You can never have too many ideas for centers in your upper elementary classroom. That’s why I’m delighted to welcome teacher blogger Amber who shares her tips for using QR Listening Centers in upper elementary classrooms! Her ideas will help you get the ball rolling on QR codes in your listening centers.
Amber is also offering you some FREE resources for your listening center. Check them out below.
**This post contains affiliate links to Amazon for your convenience. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see the full disclosures here.**
Listening Centers for Upper Elementary Students
Listening centers were a game changer in my upper elementary classroom.
Self-checking, combined with rigorous skill based questions, QR Listening centers made listening comprehension a real focus instead of a byproduct of the classroom.
When I looked at listening center ideas, I knew the centers had to be rigorous, and that they had to have student engagement at the core. Plus, I wanted to make them sustainable (because teachers have NEGATIVE time!)
QR codes are a perfect way to access read aloud books from many sources in any classroom!
Plus, they easily scan and students can directly access content that you want them to see.
Here’s how I got started with QR listening centers in my classroom.
Getting Started with QR Codes in Your Center Rotations
In my classroom, I wanted a whole rotation dedicated to listening.
It also needed to tie into speaking and learning standards for our grade level testing and I needed a way to practice.
This is how my QR Listening center response sheets were born!
These sheets took student engagement and understanding to a whole new level! I taught 4 easy steps during one class period, which set the tone for my center expectations that lasted the entire year!
These four steps helped get QR listening centers started in my class:
- Scan code β we used our cameras (with built in QR scanners) or many free apps available
- Listen to Read Aloud
- Check for understanding β Answer the reading strategy questions following each story.
- Check your work β each comes with answers or a code to check. We worked in groups so they held each other accountable.
How Do You Teach Reading Strategies In Your Listening Centers?
Teaching reading comprehension strategies to upper elementary students still ranks high on my list, even with QR listening centers.
Your listening center response sheets are the perfect place to not only hit speaking and listening standards but also to keep students engaged with important reading strategies!
The focused questions with the texts address important reading skills such as summarizing, referring back to the context clues, and more.
Without the direct text in front of them, this really challenges students to think outside the box and really justify their answers from what they heard.
I would choose one color (skill) which included 5 stories and the students would choose which they wanted to read all while focusing on that one reading skill – it was a teaching win-win in my classroom.
Extra Tips For Getting Started
We used one iPad in our classroom and shared in small groups for this activity. These could also easily be done in whole group or in a 1:1 device environment.
Here are a few extra tips to keep in mind:
- If you are not 1:1 in your classroom, students can use a headphone splitter for your listening centers.
- Be sure to practice procedures and expectations with your students to ensure that center rotations run smoothly.
- Directly model to your students how to scan the QR codes and give them some trouble-shooting steps to take (in advance).
If you would love to try QR Listening Centers (with reading strategies!) in your classroom. Grab an entire month for free from my Teachers Pay Teachers store β CLICK HERE!
More FREE Resources & Content on Centers in Your Upper Elementary Classroom
If you enjoyed this content from Amber and want to know more about setting up centers in your upper elementary classroom, I (Tanya–The Butterfly Teacher) have a full series dedicated to this topic.
Check out each post below or pin them to your favorite Pinterest board to enjoy later:
- Why You Need to Have Literacy Centers in Your Upper Elementary Classroom
- 4th Grade Literacy Centers
- Free Literacy Center Apps
- How I Use Choice Board to Run Literacy Centers*
- Ideas to Help Older Students Who Struggle with Spelling*
- Read Alouds for Upper Elementary Students*
- 10 Best Novel Studies for 4th & 5th Grade Students*
- 8 Clever Ways to Get Students Writing More*
Posts with * beside their titles have free downloads available!
Guest Author Bio: Amber previously published this post on her site SSSTeaching, a 3rd-5th grade teaching blog inspiring teachers with creative and engaging resources.
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