| Academic Learning Centers In first grade we do a variety of centers. My students work in groups of 4-5 and they rotate centers each day. We have centers everyday for about 1 1/2 hours. Your child is involved in academic centers and free choice centers each week. Centers are fun and enjoyable for first grade students. Working in centers gives each child the opportunity to receive differentiated instruction at their own developmental level, while reinforcing learning skills. They are able to interact and learn with their peers. All of the centers focus on academics, gross motor, and fine motor skills. Listed below are some of the centers we have in our room. We don't "just play" in our centers, we are learning... to share. to communicate. to problem solve. to be creative in our own individual way. to work and play in groups. to follow classroom rules. to develop respect for others. to express thoughts and feelings appropriately. to make choices and decisions. We will be adults someday! Listening Center The center consists of a tape recorder with headphones and a variety of reading materials. The students are able to sit and listen to two stories as they follow along in the books. After they have finished both stories, they are able to reflect by drawing or writing about their favorite part of each story. In Listening Center, I am learning... to use oral language in a variety of situations. to follow text in a story while listening. to make predictions and recall important facts about a story. to focus on words and pictures in a story. to write a sentence about the story. to become familiar with a variety of literature. to select books to read for my needs and interests. the joy of reading. I may be a writer, illustrator, or librarian someday! Block Center Children develop math concepts and motor skills while building with Legos, Lincoln Logs, gears and other building materials. In Block Center, I am learning... to use hand-eye coordination to match objects with one to one correspondence. to use imagination and creativity in designing a structure. about gravity, weight, stability, and balance. to use classification skills. to show respect for the work of others. to learn to share and work together. to make choices and decisions. I may be an architect or builder someday! Writing Center A wide variety of materials such as pencils, writing paper, markers, ink pens, stickers, stencils, stationary, stamps, envelopes, and crayons are used to encourage writing. Students can write letters to their classmates, address an evelope and use our classroom mailing system to mail the letter, they can write their own stories and read them to the class, they can work on newsflash articles (they use a picture from the newspaper and make their own report of what is happening) and they will also make their own ending to stories read during storytime. In Writing Center, I am learning... to write my letters, name, and other important words. to use fine motor skills. to write and illustrate in a journal. to use various materials to write and draw. to use cooperation skills. to use my imagination and creativity. to proofread and develop my writing. I might be a reporter or an author someday! Math Center This center provides hands on experiences in counting, sorting, patterning, measuring, adding, and subtracting. In Math Center, I am learning... to use fine motor skills. to form groups for sorting and matching. to match objects using one to one correspondence. to write numbers and count. to make AB, AAB, ABB, and ABC patterns. to develop hand-eye coordination. to make choices and decisions. to use self help skills. I might be an engineer or mechanic someday! Art Center The Art Center encourages creativity while developing fine motor skills. Different materials are used to create craft items and works of art. The students are involved in the art center each week. In Art Center, I am learning... to experiment with a variety of art media to use fine motor skills. to understand cause and effect. to express thoughts and feelings through pictures. to use the senses to gain information about the environment. to develop hand-eye coordination. to make choices and decisions. to use your own creativity in creating a masterpiece. I might be an artist or illustrator someday! Library Time During this center, the students sit back and relax in our recliners while enjoying hundreds of books relevant to them. These books are books bought and books made by the students in room 109 (previous and now) In the Reading Center, I am learning... to use "sounding out" skills. to chunk words. to read our Word Wall words. to recognize student's names. to see similarities and differences in words. to read and review our sight words. use self-help skills. I might be a mom or dad someday! Write the Room Clipboards and marker boards are used to copy letters and words around the room including posters, bulletin boards, friends' names, the Word Wall, Morning News, and Morning Message. In Writing the Room Center, I am learning... to use "sounding out" skills to form words. to write and reread. to write student's names. to write Environmental Print, Morning News, and Morning Message. to see similarities and differences in words. to write our sight words. use self-help skills. I might be a writer someday! Computer Center During this center the students take turns working on various computer games. They are able to work at their own individual pace and review many skills. In Computer Center, I am learning... to use a variety of educational software. to use fine motor skills. to make choices and decisions. to listen and follow directions. to use a keyboard and a mouse. to understand cause and effect. I might be a programmer or operator someday! Puppet Theatre In this center, the children have a variety of puppets. In the beginning, the students are able to invent their own stories and plays. Later in the year, they will dramatize stories they have read and work together in creating stories and plays. In Puppet Theatre, I am learning... to invent and act out stories. to use creativity and imagination. to develop characters and their personalities. to express thoughts and feelings. to work together with others. to make choices and decisions. I might be an actor or writer someday! Puzzles and Games At this center, the children work with ABC, number, animal, and various floor puzzles. In puzzle center, I am learning... to develop spacial concepts. to develop skills in working together to complete a task. I might be like YOU one day! |
