Make life as a teacher simple with these learning centers for the classroom.
Simple Learning Centers for the Classroom
Setting up learning centers for the classroom can be a daunting task as a new teacher. At least, that is how I felt! Where do I start? What learning centers should I do? How can I keep up with all the preparation that goes into each learning center? Even though I felt a little overwhelmed to get them started, I knew the benefits of learning centers in the classroom. I decided to keep things simple when I came to setting up learning centers and in this blog post I will be sharing the learning centers I use in my 2nd grade classroom. But remember, these learning centers can be adapted to other grade levels. I hope what I share will give you ideas of what learning centers will work for you!
My 6 Learning Centers:
Make life as a teacher simple with these learning centers for the classroom.
Teacher Table:
The biggest reason I wanted to do learning centers in my classroom was because I want to work with my students in a small group setting. So to me, this is really why we do learning centers. I created my groups so that students who were at a similar reading level were in the same group. That way I could teach to their instructional level. Our school has leveled readers that came without reading curriculum. I use these books to work with my students. With lower levels, we chorally read or echo read the book together. We will even do some phonics activities. I love to have my students work with word sorts. With my higher reading levels, students take turns reading a paragraph out loud. I ask comprehension questions along the way. We also go over the weeks comprehension strategy in these groups and may even do some writing extension activities.
Make life as a teacher simple with these learning centers for the classroom.
Fluency Center:
In this learning center, students practice their fluency skills with a partner. I use the decodable readers our curriculum comes with for this. They go along with the phonics pattern the students are learning as well. Students sit by a partner and chorally read the story. Then they whisper read the book to themselves. After that, they get a piece of paper and pencil and go through the book to find all the words with our spelling pattern for the week. The only thing I have to do with preparation, is set out new books for the week. That is something I can handle.
Make life as a teacher simple with these learning centers for the classroom.
Listening Center:
In this center, students get on getepic.com on a tablet. This is a free website for teachers that allows students to read tons of books and has many “read-to-me” books. Students love Epic because of the variety of books on there. Plus, listening to reading helps students with their own reading skills.
Make life as a teacher simple with these learning centers for the classroom.
Silent Reading Center:
I love seeing students read and find books that match their interests. I have this learning center set-up by my classroom library with comfortable seating for each student in the group. Students find and read books and read silently to themselves. Once they read a book they can fill out a book form for our “Look What we are Reading Wall.” They get rewards for doing this, so it keeps them motivated to read and work hard during this time.
Make life as a teacher simple with these learning centers for the classroom.
Math Facts Center:
Getting students fluent in math facts takes a lot of work and practice. That is why I knew that I wanted a math facts learning center in my classroom. Luckily, my school buys a program for our students to use online. I have students get on the computers in our classroom for this learning center. However, if you don’t have computers in your classroom or a good program for math facts, make easy math fact games for your students to play with during this time. You can even have them work with math fact strategies.
Make life as a teacher simple with these learning centers for the classroom.
Math Review Centers:
In this learning center, I have an activity for students to practice on the concepts we have learned in the unit we are in for math. I also keep these activities simple. Usually a scoot activity where I allow students to work with a partner in their group for extra support. If they finish early, they get to play math fact games!
Make life as a teacher simple with these learning centers for the classroom.
These are the six learning centers for the classroom that I have used with my sweet 2nd graders. This time is one of their favorites in the day. Mine too because I don’t have to stress about a bunch of prep work! I hope this helps you in deciding which learnings centers to use in your classroom.
Looking for other ways to get your students more engaged during lessons? Download the free 7 Steps to an Engaged Classroom Workbook.
