Managing centres

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Managing centres
By Joanne

I am not sure if I got this idea from this site in the beginning but at any rate, it works. In the fall, each child had a night to bring home our class teddy bear. The bear was in a bag with a journal and they(parents) had
to write about their adventure that night with the bear. Because of this, teddy bears are very special in our class. When I started centres after Christmas, I have a bear and he goes and sits at the group who is working the most on task and with the right level of noise. At certain centres, there is some noise expected (Lego, crafts...)so it's not necessarily the quietest but the most

appropriate level of noise. He gets to sit on their desks and if it gets out of control, he can be moved (I have only had to do this once since January and we do centres 1-2 times a day). Then that group gets a bear sticker on their group name and when they get 10 stickers, the group members get to pick a treat from my treat bag. They take it very seriously and you'd be amazed they don't play with him or anything- he's like an idol to them. They get after anyone who starts to touch and move him. They sit him at the group and just admire him. Hope this gives you some ideas. I also track their on task and work output at centres in my marks book so they are accountable for their work habits there as well as for the work they are expected to complete. Good luck!
Joanne