Stations without the Chaos for Middle School Classrooms

Confession. I avoided stations my second year of teaching because they caused me so much stress my first year. I even observed some great teachers implementing stations in their classrooms, but I just couldn’t quite get on board. Is it me? Is it my “group of students”? Nope. I just needed a strategy that worked for me and my students.

I’ve come up with strategies that worked so well, that we did nothing but stations the last 4-6 weeks before testing every year. Now, that is quite the turnaround!

The key for successful small group instruction and stations is classroom management. Here are a few tips that will make stations in your middle school classroom run smoothly without all the chaos!

Provide Clear Expectations and Clear Rewards (or consequences)
Working Level Grade
This strategy came from a teacher-friend of mine. I used this with 7th and 8th graders, and it works! Students rate their daily work ethic on a scale of 1-4. I gave clear expectations of each level, and they graded themselves. I also took notes during the class period. This also gives you a talking point with students if they’re not participating. They can redeem themselves if they get it together!
Move the Stations, Not the Students
For me, it was always easier to move the stations than the students. If we rotated during class, we moved the station materials. The students stayed in the same spot. This gave us more time in each station, and it lessened opportunities for my students to get themselves into trouble as they transitioned. This was my major game-changer strategy.
Provide All Appropriate Resources
When planning an independent station, make sure you provide where to find answers or help. Where can they look it up? Who can they ask?
Groups Don’t Always Mean ‘Together’
This is especially important for middle schoolers, in my experience. Just because you’re in a group together does not mean that you must work together. Sometimes, they’re working independently on the same assignment. They can ask a neighbor for help, but not work on it together as partners. This can save you from being asked questions that a neighbor could probably answer.
Sticky Note System
To keep with who goes where, I used a sticky note system. I labeled each station on a piece of notebook paper. Under the label, I placed the sticky note with the students’ names on it. I had a specific rotation, so at the end of each class period, I would move the sticky notes to the next station. If you have multiple classes, you’ll definitely need an organized way to keep track of who’s been where. You know the kids will get you even more confused, so you’ll need to be confident in your system!

Use sticky notes to help you keep track of who is going where. You could even write a description of the station under the sticky note to help you keep it all straight.

Rotate the sticky notes in the correct order before the next class period to update.

7. Table Cards with Names

On the first day of our stations, I had table cards with students’ names on it for each station. Students found their name and sat at that station. If you were rotating stations, you could move these table cards. I often had students sit in the same place each day, and I rotated the materials. This used up less instruction time in the beginning of class. They only have to figure out where they’re going once. After that, we don’t need to waste class time figuring it out.

Students often liked to keep these up every day, so we kept them up!

8. Accordion Folders

Accordion folders were my favorite to use for keeping station materials organized. I put all the copies and materials needed for each station. So, the group leader can grab and go. I also had one accordion folder for each class period that I kept all the group folders in. Each group had their own folder that held all their worksheets from the week. These folders went inside the class period’s accordion folder. You can certainly use a bin instead, but I loved these folders and I had plenty! Your front office might have a box or two you can take!

There are lots to think through before you just “start stations” in your middle school classroom. I have a free Stations Planning Checklist that you can use to make sure you’ve thought of everything!

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