![]() ![]() To introduce centers, I like to start with math centers first. I don’t expect to just throw some manipulatives out there and NOT have them building or making letters or seeing how tall they can stack them. I’ve learned that if you give them that time to explore a bit, they’ll be more likely to work after. I want them to start to explore the different kinds of materials that we will be using. They still want to play and explore…and I can’t blame them! So while I’m establishing those first math center rotations, my goals are to let them become familiar with the routines and expectations of what goes on in math centers. They just got dropped off from preschool. ![]() When I first get started with our math centers in September, I try to remind myself that they are just little. I have found this gives students time to adjust to our routines and procedures, as well as begin to build their independent reading stamina (which we practice as a whole class from the second week of school when we “read” quietly for one minute, and then two minutes, and so on and so forth.) Here is a great example from Marsha on differentiating activities based off on assessments: Īt the beginning of the year, I introduce centers after students are used to our daily routine (typically after about one month of kindergarten). Which leads me to the importance of differentiating your instruction to meet the needs of your students. Research tells us that optimal learning takes place when children are moderately challenged – meaning that you are pushing them just slightly out of their comfort zone. In kindergarten, children come in at the beginning of the year with all sorts of varying levels of ability – some know their letters and are beginning readers, some can sing the alphabet song and identify letters in their name, and some may ask “What’s a letter?” They really are all over the board! By assessing where students are, you can determine what they need. One of the biggest challenges at the beginning of the year in kindergarten especially is meeting students where they are. Before I get started, I want to preface that I learned so much from following Marsha McGuire on IG and her blog She is a gold mine of kindergarten center ideas and resources! So that being said, my centers are based off of her amazing differentiated instruction and center management system. ![]()
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