5 Reasons You Need Word Study Centers in Upper Elementary
As an upper elementary teacher, I used to think centers were just for lower-grade classrooms… Then, one year, I was introduced to a math stations model for teaching math---and I absolutely fell in love with all of the benefits of teaching with rotations of different activities and small group meetings. It took me a while to consider adding games and activities into my word study routine, but now that I have, I see so many reasons to incorporate centers in word study. Since I’ve challenged and revised my perception, I wanted to share with you why you may need (or strongly desire!) word study centers in your 3rd grade, 4th grade, or 5th grade class.
Perhaps the mere presence of centers makes you question whether or not students are learning the intended objective. Sure, centers can make a classroom look like the circus came to town and can suffer from fluff. But, when planned and implemented with intention, our big kiddos can reap many benefits from working in centers.
CENTERS CREATE STRUCTURE
How many times have you found yourself spending the whole word study block getting everyone settled into what they are supposed to be working on and dealing with unforeseen problems and interruptions? Centers can create an expected structure for your word study block so that it works like a well-oiled machine.
Once trained, students know where to go and what to do without your guidance. This gives you more time to meet with small groups and check in with individual students while the rest of the class is engaged in differentiated activities. Most upper elementary schedules only allow for a 15-20 minute word study block. Incorporating centers can help make the most of that time!
WORD STUDY CENTERS INCREASE ENGAGEMENT!
Students, even the big ones 😉, typically associate center activities with FUN and fun = engagement. Many center activities can help bring word study concepts to life for students. The more engaged students are in differentiated word study activities, the more opportunities they have to apply the concepts they are learning and transfer that to other words with similar patterns.
I’ve incorporated a variety of games into my word study centers–board games, Connect 4/5/6, match, picture board activities with spinners, card games, Guess My Word, and more! With so many different types of games (that become common as students play them again and again!), students never get bored! My students look forward to specific games and activities each week as they work through their word study rotations and beg for more play time. With this variety, students are eager to get right to work instead of wasting precious game time!
WORD STUDY CENTERS CAN ALLOW FOR DIFFERENTIATION WITHOUT STIGMA
Word study centers are perfect for classrooms where students have a wide range of abilities in spelling and word knowledge...ahem, AKA “every upper elementary class I’ve ever taught.”
It’s super important to me that I differentiate for my students--especially when I have data that shows me how varied their spelling abilities are. As important as differentiation is, I never want to do that in a way that stigmatizes a group of students who aren’t quite as far along yet as their peers.
Incorporating center assignments into your word study block seamlessly provides room for differentiation without students being aware of (or caring) what level of words other students are working on.
Implementing centers and activities that look similar but are modified in some way to support students at that specific learning level helps ensure that my students continue to have a positive self-perception while being set up for growth!
WORD STUDY CENTERS OFFER LOTS OF FLEXIBILITY WITHIN THE ROUTINE
Want students to work alone or with a partner? At their desk or in a shared space? Want to reuse materials (print on cardstock) or allow students to write on them (then, print on copy paper)? Want students to rotate through their game centers on different days OR think it will go smoother to have everyone playing games at the same time on the same day?
The great thing about incorporating centers into your word study block is that you can make them work for what’s best for you and your students! Once the structure is in place, it becomes so easy to switch out activities or games and adjust your set-up to fit the needs and personality of your students.
Contrary to popular assumptions, word study centers and activities can be independent and still engaging and fun! And, if you worry that students will have poor behavior or waste time when working together, I’ve created and implemented plenty of word study activities that can be completed independently.
STUDENTS HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO APPLY THEIR LEARNING IN CENTERS
Word study centers give students the opportunity to apply their learning in a new way. In center activities and games, students encounter new ways to tackle spelling and sound patterns that help them review, learn, and internalize those word pattern concepts.
While direct instruction and small group lessons introduce concepts and help us to see where students are in their understanding, center activities can help students “put their skills to the test.”
While my word study centers and games help students practice with the 18-24 words on their word list, I also include words that allow students to apply the patterns/concepts they are learning to words that are not on their word lists. Including these additional words gives students the opportunity to notice patterns and make generalizations about the way words are spelled and sounded versus over-focusing on memorization of just the words on their word list.
Word study games and centers are not just for younger students! Have I convinced you of the many benefits for our upper elementary students yet?! With our older students’ apathy towards word learning and spelling improvement, word study centers and games can increase engagement and add new life to your word study routine!
If you are interested in implementing word study games and independent activities, but would love the work done for you, check out the word study games and activities I’ve created to go along with each sort in Words Their Way. (Whether you use Words Their Way, or not, you’ll find resources aligned to your students’ spelling and word study concepts.)
LET ME SEND YOU A FREE WORD STUDY GAME/CENTER
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