Trying Centers - Part Two

So after a disastrous first try at centers, I finally tried them again this year with my third graders during our Familia unit. We had three different centers each with a different game that had them practicing the new vocabulary. Everyone got one rotation at each center.

Center #1 Languages Online - I love this website and use it to play games, for worksheets, and it's posted on our school website so students can find and access it outside of Spanish class. Students got on their classroom computers and laptops to play the games. Since they love computer games, this was easily their favorite center. The only downside was getting them to the site, although I think if we did this more often they would find it faster and maybe even start getting on it during inside recess and at home.


Center #2 Dice Game - Students had big dice and a list of questions about how many brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins they had. There were also flashback questions that asked "How old are you?" and "What's your name?" Having the vocabulary available, either up on the SMARTboard or in the center box, was crucial for this center. Some students did this one with no problems at all and wanted more questions, and other students really struggled with the questions. I spent most of my time at this center, helping the kids who were struggling. If I do this one again, I will make different question sheets for different levels so kids can self-differentiate.

Center #3 Matching Game - Students had cards with pictures of different families and other cards that had descriptions of those families. They first matched up the cards working in pairs, then flipped them over and played Memory. This was another center where some students struggled to make the matches (although I pointed out that they could look at the SMARTboard to help them) and others flew threw it and wanted more of a challenge. I solved the latter problem by having them combine different sets so that they had more cards to figure out.

   

So there's the particulars of each center. In the next post, I'll wrap up with my reflections on what worked and what I need to do differently and how I just might have changed my mind when it comes to centers in Spanish class.