Expectations are the key to student success. If you believe it, they will do it. It’s time to up the game. BUT, that doesn’t mean changing the game. You know I’m a “process/product center” girl. I believe in centers where we can teach a process and then change the product. That’s exactly what we do half-way through the year. We don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater, but we do have to raise the expectations.
Read it, Write it
This is certainly a great process/product center, especially at the beginning of the year.
It helps with reading, writing, and ordering the words. It is also great for making connections with illustrations and meaning.
However, this is way too easy now…and it will take them two minutes to do it.
How can we up it?
Require more than one sentence.
Require they write a new sentence.
Require the illustrations be more detailed. There are lots of ways to up the game.
This particular Read It sheet was provided in January after reading many Gingerbread Man books.
One of the sight word for week was “run.” I love this illustration. This student had a clear understanding of The Gingerbread Man.
The cookie is on the fox’s back and we know that won’t end well. I have a set of 66 Read, Write, Glue, Draw sheets in my store.
Labeling
Labeling is one of my favorite centers. Students are asked to label and write sentences.
It can easily be differentiated for all levels of student achievement.
This is another product/process center where the expectations can be increased.
If you would like a full explanation of the Labeling Center, check out the blog post Labeling: 3 Lessons for Building Successful Early Writers.
Students can be asked to
- write more sentences,
- label additional items,
- tell what happened next
- add a new picture to the paper and label the new object.
CCVC Boards
I LOVE CVC boards. I believe in this center. Students must be able to stretch and slide their way through words as they read and write.
This center helps with encoding and decoding. As students get quicker with this skill, up the game.
You can increase the word choice adding blends and digraphs to the center.
The CCVC Center is a great choice. Choose a word and write about it.
Choose two words and write about both in each in one sentence.
They can even be given the board in a dry erase sleeve and then record the words on another sheet of paper. The mere act of sliding through a word in order will create confident students. Students can also be given CVCC Boards.
Stencils
This was initially a “throw away” center. I call it that because my students did this center as a final center.
It was “just a fun” center. Students have to trace the stencil with a pencil and add details, then they have to write sentences.
BUT, they loved it and so did I.
They can use more stencils, but they have to write more sentences.
If you want to read about this center, check out the blog post The Easiest Center of All Time: Stencils.
Don’t forget the 4 Square Center, Squiggle Center, and Listening Center should also be upped. Each of these centers could demand 4 or 5 sentences at this time of the year.
If you would like to have a sample of Raising the Expectations, click the link or the picture below.