ESL, Themes, and Centers

This site is dedicated to helping teachers inspire young minds to learn English. In America, we are striving to create an atmosphere of trust, responsibility and fun in our classrooms. The following information is for the elementary teacher who wishes to 'punch up the volume' so-to-speak in their rooms. Teaching children the correct way to do something is very important before launching into center work. After this is accomplished and you are working with themes and centers in your classroom, you will find your days very fulfilling. Creating an English hour in your classroom after your class is used to working with centers will be a natural extention.

Working with Centers

Why Centers?
Creating an atmosphere where children are excited to learn is our goal. When children learn through discovery it encourages problem solving skills that they will use for a lifetime because as they discover they are essentially learning how to 'learn.' Many classrooms in America utilize the concepts of Centers because children learn best through active exploration and concrete experience.

Do I just let the children play?
Learning centers provide opportunities for hands-on reinforcement of concepts and skills that have been introduced in a whole-group setting. Learning centers are not just free play. They are planned and organized to give support to themes, skills and concepts. When setting up learning centers, you must decide which centers best support your goals, what you want to accomplish in each center and what materials you will need. As you plan for learning centers, consider the ages, interests, needs and abilities of all your students. It is not necessary to open every center every day. In fact, it is important to rotate and change centers on a regular basis to avoid over-saturation.

How many Centers?
Generally speaking six to eight centers with no more than 4 students in each center works well. Centers may include science, math, reading, writing, computers, art, etc. Make sure you put quiet centers next to each other.

How do I create Centers?
Children need to be able to identify which and where the boundaries are of each center. A discription of what you are accomplising in each center is helpful to the parents and helps them to know what you are doing in your classroom.

What are good rules for Centers?
Set up your rules and keep them as simple as possible. For example:

• You must have a necklace or badge to work in that center;
• Put away materials before you leave the center; and
• Keep all materials in the center where they belong.

Some teachers make all of the students change centers with a sound cue like music, a bell, a chant, etc.

How do I make sure that every student visits every Center?
To ensure that each student is working in every center is very important. Create a chart for the schedule of centers for each student. For students who do not read, teachers have been known to utilize a chart where a color or a picture is put under a picture or name of the child and then put the same picture or color at the Center you wish them to go to first. After the children understand how to move within the centers and are following the rules, you can put the order of all centers under their name. When you ring the bell, or play music, the children know when to rotate to the next center they are meant to go to that is shown on the chart.

Working with Themes and Centers
Many curriculums today work with Themes. Working with themes and centers allows for the children to learn about a subject and develop more than one skill at the same time. For example, the theme 'The Mayans' could include a group discussion about who the Mayans were and perhaps a story about the Mayans and an introduction to each center. Then apply the theme to the Centers in your classroom like this:

• Reading - Have available more than one book on the subject of Mayans and Mesoamerica;
• Writing - Create a story using Mayan symbols
• Math - Solve math problems using Mayan numbers
• Art 1- Create carvings in rocks to represent a story
• Art 2 - Create headresses for the Theatrical performance
• Music - (Group project) with end of the day story telling and drum circle
• Science - Learn about the Mayan Calendar and astrology or build a canal
• Computer - Interactive program about Mesoamerican Ballgame and the Hero Twins
• Dramatic Role Play - (Group project) Using Flashcards of Mayan Hieroglyphics create and act out a story about the Mayan Religion.
• Cook - (group project) learn about Mayan society and make tortillas

The schedule for this theme and group of centers for this day would be something like this:

• Open Reading, Writing, Art 1, Art 2, Computer, and Science Centers. Focus your attention in two of the centers and then move around to the other centers to help where needed. Time each center. The other three centers treat as group projects for this theme and vary them throughout the day according to your schedule. Have a back up project in each center for the students who finish earlier than the others.

English Mayan Hour

The days of the week and calendar can be incorporated into your morning routine or be included in the English Hour as you so desire. During English hour everyone speaks English unless given permission to speak French. Here is a typical lesson plan for the English Mayan Hour grade CM2:

• Group discussion introducing vocabulary of the Mayans and have the students repeat the new vocabulary after you.
• Dramatic Role Play -  Using the same Flashcards of Mayan Hieroglyphics create and write a story together about the Mayans with English words. Then, practice a role play between partners.

Centers:

• Listening/Reading Activity - Read a story about a Mayan boy in English and have the students add the flashcard pictures to the vocabulary of the story that corresponds to the picture on the flashcard.
• Language - match hieroglyphics to words in English
• Math - Create Birthdates in Mayan letters and explain them in English
• Game - put Mayan numbers on the floor, desk or board and ask other students to discover the numbers.
• Searching for Clues - put Mayan clues around the classroom and the students must find the answers that correspond to the questions in English.
• Music - Drumming (make a circle if you can) and count to 100 in English.

Note:  You can do some or all of the activities in independent centers or together as a class.