My Center Rotation Routine

Hi everyone,

Lots of you, on Facebook and Instagram, have asked me about my centers. Today, I’m here to show you my daily center routine.

I should tell you that I change things ALL THE TIME in my classroom and any of this is subject to change in the near future. What I do in my class always depends on my students and their learning. Every year, I tweek things to better suit my students’ needs, and every year my students’ needs change. I have never had a group of kids that was exactly like the one I had the year before. I’m sure you would agree 😉

Now that this public service announcement is out of the way, let’s get started! HA!

First, you should know that I mix my literacy and math centers. I put them in the same rotation and just have the kids work on stations during both literacy and math teaching blocks. In the end, it evens out and I only have one rotation board. It works for me and keeps everything simple. 

I usually have the same number of literacy and math centers for each rotation. I have 12 centers set up at a time, so 6 are literacy and 6 are math. I place literacy centers in the even numbered drawers and the math in the odd numbered. This way, each time we rotate, students work on a different subject. 

Instead of baskets, I use sterlite drawers to store my centers. Students can easily pull them out and bring them to their work station. The large drawers are the perfect size for everything we need. 

This is what I put in every drawer:

cards

manipulatives

dry erase markers

black gloves (we use these to erase)

recording pages

*I put the recording pages in plastic protectors and let kids write on them with dry erase markers. They make it easy to erase and it is much cheaper than buying those fancy pockets. 

This is what my rotation board looks like. I made it with the editable cards in my classroom labels set.

I usually prepare 12 centers at a time. Since I have only 8 groups this year, not all centers are being used every time. 

I put a strip of velcro on the group cards and on the names. This makes it easy to change my groups every week!

Every time we complete a rotation of centers, I change the activities and the groups. I like to make my groups heterogenous and I pull kids for my guided reading during center work.  If this way of grouping your students doesn’t work for you, that’s okay. We all do what works best for us in our classroom 😉

My rotation is simple. On the left, I have center numbers. These numbers match the number on the basket. For example, in this picture Ashley is going to work with Thomas at center #2. When we are ready to start, they will take the drawer that has a number 2 on it. 

I let kids choose their own spots in the classroom. They can work wherever they want, as long as they make good choices. I sometimes have to move them to a new spot if I see that they have not made a good choice. This doesn’t happen very often, though. 

At the beginning of every year, I spend time talking to my class about making good choices, how to choose a spot in the classroom, and how to behave during centers. I pretty much follow the same procedures as the Daily 5 for this. We model good ways and bad ways of doing things. It takes a while but really pays off in the end 🙂

Our center rules are very similar to the Daily 5 rules:

Start right away

Stay in one spot

Work quietly

Work the whole time

Clean up your station

You probably noticed the stars on my rotation board. I got this idea from Erica at Erica’s Ed-Ventures.  At the end of each rotation, I give a star to the groups that are following the rules. Sometimes, I give to many groups and sometimes I give to only a few. It depends on my students’ behavior and the effort they put toward their work. 

Once we have gone through all the centers for the week, I give a prize to the group with the most stars. This works like a charm!

First, I rotate the centers. To do this, I bring all the numbers down and put the bottom one on top. 

Then, I ask my students to quietly “show me their number”.  For example, if a student is going to work at number 2, she holds up 2 fingers. I love doing this because it’s an effective way for me to make sure everyone knows where they are going. 

Next, students grab their drawers and find a spot with their partner. They start working right away and I walk around the room to make sure everyone knows what to do at their center. Once we are all settled in, I pull my guided reading groups. We work for about 15-20 minutes.

When I am ready for my class to wrap up, I close the lights. When they see the lights closed, everyone puts their hands on their head and looks at me. This is an easy way to make sure everyone is ready to listen to my instructions. It also helps me stay away from raising my voice to get their attention. Light off=stop. period. 

Finally,  I ask my students to put their materials away 

and make their way back to their seats. 

The last thing I do is give away stars to the deserving teams. Sometimes, we discuss why a group got a star or why they didn’t (if they want to share with the class). 

Simple. I hardly ever get up from my guided reading table. If a student is not on task, I will simply say “Rebecca, strike one” and show her one finger. If she gets to strike 3, I calmly ask her to come sit on the floor next to me. This way, she is removed from her work station and can hopefully learn something from observing my small group activity. 

Sometimes, I can stay at my guided reading table and just call out “uh, oh!” from my seat. This usually is enough to help remind my class to whisper. If they are having on “off” day and are very loud, I turn off the lights and students put their hands on their head. This way, I don’t raise my voice.

Before I go, I want to share a little secret trick with you!

Have you ever taught your students the difference between talking and whispering? 

Here’s a cool trick! 

Put your fingers on your throat and say your name. 

What do you feel? Vibrations, right? 

Now, put your fingers on your throat and whisper your name. 

What do you feel NOW?? 

Cool, right?! 

That’s it folks! That is how centers work in my classroom!

I’d love to know why you think. Leave me a comment below if you have any questions and/or suggestions.

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