say each day aloud to make sure groups are not doubled at one particular station. Let's just say...I have learned from my mistakes on this one!
This is a quick example of how I color code to make sure every need is met. Now my Kentucky group has outside needs, so I make sure the second station is things they really need to work and not miss out on.
Organizing each Station: Stations stayed the same on Tuesday/Wednesday and on Thursday/Friday. This allowed me to only have to put out supplies on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I would have all the supplies they would need, minus lined paper as that was in a specific bin within the classroom. I also always had my Word Work station stocked with dictionaries, pencils, scissors, and anything else they may need during that time frame.
Most Importantly: You have to make stations work for you and your students. If you are stressed during stations, your students will be stressed during stations. Set your expectations high, especially in the high-stress times of the year (BOY, holidays, EOY). If you do, your students will take it seriously and it will run smoothly. Good luck & let me know if you have questions.
