I have started doing small reading groups this week (meeting with 5 groups of 3-4 kids, meeting with 3 groups a day). While doing small group instruction, the rest of my little chickies are engaged *or supposed to be* engaged in literacy work stations.
The issue I've seen this week is the lack of independence the kids seem to still have at stations even though we've been practicing them (with my help) since the beginning of October. I wear a "magic apron" when meeting with my reading groups that signals for no one to talk to me when I have it on. That works like a charm, but what if a kid has a legit question or issue? Like today- the CD player at the listening station wasn't working. I don't want my kids to sit and do nothing because they can't get the CD player to work.
I don't know, I've just seen some issues. Today the kids left the stations a mess and the wrap up after the third rotation ( last rotation) takes WAY longer than I want it to. We end up coming back together in a circle in the end to share our learnings and what the kids have made. This is a time when I also share what I thought went well and what we can improve on tomorrow.
Any tips on making literacy workstations/centers more independent? I honestly think space is one of my biggest issues- too many kids crammed into small spaces. But whattya gonna do. :) Will continue to do my best to improve these stations.
Thank you so much for your advice!
Megan
I have the same rule that kids can't interrupt me when I am teaching a reading group. If there is an issue with the listening center or a computer isn't working or whatever problem comes up-I teach them ways to problem solve (you could even make an anchor chart of solutions). My top 2 solutions are: ask your center partner to help you and if they can't help you fix the problem, go back to your seat and read for the rest of that center time(so no time is spent doing nothing). As far as cleaning up, I also teach them to help each other. If they notice their center partner isn't putting an activity away correctly, I encourage them to teach their partner the right thing to do or ask them in a nice way to clean it up. If kids are really acting up at centers or the centers are a nightmare (nothing put away) I think you have to start reteaching procedures, modeling over and over, and maybe put some "I can" charts or photos in each center of what the center should look like when it is cleaned up and what kids should be doing in that center. Hope that helps a little :)
ReplyDeleteKeen on Kindergarten
I have had a problem with things being a mess after center time and kids leaving our wireless headphones on so that the batteries were dead every day!;( I decided to add a classroom job called "center patrol". At the end of center time, that person has to go around the room, pushes any chairs in, picks up any loose center pieces, markers, crayons, etc. and puts them back where they go. They also have to check all of the headphones and make sure they are turned off. They go around and do this quietly while I talk to the rest of the class about how center time went that day:)
ReplyDeleteLittle Warriors