Work Stations

In my classroom, timed "rotations" never worked.  Some students finished their rotation in 3 minutes, others still weren't finished in the allotted time!  In addition to that, if a parent volunteer didn't show up, I was scrambling to find an activity the students could do on their own.  I know most teachers make this system work, but it wasn't for me. 

Luckily, I had a fantastic kindergarten coworker my first years of teaching kindergarten. She provided projects at four different tables, and student check off sheets were available at each. The goal was to have a math, literacy, theme and independent hands on project each day.  It was genius!  For fifteen years, this is the system I use in my classroom.

The key is modeling each table activity before work stations begin, and setting clear expectations.  At the beginning of the year, this is the hardest part.  However, as the students get into the flow of this system, it becomes the favorite time of day. When the students complete all four work stations, they get to choose an activity from the free choice shelf!  I have found that this way of doing work stations fosters a real sense of responsibility among the students.  Another plus is that the students have complete choice in what order the projects are completed, and are never in the same "group".  As a teacher, I sit at one table and get to have time working with the students in small groups and always know where that child is academically in all areas. 

This is what a typical day of work stations looks like in my classroom:

"What" sight word practice.

Teacher table - number bond practice in math journals.
Fun way to work in some Common Core!

Word family book.  We learn one word family every week.
When finished, they read the book to a friend.

Winter weather is our theme this week -  adding two dice
and coloring the sum in this winter themed activity in plastic sleeves.

Check off sheets are provided at each table with an adult.

This is a day in which I had no parent volunteers.  A day with parent volunteers would include some activities that require more help.  I can often include an art project that goes with a theme into this time!