Word Work FREEBIE and a Peek Inside My Centers

Here is a Spring Building Words FREEBIE for you to download: 

I use these cards in my literacy centers for students to practice making words.  They use a master recording sheet to write all of the words they create.  The center recording sheet has all of their centers that they will visit each week. As they visit their centers, they record their center work on each section.  They keep their recording sheet (we call it their "GOLD" so they don't lose it) in their reading folders and they turn in their  sheet at the end of the week.  We usually have time on Friday to catch up on any centers that they missed throughout the week.

  

I have kept the same centers all year long so my kids are pretty self sufficient during center time.  I do, however, have my center menu up on a poster in my classroom for students to revisit if they have a question on what to do.  The menu has an explanation of what to do at each of the centers:

I have a center schedule like the one below that students keep track of the centers that they go to.  Each student has a different schedule!  There's no switching center cards or wasting time telling students which centers they will go to on a particular day.  

My centers routine has worked out really great this year.  I tried several different methods over the years and this method seems to be the best.  It takes about 2 weeks to train all of the students on the expectations of the stations.  After that...easy peasey!!  There's no time lost on directions or transitions and the students know exactly where they're supposed to go.

I hope you all had a great Monday!!  If you have any questions, I'd be glad to answer.  

PS-I do my math centers the SAME way!!  I know, I know...lol!