Reason#1: My kids don't seem to know what to do during center time

It's a challenge when students are still very dependent on you. You may hear things like "What are we supposed to do?" or "Is this right?"

It may become impossible to work with the students at your teacher led small group.

 Quick Solutions to the Problem  

• Model the game to the entire class SEVERAL times
• Use games that have clear directions. Photo directions are even better!
• Provide answer keys so that students can self-check their work instead of relying on you

Reason#2: My students can't explain what they just did during centers

Another challenge during center time is when your students are talking about everything else EXCEPT math. 

OR 

You ask them what they are doing and there is complete silence.

We definitely want to encourage meaningful math talk during center time.

Quick Solutions to the Problem

• Keep students focused with sentence frames. Use a structure like Math Talk Cards (in photo). Students should use these to explain how they arrive at their answers. 
• Provide recording sheets to keep kids accountable and give them something to talk about

Reason#3: It's overwhelming! 

Math centers can be ALOT, especially if you are trying to introduce too many things. 

It's critical that math centers are engaging and meaningful for your students.

Quick Solutions to the Problem  

• Keep the center activity structure the same with specific game types, BUT change out the skill
• Store all of your materials in one place so that you can easily swap out centers 

Now you know...

the top 3 reasons why math centers fail + how to avoid these pitfalls.

You might be thinking how can I get my hands on centers that:

• are easy to setup and organize
• have clear directions with photos
• provide answer keys so that students can self-check
• include a variety of question types and levels to meet the needs of my students
• provide supports for language and math talk