Language Arts

My 5th grade classroom is not your run of the mill class. When you walk in, it looks like chaos, but when you actually sit down and observe, your realize that it is nothing more than 25-30 students doing about 20 or so different things. I manage this by consistently running small groups (or what they really are, which is centers). I train my students to be as self sufficient as possible, by going over the rules of each center, what is expected, what to do if they have a problem, what to do if they can’t solve the problem, etc (which usually takes about 2 weeks total). Once the procedure is established, then I move into running a small group of my own, where then I can really work with 4-5 students. It becomes much easier to individualize and differentiate when my class is run in this manner. Since I teach primarily reading and writing, my centers revolve around literacy. The difficult part is finding resources for literacy centers in upper elementary grades.

The best place I have found for literacy center resources (for all of elementary) is the Florida Center for Reading Research. The resources are broken into K-1, 2-3, and 4-5., and then by topic: Fluency & Phonics vs Vocabulary & Comprehension. When reviewing the 4-5 resources, the Vocabulary & Comprehension section alone totaled near 500 pages of resources. The material is available through pdf downloads for easy viewing and printing. Most games and activities have the materials premade as well as templates for adjustment.

Classroom Use

After choosing the activities I felt met my students need, I printed out the corresponding pages and created a Literacy Center Binder. Within the binder, I took the directions of each task, glued it to construction paper, and then laminated it,. Behind each set of directions is the remaining documentation and a folder containing any necessary pieces for the center. Each day in preparation for class, I pull out the directions and pieces for the centers of that day, and set them out for the kids to use. Although the students have been trained how each center works at the beginning of the school year, the directions serve as a reminder of what is expected in each area.