I really like the beginning of the school year.

It brings a new group of kiddos, fresh school supplies, and a clean slate! I actually enjoy teaching behavior, routines, and procedures…maybe that’s weird. 🙂

The one thing I do find a little overwhelming, however, is getting centers up and running.

There’s so much to teach and so much to think about. Getting 5, 6, or 7-year-olds to work independently is no small task!

My mind LOVES organization, so I learned to break down all of the madness into small, manageable steps and things to teach. In this post, I’ll share my process! 🙂

The Very Beginning

I do not start centers the first day, week, or even first few weeks of school. Period.

One year, a kindergarten teacher on my team told me that she starts centers on the very first day of school. Granted, there were two teachers in her classroom (not in mine). But still. Wow!

As for me, I am no superhero teacher, so I need a little more time!

I also think that my kids benefit from my “slow but steady” pace. Laying a solid foundation of routines and procedures does save time and frustration in the end!

Planning with the End in Mind

Every single year, I spend time imagining what my “ideal centers scenario” looks like. I picture how I want things to run in a month or two.

And then…I start making lists! (You’ll see why these lists are important in the next section.)

First, I make a list of simple literacy activities that I want to incorporate into our first few weeks of centers (after we actually start centers, that is). These might include things like:

• Partner reading
• Independent reading
• Simple word work activities (making words with play dough, for example)
• Listening center activities (i.e. listening to stories online)
• Writing activities (i.e. drawing pictures and making a story in a stapled booklet)

Second, I make a list of the centers routines and procedures I’ll need to teach in order to get centers functioning smoothly. This includes:

• Where different centers are located in the classroom
• General procedures for using each center
• How students will know which centers to go to
• Expectations for behavior
• Expectations for work
• Expectations for noise level
• Expectations for how students should or should not work together
• What to do if you don’t know what to do at a center
• What to do if you need to use the restroom or get a drink of water
• What to do if a peer is not using the center correctly
• What to do if something breaks / technology doesn’t work
• How to clean up
• How to know when to clean up

And last but not least, I make a list of simple, independent, non-academic activities that students can do with the materials I have in my classroom. They don’t have to be literacy-related! These might include:

• Playing with play dough
• Working with colored tiles or pattern blocks
• Working on puzzles
• Drawing with special markers or stencils

If you’d like to download a free template for making and organizing your own lists, please click HERE!The Stages

In the next four parts of this post, I’ll share the different “stages” I use to get centers rolling. Now you’ll get to see how those 3 lists you made come into play.

I’ve included suggested timeframes for each stage. But these may vary! Your students will have different needs, so please go more slowly or more quickly as you see fit.

Here are the stages:

1. Learning Simple Literacy Activities (Weeks 1-4)

2. Learning Centers Procedures (Week 5)

3. Opening Centers One By One (Week 6)

4. Normal Centers and Small Group Rotations (Weeks 7 and beyond)

Now let’s dive into each stage!

Stage One: Learning Simple Literacy Activities (Weeks 1-4)

Before the school year starts, I take List #1 (simple literacy activities that I will eventually use in centers, like independent reading). I make a schedule for teaching these activities in a whole-group setting over a period of about 4 weeks.

When I teach one of these activities, I model it for students. I then give them a chance to practice it with my support. And I do all of this during the block of time that will eventually become our centers time.

Here’s an example:

Independent reading is something I want the kids to eventually be able to do during literacy centers.

I write some mini-lessons to teach expectations for independent reading. One mini-lesson might be how to stay on-task and in one spot during independent reading. Another might be how to tell a story from the pictures (for K-1).

I then decide when I will teach these mini-lessons (again, this is happening during the first 4-ish weeks of school, during the block of time that will eventually become our centers time).

During a mini-lesson, I model the focus procedure or routine. I have a few student volunteers model it for the class. And then I have the WHOLE class practice it while I support them.

However, if it’s an activity that I have limited materials for (i.e. making words with magnetic letters), I have the class do something simple like handwriting practice while I pull small groups to practice the activity. Everyone gets a chance to practice the same day that I presented the mini-lesson.

This whole process takes about 15-20 minutes (a bit longer if I have to have them practice in small groups). If my centers block will eventually be 45 minutes, we usually get through 2 (maybe 3) of these “practice sessions” per day.

Stage Two: Learning Centers Procedures and Opening Centers (Week 5)

By this point, the kids know how to do many of the activities that they will eventually do in centers.

What they don’t know is how to “do” centers! This is where List #2 comes into play (i.e. expectations for behavior, how to rotate, clean-up signals, etc.).

So during week 5, I set aside time to teach kids about 3-4 mini-lessons that cover topics from List #2.

During each mini-lesson, I go over the procedures, model them, and have a few student volunteers model them.

Then I have students go into “mock centers.” During mock centers, I set out the play-based activities from list #3 (i.e. playing with play dough or pattern blocks). We don’t spend too long in each center —maybe just 5-7 minutes.

Students rotate through the centers as they would the literacy centers. However, because the actual centers activities are non-academic, we can focus on learning how to “do” centers.

I include lots of positive praise to recognize students who are following procedures correctly. I am “right there” with the students, correcting any mistakes. I’m not yet teaching small groups.

Stage Three: Opening Centers One by One (Week 6)

After I feel that the students “get” how to do centers, I then begin replacing the play centers with the literacy activities they learned in Stage 1.

Here’s an example:

On Monday, I introduce the partner reading center. Students already know how to read with a partner; I’m just going over the procedures specific to the center. That day, they rotate through play centers and the partner reading center. The partner reading center is the only “academic” center that day.

On Tuesday, I introduce the word work center. Students already know several different word work activities from Stage 1; again, I’m just going over the procedures specific to that center. That day, they rotate through play centers, the partner reading center, and the word work center.

You get the picture — I add one “academic” center each day until all the centers are up and running!

Throughout all of this, I’m still not pulling small groups. I’m supervising students and reinforcing positive behavior.

Toward the end, I spend a couple of days just standing at the back of the room and observing. I don’t intervene; I want to see that students can work independently. I tell them that they are responsible for solving their own problems, and that they should act like I’m invisible! 🙂

Once students are able to work independently and all of the literacy centers have been introduced, then comes…

Stage Four: Normal Centers and Small Group Rotations (Weeks 7 and beyond)

By this point, students know the procedures and routines of centers. They are familiar with different literacy activities they can do in each center. They know how to work without my direct supervision.

Now I can start pulling small groups and teaching guided reading. Yay!

Of course, the hard work isn’t completely done. I absolutely have to return to some of those mini-lessons I taught during weeks 1-6. I have to reteach procedures and expectations throughout the year. I have to continue coming up with centers activities and embedding them into my whole and small group instruction (read more about this process HERE).

Have you already signed up to get the centers planning templates? They will walk you through this whole process! If not, you can do so by clicking HERE.And last but not least, if you’re not 100% clear on this whole process (this was a long post, I know!), watch this video where I explain it all again:

I hope this is helpful to you. Happy teaching!