The Reality of Centers

Prior to this school year, I put extensive amounts of thoughts into the reading centers I would implement during reading instruction. From substitute teaching and working in summer school, I saw how centers could work well and reinforce skills, and how centers could also function as little more than busywork. I was determined to construct center rotations that were engaging and well-run, reading through Debbie Diller’s Literacy Work Stations: Making Centers Work. Then, like many well-intentioned first-year teachers, I started school, and all my plans flew out the window. I wanted to make centers a part of our daily routine from Day 1; centers did not start until the third week of school. The need for reading testing in the first month of school made it difficult to model and correct behaviors. In short, I have lots of ideas of what I’ll change next year, but the big question is what will I do with my current group of students?

I’m fortunate that I have a great group of students and fairly strong classroom management procedures, so students are open to changes that I make. As guided reading begins, I’m planning on a more systematic and meaningful approach to centers. I still refer back to Diller’s book and the need to limit the number of children at each center. I also consider practice students require—for example, identifying nouns, verbs, and adjectives—and create stations for students reinforce the skills they will need. More than all else, consulting with knowledgeable, experienced teachers is helpful as I learn the most appropriate way to allow students the practice they need. I’m learning a lot by making mistakes—I just learned that a handwriting practice center is a bad idea because students need immediate feedback in order to make changes to their writing. These mistakes continue to inform decisions about literacy stations.

Next year, I think I may take my experience and apply an entirely new approach to reading centers. While substitute teaching, I met a 2^nd grade team that used Gail Boushey and Joan Moser’s The Daily Five. As students rotate through 5 reading/writing centers, students not only practice reading and writing skills, they also practice working independently. One significant advantage as a teacher is that students produce little paperwork—meaning there is less to plan, less to photocopy, and less to grade. This goes against conventional thought that centers need some sort of deliverable, but student independence is emphasized from day one. Regardless of the approach I choose in the future, I’m learning teachers need to be thoughtful and reflective to make centers meaningful.