Do you need a little
“BAM” in your classroom right now?
Every day this coming week on my blog you’ll find simple (and
inexpensive) learning centers that you can create. My goal was to come up with centers that would engage
children and that teachers could make in less than 15 minutes.
One of the best
things about learning centers is that you can integrate Core Standards with
21st Century Skills. As children practice cognitive skills they will also
be collaborating, communicating, problem-solving - and developing the executive
function (task initiation, self-regulation, delayed gratification)! Win! Win!
Win!
Tips!
*Use these centers
for independent, small group, or take home activities.
These could also be
available for students who finish their work early.
*Store centers in
zip bags, manila envelopes, pencil boxes, plastic tubs, baskets, etc.
Hint! Color code
with stickers to indicate content area and standard.
*”Invite” parents to
be game makers and collect the materials and put the centers together for you.
*Share centers and
rotate them with other teachers.
If there are 4 teachers on your grade level and you each made five, then
you could rotate them a week in each class. You’ve got centers for a month!
*Number centers 1-5
and ask children to do one each day.
You could also put a checklist with each center so children could cross
through their name when they complete an activity.
*Adapt these games
to specific skills and the needs of your students. For example, with “In the News” pre-k children could
highlight letters. Kindergarten
children could highlight word wall words.
First graders could find nouns or verbs. Second graders could find a word for each letter of the
alphabet and write them in alphabetical order.
In the News
Standard: RF 3c, RF 1d
Materials: newspaper, highlighter,
paper, pencils
Directions: Each child takes a section of the
newspaper and highlights ten
words
(or letters) they can read. Next,
ask them to write
the
words (or letters) on a sheet of
paper.
Secret Code
Standard: Counting, Operations
Materials: old cell phone, paper,
pencil, envelopes, index cards
Directions: Write “secret codes” (words) on
index cards and place them
in
the envelopes. Children choose an
envelope and find the
numbers
on the key pad that match the letters.
Children
write down the numbers and then add them up.
Hint! Write the answer under the lid of the
envelope.
*Use
a single letter for pre-K, a two letter word for K, a three
or
four letter word for first, and so forth.
Standard: SL
4, W 3
Materials: magazines
(sports), newspapers, catalogs, scissors, tape, straws
Directions: Let
children cut sports figures and other famous people out of
newspapers
or magazines. Tape to a straw to
make a puppet. What
would your puppet say if it could
talk? What questions
would
you like to ask your puppet?
More!
Have
students write a story about their puppets.
