How to ease into small group at the beginning of 1st or 2nd grade

[@inquisitivesociety7358]

Okay I know where I got confused watching the video. Stage 1 is introducing each literacy task of each center (takes a few weeks) stage 2 is introducing where the center materials will be located and where students will complete each center. In this stage, we are also supposed to have very simple work that they can complete independently and not related to the actual literacy work that you taught in stage 1 right? Would it be a simple task that is similar to the actual literacy center? For example: In stage 1 literacy center introduction would be picture prompt writing for the writing center and in stage 2 when introducing stations/rotations, the simple task would be maybe practicing penmanship by tracing letters or something like that? Then my last question is related to stage 3, you said combining literacy center work with actual rotations/stations and opening each one up one by one, did you mean -“today we are opening the writing center.. Lily, Jolene, Bob, and Mark are going there” if so, what would the other students be doing? If that’s not what you meant could you explain ? I know that is a mouthful .

[@learningattheprimarypond]

Hey! This is great how you are really thinking through all of this. And thank you for your question! I have a blog that outlines the stages, so passing this along to help clarify and answer! Let me know if you still have more questions after reading through it :) learningattheprimarypond.com/blog/start-centers-beginning-school-year-k-2/

[@inquisitivesociety7358]

When you say open each center up one by one, do you mean in a whole group setting ? Like where they all do center 1, with the actual material that they will be using instead of just easy easy work? And on the next day you introduce center 2 while still doing the center 1 from day 1 you introduced? Or only center 2 on day 2?

[@learningattheprimarypond]

Good question! I would introduce center 1, then on day 2 move solely to center 2. This allows you to really focus on what's going well (and what may need some work!) for each individual center. But after a week or so, you could definitely go back to center 1 and then build on each day (like adding in center 2 on day 2, adding in center 3 on day 3, etc.)