center menus

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Home : 2003 : January : 4

center menus
By Krista

My colleague and I use center menus. It is a less structured approach, but we have found they work well. We also have a more structured reading group time, similar to the other teacher who responded (with a rotation schedule,
small group, individual reading, paired reading, writing response, and so on).
Back to the menus. About each week or so we make a new menu. Each child has a copy of the menu in their "center folder". The menu has "salad" boxes, which would be small group work with the teacher. Those are crossed off after their work with the teacher. Next on the menu is the "supper" . There

are boxes labeled Math Center, Listening Center, Letter Writing Center, etc. In each box with the title of the center is the maximum number of students allowed at that center at one time. The students do the choosing of where to go, and we practice how this works for a couple weeks before starting small groups at the same time. If a center is full the student needs to choose another center. As they finish a center they put an "X" over the box for that center. Any completed paperwork for that center then goes into a crate with the entire class' "finished" center folders in it (labeled hanging folders). Then I can just check up on each student's finished work any time with out searching a desk for their menu folder. After they finish the center they find a new one to go to.

The clincher in all of this is that there is also "dessert" on the menu. We write things like Computer Center, Art Center, etc. here as an incentive to not waste time fooling around. Of course, students cannot go to any dessert centers until their dinner is completed.

I hope this helps. Another important part in this working smoothly is that you enforce something like "Ask 3 before me." This requires students to ask 3 of their peers their question before coming to you. It cuts down dramatically on the interruptions. Overall we pull small groups throughout the menu. The students do not all start with their salad. Some start on dinner while waiting for their salad.

Krista