Brain Waves Instruction: Tip #6 for Making Your Next School Year Easier

Welcome back to the blog series, 10 Things To Do This Summer To Make Next Year Easier! As you reflected on your teaching (see Day 2), were you wondering what you could do to step away from the lectern and put your students in the driver’s seat? I know, that for me, I'm always looking for fun ways to engage my future students. That's why Tip #6 it to

My favorite way to do just that is to plan learning centers (or learning stations). They are by far the very best way to get students actively involved in their learning, especially in the ELA classroom. However, they do require a certain amount of foresight and planning; if you leave the creation of your centers until the last minute, you’ll definitely exhaust yourself and could end up with a management disaster. A well-executed center is pretty much student-run… if you set clear expectations and give your students the proper tools to take charge of their learning.

Since these can be time-consuming to compile, I’ll make the case (once again) that summer offers a nice opportunity to think ahead and gather the materials you’ll need for successful centers. If you're implementing centers into your classroom, here are some of the most essential components:

--- 5 targeted-learning activities (so students can rotate to lots of centers)

--- Center labels (so students know where to go)

--- Extremely detailed directions (so students know what to do)

--- An evaluation tool (so that you can hold students accountable for their learning)

--- Hands-on activities (so students stay engaged at each center)

If you're looking for some turn-key learning centers resource that will save you all the time planning and keep your students engaged during your next school year, you can check out these from my shop: