college student project! need help!!

[jackiefrazier]

hi, i am doing a take a stand project on Language Art Blocks in the classroom.
this also includes "learning centers". in k-3
anyone that has information on what they do in their classrooms, or what they have seen done with these two things(good or bad), i would really appreciate what you have to say about them, or what you suggest about them. this is due kinda soon, so your direct emails would be fantastic!!! i appreciate all of your help! thank you!
thanks!
jackie

[terina00]

I am a first year teacher in Kindergarten. My district has a 90-minute literacy block, which is supposed to be broken up as 30 minutes of whole group, 60 minutes of centers, during which time you also hold small group lessons.

Before I go on, let me say that I am extremely disappointed in this set-up, and do not recommend it to anyone!!!

There are five different mandated centers: fluency, comprehension, phonics, phonemic awareness, and vocabulary. We use Houghton Mifflin, which recommends a dramatic play center and art center, but we are NOT ALLOWED to do either (I capitalize because of their strong stance against them). We are not allowed to do anything in centers that could be seen as arts and crafts; ie, making puppets for retelling in comprehension. We are not supposed to use worksheets, but we must come up with new activities each week and only have $100 a year for classroom supplies, so our ablility to purchase manipulatives is severely limited. Remember, my kids can't read instructions yet, and I can't be with them at centers telling them what to do, so all the activities they must be able to figure out on their own.

There are five different center groups, and 4 differentiated learning groups. The center group is made up of children from each differentiated group, so the center groups are heterogenus, and the small group lessons are homogenous. Each center must have 3-4 different activites, one for each group level. That amounts to 20 different activites to plan each week.

If I could plan it how I want? We would have more time in the whole group allotted for read-alouds (only 2-3 minutes of my full-day kindergarten's schedual each day is allotted to it). My centers would be: phonics, self-selected reading, dramatic play, art, writing, and maybe a puppet retelling or a play-doh letter creation center. I think I am happy with my small groups.

Hope this helps!