When students arrive, they hang up their bookbags and check in with me. I look at their homework, check their planner, and record their lunch plans. Then they put up their lunch magnet, check the assignment chart and go to one of five centers. By the end of the week, each learning team has visited every center. The computer center allows students to log on to particular programs supported by the school system and complete assignments that correspond to our classroom studies.
These computers look different because they are virtualized computers "thin clients" that reflect a central server and computers. Another center is seatwork which includes students' spelling and phonics workbook which allows them to practice their assigned spelling words and associated phonics skills.
The listening center allows students to listen to the assigned story and then read that story as a play.
At the teacher center, I listen to students read as far as they can in one minute, keeping a word count, and recording missed words. Then I ask the student to tell me about the story. Other students in that learning group wait their turn in the library area practicing their story or reading other books.
The last center is a bingo game. The students have to construct their own bingo card by choosing words from the list of spelling words and reading vocabulary words. If they get their boards finished in time they play bingo.
The theme focus this week was learning about all the names for where they live. Most students can repeat and write their address, name the closest town, name their county, state and country. Many students understand vocabulary words: rural, urban, and suburban.
