Workshop

Workshop is a different approach to centers. There are 20 tasks that the students need to complete, this allows the students to go at their own pace. I place the tasks on a bulletin board and number them 1 - 20. The first 8 tasks are on a worksheet:

1. They write their name, date and day.
2. Handwriting Practice, either a letter or word.
3. Fact Family
4. Alphabetical Order, they put letters or words in ABC order.
5. Complete the Pattern
6. Write how many days they've been in school in ones, tens & hundreds.
7. Dictionary Word Find - They find 4 words in the dictionary, write the page # and definition.
8. Pencil Illustration - Draw a picture using only a pencil.

Once they've completed the worksheet, they can do activities around the room. Here are the ones I use:

• Read the Room
• Calendar
• Art Center
• Listening Center
• Finish 1 paper in their Work Folder
• Practice Spelling Words
• Phonics Center
• Math Center
• Journal Writing
• A.R. Book
• Clean Desk
• Free Choice

You can choose any activities you want and switch them throughout the year. I usually do workshop 2 times a week. At the beginning, we go through the worksheet together and only do a few activities. As time goes on, the worksheet becomes easier and they become more independent.

I learned about workshop 6 years ago and I believe it's made by a company. However, I made my own and customized it to my students. I recently tried to locate a website for this, but could not find it. If you know of the company that makes "Workshop", please let me know.