planning and designing literacy centers for grades k-1

Planning and Designing Literacy

Centers forGrades K-1

Objectives• Evaluations• Quiz• Review principles of effective

literacy centers in Grades K-1• Apply these principles to design a

set of literacy centers

Important Considerations

• Teach children to use the center independently (set up for success: rules, directions, folders to organize, use, and hand in their work)– Focused purpose– Explanation related to the purpose– Role playing– Direct application

Center Management(Work Boards)

Important Considerations

• Centers should advance children’s knowledge of literacy and require to interact with print (not just be cutesy busywork)– Repeated practice - Word Work– Comprehension/Retelling– Personal response - Fluency - Small group, partners, independent?

Important Considerations

• Centers should link to curriculum/district expectations (standards, etc.)–Collaborate with other teachers–Over time, create coded lists that

maps folders and activities onto these expectations

Important Considerations

• Centers should build on what we know about personal engagement– Possibility of success– Perception that the outcome will be

valued • How can you incorporate these

principles into your center? – What about differentiating levels of

support?

Important Considerations

• Differentiating levels of support (How modify the same task for different readers?) – Word Family Activities (bug)

• Level 1: Word families with initial consonant substitution (rug, mug, tug, hug)

• Level 2: Word families with adding endings to root word (bugs, bugged, bugging, buggy)

– Level 3: Semantic map with bug in the middle to create meaning-based connections (bother, spy, insect)

Important Considerations

• Strive for independence and built-in accountability – Manage work flow and student products

(worksheets, audio, journals, checklist, performance, stickies/highlights)

– Self-checking systems (on back, on outside of pocket folder, partners check with teacher’s book or answer key)

–Center Cards

Ford & Optiz Center Ideas • Listening Post (intensify time over year)• Reader’s Theatre (sequence routines) • Reading/writing the room (clipboards and

scrap paper) • Pocket Charts (sentences > phrases >

words)• Poems/Story packs (sequence > color code) • Big Books (highlight, discuss, re-read)• Creative art response (no need for cut outs)• Free writing (with prompts and visual

supports)• Reading Corner (clear expectations)

Today’s Activity

Keyboarding Skills!

Portable Word Walls