Kindergarten Centers in Real Time!

This week is a professional development week at school, so I am putting the finishing touches on center activities, and needing a lot more laminate...(check out my centers on the right...except my color printer conked out and I wanted to make a new Center sign for computers, so for a place holder my Work with Ms. D----- sign is up, it's just to help me place things for now! Something to look forward to!).

Stay tuned for next week's post about 1st - 2nd Grade Centers in Real Time! (If you are starting from scratch, all 3 grades would be the same!)

Now without further ado...Kindergarten Centers in Real Time!

Kindergarten: What the first day will REALLY look like!

Example: 50 minute period: 8:45- 9:35 am

8:45 am - 8:50 am - Seat the students, tell them a number and have them sit at that table. Play the Brainpop Jr.’s Library video or ABCs in the Library for them to watch while you make a seating chart (sorry, both need sign ins, if you do not subscribe - try Where the Wild Things Are or choose a free read aloud from StorylineOnline). If none of these work, do the ABC book activity and have the students talk to each other quietly while you make the seating chart OR have them do a reaction sheet (bonus - you can see how well they write and can read their names on the sheets if they can write on their own!). 

8:55 - 9:15 Read the ABC book (see mine!), with activities embedded inside - jumping/poll taking, etc. For example - after telling them my favorite food, have students get up and stand in one area if they like pizza, another if they like tacos, and another if they like pasta (noodles), etc. Make sure movement is included, or else students will get bored and act out. Practice whispering. For example, after telling them my favorite color, have them tell someone at their table in a whisper what their favorite color is. 

9:15 - 9:20 Take attendance. 

9:20 - 9:25 Explain what a library is and that they will get to check out their own book in October! Ask students about what they know about libraries, discuss library cards and their questions, etc.

9:25 - 9:30 Set routine for lining up – I have the students push in their chairs into a puzzle (so all the seats fit together) and have the students stand behind their chair quietly to show me they are ready to line up (and when they are noisy, have them go back to their tables). Set the timer to have students push in their chairs and show they are ready by being quiet and standing behind their chairs.

9:30 - 9:35 Line up again.

What to do Week 1 - 4 in Kindergarten if you see them 3 times a week. Please feel free to ask questions in the comments! 

PREP all supplies: (You don't want to be trying to find pencils for 28 kindergarteners when they are staring at you (and crying, picking their nose, poking the person beside them, tipping their chairs, hiding in a corner...I could go on...what I'm saying is, have the supplies ready =)

What you see - 
Crayon Drawer (still in progress!)
Cups for colored pencils - labeled with the color that belongs in it
Construction paper
Sharp and Dull Pencil baskets
Blue cups - pencils
Red cups - colored pencils
Baskets of new crayons!
Marker pack
Glue
Scissors

Kindergarten	Week 1
Day 1	Seat students Make seating chart Introduce self Take attendance Set routine for lining up – I have the students push in their chairs into a puzzle (so all the seats fit together) and have the students stand behind their chair quietly to show me they are ready to line up. Choose tables to line up. Stand in front of them to monitor. PREP for DAY 3 - Download the abcya.com slips, print on colored paper (best case - colored card stock), cut out, laminate, cut out again. Also decide on a bin or something to collect all the papers in at the end.
Day 2	Seat students Explain that in the library we will have centers! Explain that we are going to learn a new center – Checking Out! Explain checkout and the difference between a book store and a library – one you buy from and one you borrow from. Role play Set routine for lining up – I have the students push in their chairs into a puzzle (so all the seats fit together) and have the students stand behind their chair quietly to show me they are ready to line up. Choose tables to line up. Stand in front of them to monitor.  PREP for DAY 3 - Download library jobs (or the PDF, a little cheaper, but cannot change) to use on the SMARTboard and make sure to update it so it works for you!
Day 3	Seat students Explain that we are going to learn a new center – Computers! Explain how to go to abcya.com and play Keyboard Zoo. Show on SMARTboard twice. Have students do the steps on the SMARTboard. Have the students go in partners to the computers – show them the red abcya.com slips and ask what they think the number stands for (the computer number) and to type the letters after the number. Show the students where to put the papers (the bin or whatever you chose) when the timer goes off.  Tell them to ask 3 friends first before asking you for help. Tell the students that when the timer goes off (play sound), to go back to their seats. Put the timer on and let them play for up to 15 minutes. Help students to get on the website and remind them to ask 3 friends for help first. Come back to seats. Use library jobs (or the PDF, a little cheaper, but cannot change) to clean up – have one student push in chairs at computers, one collect the red papers and put them away, and one click all the red Xs so the computer is back to the desktop (show this on the SMARTboard before having a student do it). I just cross out the jobs we are not using for the day (so no librarians, organizing bins, etc.).  Have other students at their seats work together to push in their chairs (I have them make a puzzle and this takes some time the first few weeks). Set timer for one minute. Once timer goes off, have all students stand behind their chairs and choose tables to line up. Line up.
Kindergarten	Week 2
Day 1	Seat students Review checkout center. Role play by tables. Talk about what to do if books fall down – Pick Them Up! Look at the call number and put them back or put them on the shelf if you’re not sure or don’t have enough time. Talk about damaged books – show examples. Set routine for lining up – I have the students push in their chairs into a puzzle (so all the seats fit together) and have the students stand behind their chair quietly to show me they are ready to line up. Choose tables to line up. Stand in front of them to monitor.
Day 2	Seat students. Review Computer Center. Review abcya.com Have the students go in partners to the computers – remind: the red abcya.com slips and ask what they think the number stands for (the computer number) and to type the letters after the number. Tell the students that when the timer goes off (play sound), to go back to their seats. Put the timer on and let them play for up to 15 minutes. Come back to seats. Use library jobs to clean up – have one student push in chairs at computers, one collect the red papers and put them away, and one click all the red Xs so the computer is back to the desktop. Have other students at their seats work together to push in their chairs (I have them make a puzzle and this takes some time the first few weeks). Set timer for one minute. Once timer goes off, have all students stand behind their chairs and choose tables to line up. Line up. PREP - Put books of choice in your reading area. For the very first time, I usually choose a variety of Easy Fiction books (picture books), things they recognize and may already know the story of, books with simple words that they know, or great pictures to "read the pictures". I try to have about 60 - 80 books for great variety.
Day 3	Seat students. Explain that we are going to learn a new center – the reading area! Go to the reading area. Have students sit in a pattern - boy/girl, etc. Show how to read with a partner – sit with one student. Put the book in between you both. Read together. Practice reading the pictures and looking for sight words. Practice looking for title pages together.  Show READING not racing! Show yourself just flipping all the pages, and show yourself reading the book, looking at pictures, talking to your partner about the book, etc. Practice choosing a new book – We finished the book, now we will get a new one. Where are they? How do we choose? Take turns! Have students line up in a boys line and a girls line. Give each student a partner. Have them partner read together. Put the timer on and let them read for up to 7 minutes (many cannot read, so they will get distracted quickly!) Come back to seats. Use library jobs to clean up – have a group of students (I use 6 because I have 3 bins and then 2 kids can fix a bin each) fix the bins – reorganize the bins so all the books are not in one bin, the books are facing up and out, etc. Have other students at their seats work together to push in their chairs (I have them make a puzzle and this takes some time the first few weeks). Set timer for one minute. Once timer goes off, have all students stand behind their chairs and choose tables to line up.
Kindergarten	Week 3
Day 1	Tell them that we will have 2 centers today: Reading area and Computers Review what to do at each center. Go over Center Rules: (I made a quick poster, check it out on the right) 1. Walk. 2. Whisper. 3. Ask 3 friends before me. Role play these rules. Have a student walk to the reading area (pick a student who NEVER walks, and praise them HIGHLY when they walk appropriately). Have students whisper their favorite color to someone at their table (redirect as needed). Pretend you have a problem, ask 3 students in a whisper for help. (Btw, this sign is part of Library Centers!)  Discuss why/why not you/they need to follow the rules. Discuss consequences – if teacher gives you a strike, you get 3 chances, or 3 strikes, if you get 3 strikes, you lose the center (enforce this immediately, this is where you will set boundaries). I walk to students and tell them clearly – Strike 1, not walking, etc. (Usually all the students around them will straighten out really fast)
Day 2	Tell them that we will have 2 centers today: Computers and “Checkout” (just for practice!) Go over Center Rules: 1. Walk. 2. Whisper. 3. Ask 3 friends before me. Role play these rules. Have a student walk to the reading area (pick a student who NEVER walks, and praise them HIGHLY when they walk appropriately). Have students whisper their favorite color to someone at their table (redirect as needed). Pretend you have a problem, ask 3 students in a whisper for help. Discuss why/why not you need to follow the rules. Discuss consequences – if teacher gives you a strike, you get 3 chances, or 3 strikes, if you get 3 strikes, you lose the center (enforce this immediately, this is where you will set boundaries). I walk to students and tell them clearly – Strike 1, not walking, etc. Usually all the students around them will straighten out really fast J Work with the Checkout center to go over : What to do if books fall down – Pick Them Up! Look at the call number and put them back or put them on the shelf if you’re not sure or don’t have enough time. Damaged books – show examples. Display books (books can be checked out!)
Day 3	Same as Day 1
	Week 4
Day 1	Same as Week 3 Day 2
Day 2	Same as Week 3 Day 1
Day 3	Same as Week 3 Day 2

Stay tuned for next week's post about 1st - 2nd Grade Centers in Real Time! Stay tuned for Week 5 – 9! Including an assessment at Week 8!