Literacy Centers Revamp

Have you ever had a group of kids that were different from any of your other groups before? Your typical routines, activities, and structures for the classroom just don't seem to work anymore.  Well my group is THAT group this year. 

When the school year started, I kept the things that worked from the year before, and modified, adapted or simply changed the things that didn't previously work. I was confident that this year would be unstoppable. Boy was I wrong. Even with the modifications for the new and improved year, this class gave me a run for my money!

I have boys. Lots of boys. And with boys you get wiggly bodies, talkative mouths, fart noises, and LOTS of running, moving, sliding, stomping, flipping, falling, and rolling. I used to have a literacy center system in place that kept my children working in small groups moving from one center to another as they completed the task, like flow chart. 

Last year this worked GREAT! My kids were focused, on task, and I was able to pull my guided reading groups as needed without a problem. Yes, one or two of my kids needed reminders, or additional support to finish their work, but not like this year. This year, if I'm not standing next to and/or holding about 7 of my kids hands, there work will NEVER get done, not to mention the rolling, crawling, and madness that ensued with the "free roam" of the class. 

My guided reading groups were suffering so I knew my old system just had to go. I talked with a few other teachers and with the help from my AMAZING reading coach, Jenny DaCosta, I was able to think up a new system, with lots of timing and structure.  For most, this is probably seen as a more traditional center rotation, but was a big change for me. It still allows my children to focus on word work, fluency/reading, writing, and sight words every day.

The children's faces stay in the same spot but I swap the pictures out for the new activity for the day. They rotate to each center in a circle and I call the students for guided reading groups as necessary. I do 10 minute intervals for each center (using a timer), 1 minute clean up time (using a timer) then we switch. 

Our new rules for centers: 

1. No moving from your table AT ALL. Use the materials at that table and if you need help ask a buddy from your group only. (This may seem harsh - but it's absolutely necessary for some of my boys).
2. When the timer goes off they hear a bell and must stop what they're doing, and immediately cross their arms to touch their shoulders (also crosses midline which refocuses them). - Once their eyes are on me, I give them clean up instructions.
3. During clean up you only clean up YOUR table and surrounding floor area, once again NO MOVING throughout the room. 
4. When bell goes off again after clean up - do arm cross signal and switch to the next table as a class.

Lastly, for my kids who took 45 minutes to not even finish 1 task, they now have to sit at that center until it's completed without being able to switch with their group…this surprisingly enough motivates them (even though it's the same concept that was in place before).

Regardless, it seems to be working although a few of my children still have trouble staying seated the whole 10 minutes, it's a lot less interruptions and a much more meaningful use of time for both them and me!