When you first embark on your math centers journey, it is important to avoid overwhelming yourself. Starting slowly is far more preferable than being frustrated.
Ideally, you are conducting small group instruction during center time. Thus, you likely have 6 to 8 students with you. Math centers typically accomodate up to 6 children. In a class of 24, you will need centers for about 18 children. That translates into a minimum of 3 centers during your math block. And THAT may sound like a lot of balls to juggle.
There are a number of ways to approach this.
1. Conduct the same activity in each center. There is no rule against this! Simply provide enough materials for 3 or more groups of students to use.
2. Establish one center with the activity under study. The other centers can be explorations of your math manipulatives. That is, one center could be free exploration of tangrams. Another could be building with Unifix cubes, or attribute blocks, or base ten blocks, ... You get the idea.
3. Introduce 1 new center activity each day. Run it parallel to the existing center(s). By the end of the week, you will have 5 working centers. Using open-ended center work will allow you to use the same activity for an extended time.
Following are examples of some open-ended centers that can enjoy longevity:
I offer a bundle of these Spin-Tally-Graph centers here. One of my favorite labor saving tips is to incorporate recurring activities throughout the school year. Once your students are trained to use a particular activity, reintroducing it periodically, in a fresh version, allows young children to hone their skills. It also provides the opportunity for scaffolding their efforts.
Again, I have created several versions of this activity. The bundle will save you money and is available here.
In addition to using tangrams for free exploration, as described above, you can add rigor to this activity. Provide puzzles for learners to complete using the tangram pieces. This will challenge their problem solving and critical thinking skills, as well as giving additional experience with geometric shapes. Interested in a bundle of tangram puzzles? You'll find mine here. All of my tangram products include 2 versions of each puzzle; one with outlines for the shapes and 1 version without the outlines. This allows you to differentiate for children who need more or less support.
Check back for more center suggestions.
