Science Reading Stations

Today I created seven centers about electrical circuits for multiple sixth-grade science classes. I used two reading-only centers in addition to the typical science experiment stations. The students read passages at these centers and replied to a series of questions about what they had read.

I asked the students to choose the centers they wanted to visit. I only required that students visit four out of the seven centers. However, they were allowed to choose the centers they wanted to visit. Some students preferred the hands-on centers; however, I found that several actually preferred the reading centers. This is an excellent way to provide students with choice in the classroom

Centers also give students opportunities to think in different ways, make connections within the material, and engage in the work that scientists do when researching topics and materials in order to form conclusions.