The centers you choose to implement in your classroom are based on four factors: 1)The age/developmental level of your students; 2) The level of support your students require to be successful in centers; 3) Your experience and your students' experience with centers; and 4) The adult support available during center rotations.

Age/Developmental Level

When choosing your centers, be mindful of the age of your students. A dramatic play center is appropriate for early childhood and early elementary, but not for older students. We can still offer fun role-play experiences to upper elementary and secondary students, but instead of having a dramatic play center, you can have a community simulation center.

Level of Support Required

The structure and types of centers you choose will heavily depend upon the level of support your students require. For example, if many of your students are trying to build work stamina, you may want to have a variety of leisure centers in addition to the academic-based centers in order to provide built-in breaks during the rotation.

Center Experience

Starting a new routine can be overwhelming, so try to take the stress off in other areas. This goes for your students, too! Choose centers that are simple to set up and implement in the beginning. Continue reading for a list of center options that are low prep and easy to implement.

Adult Support

Many classrooms are facing a shortage of adults. This is why centers are more important than ever. Working with a small group of students is much easier than attempting to teach an entire class a new skill. (Remember, this is why they are with you. Whole group is challenging for our students, too.) You can still run centers even if you only have one other adult. You will simply need to choose more independent centers, such as play/leisure, sensory, or independent work. If you have one para, they can go between the two independent centers while you focus on academic work in your teacher station. This also allows you to pivot if you normally are fully staffed but have several team members absent on the same day!

Any activity can be a center! I mean ANYTHING. Regardless of what centers you choose, you will have to decide on the structure of the center. The main center structures consist of small group (usually 2-4 students), 1:1 instruction, and independent.

The structure of each center will depend on the students in your classroom and the amount of support you have during your center rotations. For example, if you have students who require a high level of support, you will have more adult-led, small group and 1:1 instruction centers. As students become more independent, you can add independent centers.

Do your students love blocks? Make it a center! Do you have students who love UNO? Make it a center! Do your students have fluency goals? Make it a center! Do you have district curriculum? (lucky!) Make it a center! Do you have access to educational apps? Make it a center!

I think you get the point. Below is a list of other potential center ideas. This is not exhaustive! When picking your centers, be aware of your students. There will be some years when your quiet reading station is a huge success; in other years, it just won't work. That's okay! That is why evaluating our centers every year OR even mid-year is important! Our students are ever-changing from year to year, even after long breaks the same students show up differently in the classroom!

All Students Accessing Center Content

There will be some centers that work well for most of your students, but a few may not be able to access it *yet*. Don't give up on it! The beauty of centers is the ability to differentiate. Let's go back to the quiet reading center, where most of the students are able to flip through books, they are engaged by the pictures, and some are reading, BUT you have some students who are not there *yet*. When these students get to the station, they can listen to books on Epic or TumbleBooks, or if the center is para-led, an adult can read to them.

Morning Meeting

If you have a big class, or if your class has a wide range of support needs, consider running your morning meeting as a center. This will allow you to differentiate the morning meeting to meet the unique needs of your learners.

Snack

I love snack time set up as a center! During a snack center, your students will have the opportunity to work on some amazing skills - like waiting, requesting, and refusing! And guess what!? There is very little prep for a snack center!

Pictured below is an example of how Tiana Millner from Roseau Elementary implements her snack center! The fabulous paraprofessional, Denielle Reed, runs this center. She asks each student what they would like for a snack. They get 2-3 pieces of the requested snack and then wait until their turn to ask for more! Tianna uses several visuals to support communication during the snack center. She uses sentence strips, placemats, and a choice menu. In the Resource section, you can find these visuals on setting up your snack center.

If you and your students are new to centers, start with easy set-up and implementation options. Below is the list of potential centers with highlighted suggestions that are generally easy to set up and implement. Bonus! Most of these centers can be independent!

⭐️ Tip: Consider creating a center or two around common special interests. If you have several students who love trains, create a train center! This will increase engagement and create excitement around center rotations.

Check out the World of Colors unit in Themes First!, which includes original songs, books, and activities that support students’ skill development and generalization with content that’s fun, accessible, and theme-based. These monthly units now include an expanded Social Studies suite, containing fun, theme-related activities that reinforce cultural engagement. Included in all Themes First! units are lessons, activities, and worksheets for group and independent work at a wide range of levels.

Link to World of Colors Monthly Theme Calendar

Date/Time: March 5th, 2024 from 3:00-4:30

Where: Virtual

Cost: Free

Join us on March 5th, 2024 for the next EBP webinar! The topic will be on promoting AAC use in the classroom. Make sure you subscribe to the ASD listserv or follow the MN ASD Educators Facebook page to get update information on this training and other upcoming opportunities!

Date/Time: May 7th, 2024 from 3:00-4:30

Where: Virtual

Cost: Free

Join us for our last ASD EBP Webinar (formally known as STAR Webinars) of the 2023-2024 school year! During this webinar, Michele Glynn, ASD Specialist, will discuss using simple video modeling, modeling, and peer modeling to practice and promote positive behaviors that support student engagement and learning.

Feel free to contact me for any questions or concerns via email or phone. I'm also available to chat via Zoom Mondays from 7:30-8:00 AM and 3:00-3:30 PM. If these times do not work for your schedule, please email me and we will find a time that will work for both of us.

Use the link below to ask questions about this week's Tuesday Tips 'N' Tricks and/or give suggestions on future topics.

Paraprofessional Training Series

Para Training Series: Step One: Define Roles

Para Training Series: Step Two: Creating a Team Mindset

Para Training Series: Step Three, Part 1: Planning

Para Training Series: Step Three, Part 2: Planning

Para Training Series: Step Four: Training

Para Training Series: Next Steps

Classroom Set Up Series

Classroom Set Up: The Why

Classroom Set Up: Visually and Physically Defining Your Layout

Classroom Set Up: Classroom Schedules

Classroom Set Up: Para Schedules

Classroom Set Up: Individual Schedules

Classroom Set Up: Individual Schedules FAQ

Classroom Set Up: Visual Supports

Classroom Set Up: Teaching Visual Supports

Classroom Set Up: Creating Visual Supports

Classroom Set Up: Teaching Routines and Expectations

Classroom Set Up: Routines and Expectations

Tuesday Tips 'N' Tricks is made possible by Minnesota Low Incidence Projects