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!