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Getting Started
Why use literacy centers?
For students, literacy centers:
- provide an opportunity for self-directed learning
- provide authentic and meaningful literacy practice
- allow students to interact with their peers and problem solve
For teachers, literacy centers:
- create a block of time in which the teacher can work with small groups of students
- reinforce skills that have been taught to students
- individualize instructional practice
That's great! How do I get it started in my classroom?
- Teach your students independent reading routines
- Provide a variety of reading and writing experiences at the beginning of the year that could later be put into centers
- Teach mini-lessons on how to handle materials as well as proper behavior
- Model using the center and have students model as well
- Fishbowl the center modeling so other students can talk about what they notice
My beginning of the year procedures:
After my students can read independently for about 15-20 minutes and have the beginning of a handle on choosing a "just right" book, I begin introducing centers. The first center I introduce is the library. After all that time learning how to read independently, the library is a natural choice! We spend time modeling the procedures, making an I Can list, students model and others fishbowl and say what they "noticed". This takes about two days of mini-lessons. On the second day, after the mini-lesson I send my students to independent reading letting them know that if they are following independent reading procedures I might ask them to go try out the center.
This serves several purposes... students who are meeting expectations are rewarded and my independent reading procedures are reinforced... students who are NOT meeting expectations have a model of behavior which they can follow... students who are not engaged in reading are at least observing appropriate center behavior (because they want to know what is going on over there... this does not last long because they know if they want to get there, they have to read.)... and centers are established as a priviledge in the classroom (the moment a student exhibits an inappropriate behavior they are asked to leave centers).
I continue this process with my other centers. (The big three for me are library, writing and the word center. Those are the first three I introduce, in that order.) So only four or five students might get to try out the library that first day. That does not bother me. All of my students are engaging in meaningful reading practice during that time and we are building our skills and procedures. Over time, more centers are introduced and modeled. By the end of the first week, I might have 8-10 students practicing the library and the writing center while the other half of my class is still independently reading.
I continue to work this way until enough centers have been introduced that I can pull guided reading groups... then I STILL observe for about 1-3 weeks to work out any kinks in behavior/management/materials, etc.
Another note about introducing centers--- you want to make sure that the activities you are introducing in centers are activities you have used with the whole class or at the very least in small groups. Some games/activities look fun and cute, but they are not giving your students meaningful practice if you have not taught with the materials or covered the skill! That said, you can not introduce ANY centers until you have had a set of common experiences with your class--- so your first few weeks need to be spent reading, journaling, and engaging in word work activities that will give you materials and experiences that your students can practice during centers.
Latest page update: made by stephaniebartell
, Apr 27 2007, 1:41 PM EDT
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Edited by stephaniebartell
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Edited by stephaniebartell
539 words added
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Keyword tags:
activities
literacy centers
planning
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