How to Organize and Manage Classroom Learning Centers

How to Organize and Manage Classroom Learning Centers Classroom Learning centers are a great way for students to work together to accomplish a given task. They provide the opportunity for children to practice hands-on skills with or with out social interaction depending upon the teachers task. Here you will learn tips on how to organize and store center content, along with a few suggestions on how to manage classroom centers. Organize and Store Contents Every teacher knows that an organized classroom is a happy classroom. To ensure your learning centers are neat and tidy, and ready for the next student, it is essential to keep learning center contents organized. Here are a variety of ways to organize and store classroom centers for easy access. Place task in small plastic bins and label with the word and picture.Place task in gallon size Ziploc bags, label and place in, or clip to, an accompanying file folder.A great way to keep your Ziploc bag sturdy is to place a piece of cardboard (cut the front off of a cereal box) and place it in the bag. Then on the blank side of the cardboard print the topic of the learning center and the directions. Laminate for easy reuse.Place little components of the learning center into small size Ziploc baggies and label.Place center task in shoe box labeled with the number that corresponds to the Common Core Standard.Take a coffee container and place task inside the container. On the outside label with words and picture.Place center contents in a manilla file folder and have instructions on front. Laminate if needed.Place contents in color coordinated baskets. Reading centers are in pink baskets, math centers are in blue, etc.Buy a colored drawer organizing rolling cart and place center task i nside. Create a bulletin board, adhere library pockets to the board and place the learning center task inside. Post directions on the bulletin board. Lakeshore Learning has storage bins in a variety of sizes and colors that are great for learning centers. Manage Learning Centers Learning centers can be a lot of fun but they also can get quiet chaotic. Here are a few suggestions on how to set up and manage them. First, you must plan the structure of the learning center, are students going to work alone or with a partner? Each learning center can be unique, so if you choose to give students the option to work alone or with a partner for the math center, you do not have to give them an option for the reading center.Next, you must prepare the contents of each learning center. Choose the way you plan on storing and keeping the center organized from the list above.Set up the classroom so that children are visible at all centers. Make sure you create centers around the perimeter of the classroom so children wont bump into one another or get distracted.Place centers that are alike near each other, and make sure if the center is going to use materials that are messy, that is it placed on a hard surface, not a carpet.Introduce how each center works, and model how they must complete each task.Discuss, and model the behavior that is expected of students at each center and hold students responsible for their actions. Use a bell, timer, or hand gesture when it is time to switching centers. Here are more ideas on how to prepare, set up and present learning centers.

Waxing Judgmental about Judgement

Waxing Judgmental about Judgement Waxing Judgmental about Judgement Waxing Judgmental about Judgement By Maeve Maddox A reader commenting on my post about the difference between discreet and discrete was shocked by the spelling judgement in my definition of discreet (â€Å"Showing discernment or judgement in the guidance of one’s own speech and action†): Maeve, where did you find that definition of discreet â€Å"Judgment† is misspelled! For that reader, spelling the word with an â€Å"e† creates a misspelling. Other readers, commenting on other posts, objected to my use of judgment without the â€Å"e†: The verb change keeps its [e] here to indicate that the [g] is soft, not hard. (That is also why judgement is the correct spelling of this word, no matter what anyone says.) and There isn’t a single instance in English that I can think of with a root word ending in â€Å"g† where â€Å"g† has the â€Å"j† sound. The final â€Å"e† is used to cue in the reader to the correct pronunciation of the soft â€Å"g† sound. Therefore, â€Å"judgment† according to the rules of English phonics would be â€Å"jud-GUH-ment†. Clearly WRONG!!So I’ll continue to engage in pointless arguments with those who quibble with my CORRECT spelling of the word. Strong feelings, these. Like â€Å"could care less† and statements like â€Å"my head literally exploded,† the â€Å"judgment vs judgement† issue evokes passion in many English speakers. The first reader was correct to fault me on spelling judgment as judgement, not because judgement is a â€Å"misspelling,† but because I write these posts in standard American English and spelling judgment with an â€Å"e† is contrary to American spelling convention. The other two readers do not indicate what standard dialect they speak. I’m guessing that they are American speakers because they resort to the argument about the â€Å"e† being necessary to the correct pronunciation of the word. British speakers would probably defend the judgement spelling simply on the grounds that it is the preferred British spelling. The suggestion that the spelling judgment would â€Å"according to the rules of English phonics† produce the rendering â€Å"jud-GUH-ment† is preposterous. The word is formed by adding a suffix to the root word: judge+ment. Unlike the â€Å"e† we use to maintain the /j/ sound in words like rage, Marge, and usage, the â€Å"e† in judge is not necessary to signal a /j/ pronunciation. The letter combination dge is a phonogram in its own right, used to represent the /j/ sound. Dropping the â€Å"e† from it is not common, but I cannot imagine that any native speaker would attempt to pronounce dg as anything but /j/. Changeable does need the â€Å"e† to soften the â€Å"g†; judgment, abridgment, and lodgment do not. Look up judgement and lodgement in the OED and you will find the the spellings judgment and lodgment dignified as alternative spellings. (Abridgement is the only spelling given for that word.) According to the OED, [Judgement] is found in spellings with -dgm- from the early 16th century, and by the late 17th century judgment had become the prevailing spelling, although judgement was still commonly found. Kersey (1702) is an unusually early example of a dictionary in which the headword form was given as judgement . During the 19th century the form judgement gained in frequency in British contexts, and is now the usual spelling in general British use, but judgment has remained the standard spelling in British legal contexts when used to refer to a judicial decision, as well as in U.S. usage. In sum, there’s no reason American speakers can’t choose to put an â€Å"e† in judgment if they wish, but there’s nothing historically, phonetically, or morally superior in doing so. And if they’re writing for publication, a U.S. editor would surely correct it. Related posts: Judgement or Judgment? The Difference Between â€Å"Discreet† and â€Å"Discrete† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Direct and Indirect Objects30 Baseball Idioms5 Keys to Better Sentence Flow