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With a partner, use the materials in the
packet to see how many patterns you can
create that do not involve color.
Kerrie Neu: kneu@graniteschools.org
Sharon Gracia: sgracia@graniteschools.org
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How to design & implement centers for days 9 & 10
in Calle de la Lectura
How to meet the needs of language learners in the
classroom
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Task# 1: Write down characteristics of
successful centers.
Task #2: Write down some of the challenges
you have experienced with centers.
For Children
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Independent, self directed learning
Enhances skills & development in an authentic
manner (both content & language)
Creates an optimal learning environment which
allows children to explore, extend, create,
respond, construct, practice, and apply skills in
a meaningful and exciting manner.
For Educators:
Provides block of time in which to meet with
individuals or small groups of students (Can-Do &
other assessments)
Centers are self renewing & low maintenance
Readers & writers become fluent by reading &
writing a great deal, from things of their own choosing
and for their own purposes- centers allow for this
optimal learning environment (Janet Hickman)
Centers are meaningful, empowering, authentic and
they work!
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Management
Types of Centers
Characteristics of
Effective Centers
Design Centers
Process:
■ To: Explain & Model Procedures & Routines
■ With: Practice, Practice, Practice!
■ By: Students work. Reinforce through praise &
appreciation
Management Systems:
■ Free choice- using student directed chart or wheel
■ Semi-choice- some required centers with some free choice
■ Assigned-rotational system-daily or weekly
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Children choose from a
list of activities
Teacher establishes how
many students can be at
each center.
A tracking system is
helpful to know what each
student completed.
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Must completed certain centers and then you
can choose from other centers.
OR at each center there is a “must do” activity
and then some “can do” activities.
An example of a center
contract with “Must Do’s”
and “Can Do’s”
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Children are
assigned to
centers.
Flexible
grouping
Timing
What to do when
finished.

What is the role of the teacher in centers?
Are my centers at my students’ independent level?
 Are they the kinds of activities that students can
do and enjoy?
 Will the students have one or several activities to
do during center time?
 Will I choose, or will the students’ choose their
activities?
 How will I hold students accountable?
 How many students will I have at each center?
 Am I going to use a workboard?
 Will I have a “must do” center?
 Pay Now......or..... Pay later!

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Management
◦ To, With, By
◦ Practice procedures
◦ Free choice, Semi-choice, or Assigned
MIMES
DINOSAURS
ONE SIZE FITS ALL
HAN SOLO
MISSING THE TARGET
UNENGAGEMENT
ENGLISH
My shoeo
is on my
footo.
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Communicative in purpose
Objective-based (content & language)
Differentiated
Interactive in structure
Can-Do driven
Engaging
Sustainable in target language

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Turn to a neighbor
and tell them the
characteristics of
effective Dual
Immersion Centers
C.O.D.I.C.E.S.


5 min: Write down center activities you have
used or heard of.
10 min: Share with your table.

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Transformer dull, usual centers into fabulous,
magnificent centers!
Adventures of Letterman
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Does the task require
the students to use the
language?
What language skills,
functions, or forms will
the children practice?
Communication:
Reading, writing,
listening, & speaking

How can you change this common center so
it is communicative in purpose?
Matching game: Pairs take turns choosing
cards and turning them over to see if they
have a match.

Now look at one of your centers and adapt it
to be more communicative.

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Journal- Given a prompt complete the
sentence & draw a picture.
Writing letters to each other or pen-pals in
the other classes
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Content Objective: Utah
State Core Curriculum
Language objective: CanDo Statements or Calle de
la Lectura skills

Change the following center so it has a
content and a language
Halloween Picture:
Adapt for:
•Academic levels
•Interests
•Learning types

Change the center to differentiate the
task for 3 different levels.
Stack, Tell, Spin, Win.
Each pair grabs a handful of cubes, tells
the amount, and then spins a more/less
spinner to see who wins.
•Kinesthetic
•Partners
•Games

Change the center to make it more
interactive.
Spelling sort worksheet.
Go Fish game using word cards. When
they make a match, they write the word in
the box with the appropriate letter.
•Reading
•Writing
•Listening
•Speaking
Words, Sentences, Paragraphs

Change the following task so you could use it
to help you identify a Can-Do category.
Listening Center
Can-Do says listen to short descriptions of
people. Play “¿Quién es? Find the picture of
the person or character described.
•Topics that are
interesting to
children
•Hands-On
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Change this center to make it
more engaging
Making words: Using the given
letters, make as many words as
you can.
Use letter squares, magnetic
letters, stamps, white boards, etc.
•Do the children
have the vocabulary
to stay in the target
language?
•Sentence frames
•Word walls
•Pocket charts

How would you
adapt this sentence
activity so it
involved partners
being able to talk in
the target
language?
Browsing Boxes
■ A browsing box is a collection of books which are a sort of
personal library for each individual student.
■ Number varies: Exa: 8 books in their tubs, which are self-selected
with guidelines: 3 fiction, 3 nonfiction and 2 poetry (which can be
stories based on songs, stories told in rhyme or a collection from our
extensive poetry library)
■ Plastic bags, cardboard magazine holders, cereal boxes cut off, etc.
■ Can read to stuffed animals, whisper phones, reading glasses
(sunglasses with lenses removed)
Story Center
■ Story maps
■ Sequencing cards
■ Props or stick puppets to retell the story
Science or Social Studies
■ Activities or explorations related to the theme of the text selection.
■ Foldables
■ Observations with labels
Writing Center
■ Stories
■ Poems
■ Letters
■ Magazine article
■ Letter detective- Find words that begin with this letter and write
them down.
■ Shopping lists
■ To Do lists
■ Groups of 3-4 people in the same grade level.
■ Develop 5 centers you could use in one of the units that
follows the C.O.D.I.C.E.S characteristics. (30 min)
■ Be prepared to share one of your centers with another
group of peer review. (10 min)
■ Then be prepared to share the activity with the entire
group.
■ Groups of 3-4 people in the same grade level.
■ Develop 5 centers you could use in one of the units that
follows the C.O.D.I.C.E.S characteristics. (30 min)
■ Share one of your centers with another group of peer
review. (10 min)
■ Then be prepared to share the activity with the entire
group.
“It’s not so much that we’re afraid of change or so in love
with the old ways, but it’s that place in between that we
fear....It’s like being between trapezes. It’s Linus when his
blanket is in the dryer. There’s nothing to hold on to.”
Marilyn Ferguson
The Aquarian Conspiracy