Literacy centers are important in the Elementary School classroom for a few different reasons.
Hands-On Practice
Engaging Practice
Peer to Peer Practice
Independent Practice
One of my favorite times to see the kids in action during the day is during Literacy Centers. It can seem overwhelming to prepare Literacy Centers, but throughout the years I have found ways to make them simple yet still very effective.
Tips for Setting Up Centers
One of the biggest areas I see struggles with Literacy centers is teachers trying to fit EVERYTHING into one set of rotations. Literacy centers are a great opportunity for students to practice. As long as the centers are educational and engaging you don’t have to have every skill you are learning as a class stuffed into center activities. Quality is more important than quantity. I also try to make centers that are super easy to swap in and out. I have a system where my centers are pre-made and labeled by week and I change to a new one each week. I usually have about 5 activities I rotate in and out. In kindergarten I found that I needed to swap the centers out more often to keep the students engaged. I had daily buckets for each center and swapped them out daily, but the activities stayed the same for the entire quarter. I also recommend having a few centers that stay the same to make planning and prep manageable. I rarely change my technology and independent reading centers. For independent reading I may add an activity to do after they read which could change every so often. It depends on the class and if I feel they are taking the time to read. Some people don’t find the benefit in independent reading, but getting students to practice reading and reading for enjoyment is what will help them become lifelong readers!
Keep them simple, yet engaging
Don’t change the activities too often
Don’t change the activities in every center (ie..technology and library can usually stay the same each week)
Set up systems students can get used to
Have early finisher activities for each area
Ideas for Centers
Primary Grades
Read the Room
Independent Reading (even non-readers benefit from looking at books)
Partner Reading
Word Work
Phonics
Writing
Technology
Intermediate Grades
Independent Reading
Writing
Fluency Practice
Comprehension
Standards Practice
Technology
Ideas for Early Finishers
Read the Room
this is great for primary especially if you don’t have it as a center
Independent Reading
let them choose a comfy area to read in as a reward for finishing
Technology
pick a few fun, yet educational sites
Free Write
Check out these 30+ FREE Reading and Writing Graphic Organizers. There are different levels for grades K-5. These are perfect to use in literacy centers for quick activities. Pair the reading organizers with any book for a practice activity. Add them to the independent reading center to complete after a book is read. You can use the writing graphic organizers in your writing center and simply change the prompt each week or let the students choose from a bucket of prompts. I love finding easy ways to create practice center activities for the kids that are engaging and meaningful. Click Here to Get Access to This FREE Resource
Check out these other blog posts about activities that can be used in Literacy Centers:
Check out some resources for Literacy Center Activities:
Primary
Intermediate
Comments