I'm working on revamping station ideas to tie them in with my Field Notes lessons. One of the stations I want to pursue is I am a Biographer and I thought I'd start with Women's History since it starts just next Tuesday.  Read Write Think had this great idea of creating a scrapbook for Women's History.  First, decide how to organize the scrapbook. Group entries thematically, such as Women in Sports, Women in Politics, or Women in Science. Pages can be arranged chronologically, by date, year, or decade. Students may also choose a unique approach, such as Women's History A-Z, with an entry for each letter of the alphabet. Use the  Alphabet Organizer  to get started. I like this because it can be done any month for this station, so I click on the Alphabet Organizer link. This lovely screen is what I see: Whoa! Wait! I thought I had Flash! Obviously I don't, so I click on the link and find out that they have retired Flash. mmmmmm that would explain why I've see...

Last month, I shared easy ideas to get stations started. While making sure you have engaging materials is half the battle, the other half is that the students understand what engagement looks like! They need to know what to do from the time they enter the library until they leave it. And there is only one way to make sure that happens! Teach it, model it, and practice it. Read More

I'm creating a workshop on stations in the library and wanted to make sure I cover as many questions as possible. I know the ones I had and worked through, but I want to know what your questions are/were.  So, what questions do (did) you have about  choosing stations implementation scheduling classroom management choice integrating with library lessons something else?  

I always start with the end in sight. I wish I could remember what class I was taking when I realized this was a great way to operate! So. . . What do I want this station work to look like when it's fully implemented? I want the students to Choose a station independently. Work with their peers cooperatively. Use voice levels appropriate for inside. Clean up thoroughly. ;) Start, pause, and stop as needed for other things that may happen (like class ending, a fire drill, checking out books, etc.) I also need a couple of station ideas with which to start. Hopefully, these can come from something I already have at the library - like games or puzzles. Yes, those are simple things. They won't win any prizes for deep thinking activities, but what we are trying to establish is routine and procedure. We'll develop those thinking skills after routines are automated. Week one (and probably two and three) in year one: I assign the students seats. I like groups of three, an...

Last year was my first at Old Town Global Academy. We spent a lot (did I say A LOT) of time working on procedures and routines. That had a huge payoff semester 2 with quick reviews and lots of action. I did wonder how much time I'd need to spend getting us back up to par this year. We reviewed procedures. Did they remember them? They did. We practiced movement around the library. Did they move correctly? They did! Bingo! Every 1st - 5th grade class got to spend some time in stations for their first class of the year. This year, we are going to add components from Ron Clark's 55 to the mix. Can't wait to see the results!

I started stations with 3rd, 4th & 5th on Tuesday.  *Whew* The first day, We did four stations - everyone started one, and then 1/3 of the class checked out for 10 minutes each. There had to be some overlap because we were crunched for time. So as soon as students from a previous group went, I let the next group start. This meant the students had 15-20 minutes to work on a station which for some was just too long. I wasn't unhappy with the day, but I felt like I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. And we didn't have good time for reflection. So, on Wednesday, I nixed half the stations. I had two groups working on the same thing at the same time. We still only got 10 minutes for check out, but there wasn't any overlap and I could be pulled in fewer directions. If the finished check out before the 10 minutes was up (and a lot of them do), then they went back to their tables and read silently until the timer went off as we always have done. 10 minutes i...