You can save planning time, reduce behavior challenges, increase student engagement, and teach to ALL learning abilities with library centers.
Grab these free November library center ideas and printables for your school library media center! Keep your students busy with gratitude and learning!
Are you looking for library centers to engage your students in December? Check out these low-cost and no-cost December library centers!
Here is a BUNDLE of savings!!! This Bundle is GROWING! I have combined all my Elementary Library Centers in one purchase at over a 50% DISCOUNT!!! I will also be including more centers throughout the year for you to add to your resources!! This bundle is growing so make sure you redownload as the ...
Free library centers for October, just print and go!
Try out this free Independent Reading Library Center with a lesson plan, and get started with library centers in your elementary school library.
Library centers have been in full swing for more than 1 1/2 years at DC Elementary, and with the new semester just a few days away, it's tim...
Record and track student learning at library centers with QR code check-ins and learning badges in your elementary school library classes.
Why a Research Center in the Library? Many of our school libraries have become hubs of active learning. No longer is it just … Here a book! There a book! Everywhere a book! Libraries are now far more reflective of the very best tenets of education! Now it is more like … Here a book! […]
Are you a frazzled librarian on the elementary specials rotation? Here is a list of 15 ideas for library centers and how to implement them.
When I was in the classroom, I used a variety of centers with my students. Some worked well, some I kept having to tweak, and some just eventually died a natural death! After my first year in the library, I decided to try and introduce some centers in the library as well. After students... Read more
Did You Know? Center
How to manage centers in the library with ease! Tips and tricks on organization and links to center ideas from a librarian herself.
When it comes to summer programming, I like to try to strike a balance between featured performers, exciting standalone programs, special ev...
Happy Monday :) I am beginning to smell the sweet aroma of Spring Break... yes folks... she is less than two weeks away now! The past fe...
Ready to organize your centers? Here's my simple solution (and why it works) on how to organize centers in kindergarten.
What We Are Doing Sign: Library Center - A list of library center objectives.
Browse over 790 educational resources created by Teaching In the Fast Lane in the official Teachers Pay Teachers store.
I really like the beginning of the school year. It brings a new group of kiddos, fresh school supplies, and a clean slate! I actually enjoy teaching behavior, routines, and procedures…maybe that’s weird. 🙂 The one thing I do find a little overwhelming, however, is getting centers up and running. There’s so much to teach and so much to think about. Getting 5, 6, or 7-year-olds to work independently is no small task! My mind LOVES organization, so I learned to break down all of the madness into small, manageable steps and things to teach. In this post, I’ll share my process! 🙂 Photo Credits: Billion Photos, Shutterstock The Very Beginning I do not start centers the first day, week, or even first few weeks of school. Period. One year, a kindergarten teacher on my team told me that she starts centers on the very first day of school. Granted, there were two teachers in her classroom (not in mine). But still. Wow! As for me, I am no superhero teacher, so I need a little more time! I also think that my kids benefit from my “slow but steady” pace. Laying a solid foundation of routines and procedures does save time and frustration in the end! Planning with the End in Mind Every single year, I spend time imagining what my “ideal centers scenario” looks like. I picture how I want things to run in a month or two. And then…I start making lists! (You’ll see why these lists are important in the next section.) First, I make a list of simple literacy activities that I want to incorporate into our first few weeks of centers (after we actually start centers, that is). These might include things like: Partner reading Independent reading Simple word work activities (making words with play dough, for example) Listening center activities (i.e. listening to stories online) Writing activities (i.e. drawing pictures and making a story in a stapled booklet) Second, I make a list of the centers routines and procedures I’ll need to teach in order to get centers functioning smoothly. This includes: Where different centers are located in the classroom General procedures for using each center How students will know which centers to go to Expectations for behavior Expectations for work Expectations for noise level Expectations for how students should or should not work together What to do if you don’t know what to do at a center What to do if you need to use the restroom or get a drink of water What to do if a peer is not using the center correctly What to do if something breaks / technology doesn’t work How to clean up How to know when to clean up And last but not least, I make a list of simple, independent, non-academic activities that students can do with the materials I have in my classroom. They don’t have to be literacy-related! These might include: Playing with play dough Working with colored tiles or pattern blocks Working on puzzles Drawing with special markers or stencils If you’d like to download a free template for making and organizing your own lists, please click HERE!The Stages In the next four parts of this post, I’ll share the different “stages” I use to get centers rolling. Now you’ll get to see how those 3 lists you made come into play. I’ve included suggested timeframes for each stage. But these may vary! Your students will have different needs, so please go more slowly or more quickly as you see fit. Here are the stages: 1. Learning Simple Literacy Activities (Weeks 1-4) 2. Learning Centers Procedures (Week 5) 3. Opening Centers One By One (Week 6) 4. Normal Centers and Small Group Rotations (Weeks 7 and beyond) Now let’s dive into each stage! Stage One: Learning Simple Literacy Activities (Weeks 1-4) Before the school year starts, I take List #1 (simple literacy activities that I will eventually use in centers, like independent reading). I make a schedule for teaching these activities in a whole-group setting over a period of about 4 weeks. When I teach one of these activities, I model it for students. I then give them a chance to practice it with my support. And I do all of this during the block of time that will eventually become our centers time. Here’s an example: Independent reading is something I want the kids to eventually be able to do during literacy centers. I write some mini-lessons to teach expectations for independent reading. One mini-lesson might be how to stay on-task and in one spot during independent reading. Another might be how to tell a story from the pictures (for K-1). I then decide when I will teach these mini-lessons (again, this is happening during the first 4-ish weeks of school, during the block of time that will eventually become our centers time). During a mini-lesson, I model the focus procedure or routine. I have a few student volunteers model it for the class. And then I have the WHOLE class practice it while I support them. However, if it’s an activity that I have limited materials for (i.e. making words with magnetic letters), I have the class do something simple like handwriting practice while I pull small groups to practice the activity. Everyone gets a chance to practice the same day that I presented the mini-lesson. This whole process takes about 15-20 minutes (a bit longer if I have to have them practice in small groups). If my centers block will eventually be 45 minutes, we usually get through 2 (maybe 3) of these “practice sessions” per day. Stage Two: Learning Centers Procedures and Opening Centers (Week 5) By this point, the kids know how to do many of the activities that they will eventually do in centers. What they don’t know is how to “do” centers! This is where List #2 comes into play (i.e. expectations for behavior, how to rotate, clean-up signals, etc.). So during week 5, I set aside
What to do with those big DUPLO blocks when kids are ready to move up? Label them with words for some word game fun!
