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40 Hour Workweek

Uncategorized   |   May 7, 2010

Centers & Stations

By Angela Watson

Founder and Writer

Centers & Stations

By Angela Watson

What’s Here

Are you looking for an EASY system for engaging students in meaningful hands-on learning? Centers don’t have to be complicated to make, organize, implement, or assess! Here you’ll find all the information you need to get literacy centers and math tubs/centers started and running smoothly in your classroom.

Pages in This Section

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Cornerstone Cross-Reference

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Find even MORE info about centers in The Cornerstone book and eBook!  Book-exclusive content includes:

Ch. 20: Managing Small Group Instruction

  • Organizing your area and materials: photos and tips for setting up your reading group location
  • Deciding on the number of groups and materials for each (and what to do with the kids who don’t fit in any group)
  • Flexible reading groups: how to manage your routines while pulling only the kids who need to work on a particular skill
  • How to select your small group components and create a workable rotation schedule even with limited time
  • Is self-selected reading a waste of time? What the research says, and how you can apply it to self-selected reading procedures in your classroom
  • Self-selected reading guidelines: what students should be doing and how to teach them your procedures, how to assess progress through reading conferences, using individual book boxes, keeping meaningful reading logs, and more!

Ch. 21: Rethinking Centers

  • How centers can be used throughout the day: morning work, Fun Friday, during instructional time, and more!
  • How mixed ability center groups can help kids stay on-task during centers and make the activities more meaningful
  • Centerjobs: 5 pages of ideas to help you create specific self-paced center tasks that are quick and easy to make and assess

More Center Ideas on Pinterest


Angela Watson

Founder and Writer

Angela created the first version of this site in 2003, when she was a classroom teacher herself. With 11 years of teaching experience and more than a decade of experience as an instructional coach, Angela oversees and contributes regularly to...
Browse Articles by Angela

Discussion


  1. Thank you Angela! These links are so helpful. This year I started using math centers in my 1st grade classroom and have been wanting to start literacy centers. These resources have inspired me to get started.

  2. Kelley,
    Very interesting ideas for the centers.
    Thanks for sharing.
    I am a reading resource teacher who has never done centers so I was looking for some ideas.
    I teach grades 1-5 & if you have any more ideas please let me know.
    Also, I am looking for the materials & resources to use in the centers.

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