Hi friends,
It's officially here! Winter break is all but a distant memory, and test preparation season is in full swing. Sigh.
I know it can seem like an overwhelming task. How on earth do you differentiate your test prep with all the different abilities in your classroom, fit it all into the school week, and still teach your grade level standards?
The answer is "simple:" Your classroom centers.
You are going to differentiate each center, each week, for your students by looking at the data. Yes, that dreaded 4-letter word. I will say it again.... data. It really can be your friend, but you have to embrace it.
Look back at the standards you have already taught this year, and the assessments you have given. What standards did most of your students struggle with? I like to focus on 3 at a time in 3 week intervals. Each week students rotate through the 3 center activities, and the previous week is easier than the current one. Students stay on the same standard for 3 weeks, and then switch to a new one (out of the same 3). You keep repeating this cycle until standards have been hit. Just make sure that your students are grouped by strength so that some students aren't doing all the work. It’s okay to put a student in a lower or higher group, depending on your classroom make up, but you need to make sure you provide support/enrichment.
I taught first grade for 5 years and third grade for 8 years. In both grades, students had actual center time. A rotation was posted on the board and routines were followed. Now that I teach 5th grade, I still have my students in centers, but it works a little different. I give my students’ “Educational Learning Choices” after they have finished their “Must Do’s” each day.
In my class students must use the online I.Ready Reading and Math program (40 minutes per subject) each week. To manage this, it is listed under their “Must Do’s” for the day. With “Must Do’s” and “May Do’s” students learn time management and work for center time.
Samples for Daily "Must Do’s:"
1)20 minutes of I.Ready (MW is Reading, TTh is Math, and then I look at the data and let students know what they are doing on Friday. Friday is also a time they can make up time if they were absent.)
2)Read Works: An Article a Day. I highly recommend you look into this. It is free, and you can assign your students different articles depending on their ability level (online program).
I also have weekly "Must Do’s" that are due each Friday. So students might opt to work on it a little each day, or a huge chunk of it one day and not the rest, but it is up to them as long as it is completed by Friday. What if students don’t complete these assignments? The way I handle it is this, 3 strikes and you’re out. If any student misses 3 deadlines, then that student and I sit down and work out a daily schedule for the daily amount of time they need to work on each task.
Some of the Must Do’s that are due on Friday are
★ Accelerated Reader (AR) tests (due every 2 weeks)
★ Reading Comprehension Centers
★ Math Reteach/Enrichment pages depending on the week.
May Do’s (aka Educational Learning Choices): These are student choices. Every single one is academic! By allowing students to choose their learning activities (ie centers), they feel empowered and are ready and open-minded to learn more.
Some examples of "May Do’s:"
★ Prodigy: Online math game
★ Versatiles
★ Reading Silently or Buddy Read
★ Hot Dots (I have these for Reading, Math, and Science.)
★ Flash cards
Of course, students meet with me in their reading and math groups as well. I generally teach each group for 20 minutes and the rest of the time is theirs to work on their assignments - while I meet with the other groups.
A few things to remember:
1) Routines and procedures are crucial.
2) Centers should run themselves.
3) You can differentiate for your students in centers.
4) During center time, you can pull back students who needed more one-on-one attention. This is also a great time to join in with a group of students during center time to observe, assess, and/or have fun. I try to join in with one group each week, and rotate the groups that I visit.
5) Every student can feel successful during center time.
The best piece of advice I can give to you, is make it work for you. Change things as you go and change it up until it fits your style and your vision.
I hope this is helpful for you!
If you have any questions or suggestions for others
please leave them in the comments below.
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