How to Use Learning Centers in the 6th Grade

Learning centers provide an informal way to reinforce concepts taught in the sixth-grade classroom. While typically considered an early childhood education strategy, learning centers with age-appropriate activities give sixth-graders the chance to practice working individually or in small groups. For some students at this age, the difficulty rests in maintaining focus without the teacher constantly providing instruction and motivation. Teaching the sixth-grade students to work in learning centers while providing stimulating activities increases the effectiveness of this technique.

Things You'll Need

• Learning center kits

Instructions

1. Identify the activities to use in the learning centers. The activities should line up with the sixth-grade curriculum and concepts from the class. Choose hands-on activities that depart from traditional paper and pencil activities common in the sixth-grade curriculum. Interactive learning centers engage the students and maintain interest.

2. Gather all of the materials needed for each activity. Use plastic tote boxes with lids to hold the materials for each center. This allows you to stack them easily for storage. Type an instruction sheet for each learning center as a reference for the students.

3. Create a location within the classroom to hold the learning center materials. Post a list of general learning center guidelines for the students and review them regularly.

4. Determine how to use the centers with the sixth-grade students. Determine if they will use them daily or only a few times a week. Decide if you will assign the students to centers or allow them to choose. Other factors include whether they will work individually or in small groups, how long they will remain in each center and how they are accountable for their work.

5. Present the learning centers to the class, giving a brief explanation of each. Lead a discussion about how the centers relate to the classroom curriculum.

6. Start using the centers, circulating around the room as the students work. Condition the kids to follow the learning center guidelines to maintain their focus.