Some teachers seem to have a hard time conducting Center Time in a way that truly grants ownership of the learning to the children while still being present in an unobtrusive way.
Center Time, which should be given to one-third of your day (for a four-hour program that is 80 minutes!!!) is NOT free play in Centers while teacher does paperwork. It is a SHARED learning time in which children choose an area of work and teachers join them to observe, assess, offer facts and support as needed, and encourage thought process by asking open-ended questions as the children work.
Center Time can be divided into smaller increments of time depending on your schedule – two 40 minute sessions or three 25-minute sessions. Here’s a sample schedule for a four-hour program:
8:30 – 9:00 Teachers Stage Centers With Either Unit-Based or Open-Ended Experiences
9:00 Arrival, Stow Backpacks, Wash Hands
9:10 – 9:30 Morning Meeting/Circle Time
9:30 – 10:00 Center Time 1
10:00 – 10:20 Clean Up, Wash Hands, Snack
10:20 – 10:50 Playground
10:50 – 11:20 Center Time 2
11:20 – 11:40 Small Group Time
11:40 – Noon Whole Group Time – Music/Movement, Art, Literacy, Enrichment
Noon – 12:20 Lunch
12:20 – 12:40 Center Time 3
12:40 – 12:55 Reflection Meeting, Quiet Literacy
12:55 – 1:00 Dismissal
Teachers can set up all Centers or limit Center choice to three at a time. Children can move through centers either as they wish or teachers can limit number of children in each, depending on classroom space.
Another way for five-day programs to do Center Time is to use four days of your week for specific subject-matter skill building using whole group or large group sessions and reserve Friday for all day Center Time or a Whole Class Project.
Your Learning Plan Might Look Like This:
| Class: 3-4’s | Unit: Bees | ||||
| What we’ll Learn/ How we’ll Learn | Monday Literacy | Tuesday Math | Wednesday Science | Thursday Social Studies | Friday Center Day |
| Manipulation | Bees and B’s | Bee Sorting | Bee Hives | Bee Families | |
| Expression | Bee Music & Art | Bee Counting | Pollination | Bee Keepers | |
| Sensory Operations | Bee Books | Finding the Queen | Honey | We Need Bees | |
| Schemas/Movement | Buzzin’ Around | Bee Relays | Honey/Spoon Run | Our ‘Colony’ |
Teach 'Em the Way They Learn 