[LIT] centers

[macwendy at cox.net]

I, too, am interested in Vocabulary and Reading Centers.  Since I will be new to Middle School, but not to teaching, I would appreciated any and all ideas or advice as to how to best serve students in a 50 minute period English Class.  When I was a sixth grade teacher in a self-contained classroom, I used Wordly Wise with great success.  It is, in my opinion, a high level program that not only teaches vocabulary, but also in context of non fiction readings in which the words appear.  After several exercises in definitions and word use, students read the selection and answer comprehension questions using each of the vocabulary words in their answers.  This was challenging so I used it with my high students.  There were many a great discussion over choices of words for answers (The key had specific words for the questions.) and as long as a student could defend why they used the word they did, they received credit for their answers.    Anyway, I am not sure how I will incorporate this program in five 7th grade English classes, but I am going to try.  





---- Heather Poland <hpoland at gmail.com> wrote: 
> I teach an English Support class. The kids have me for that and regular
> English. I decided that this year I am going to have some sort of center
> activities set up so that I can work with small groups. I wanted to find out
> if any of you do this, and what activities you have? I have somewhat of an
> idea, but nothing firm yet. I know I want 1 to be a vocabulary center where
> I think I will give them 5 words a week. I want to do roots and
> prefixes/suffixes first. But not sure what activities. I think I also want
> reading with some sort of activity, maybe a graphic organizer, I'm not sure.
> What do you do?
> I will probably only have 2 different centers a day since we only have 55
> min. classes.
> 
> 
> -- 
> - Heather
> 
> "The world of books is the most remarkable creation of
> man. Nothing else that he builds ever lasts. Monuments
> fall; nations perish; civilizations grow old and die out;
> new races build others. But in the world of books are
> volumes that have seen this happen again and again and yet
> live on. Still young, still as fresh as the day they were
> written, still telling men's hearts of the hearts of men
> centuries dead." --Clarence Day
> 
> "While the rhetoric is highly effective, remarkably little
> good evidence exists that there's any educational substance
> behind the accountability and testing movement."
> —Peter Sacks, Standardized Minds
> 
> "When our children fail competency tests the schools lose
> funding. When our missiles fail tests, we increase
> funding. "
> —Dennis Kucinich, Democratic Presidential Candidate
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