leap into literacy centers by leigh ann roderick and buffalo jones staff

Leap Into Literacy CentersLeap Into Literacy Centers

By Leigh Ann RoderickBy Leigh Ann Roderick

And Buffalo Jones StaffAnd Buffalo Jones Staff

What Is a Literacy Center?What Is a Literacy Center?

• A classroom literacy center is an area in the classroom where students practice, demonstrate, and extend learning, independent of the teacher.

• Literacy centers are special places where students work in small groups, pairs, or individually.

What Is A Literacy Center (cont.)What Is A Literacy Center (cont.)

• Meaningful, purposeful activities that are reinforcements or extensions of previously taught material.

• Each skill/activity must be pre-taught and modeled before it becomes a center.

• A center is a carefully planned activity focusing on a reading skill within the five components.

• Other content area subjects should not be included in the reading centers.

Why Use Centers?Why Use Centers?

• Students are actively involved in learning.• Centers are multi-age and multi-level.• Centers meet the individual needs of students.• Centers make it possible for skills to be applied.• Centers reduce behavior problems.• Centers result in more responsible, independent

problem solvers.

Things to Consider When Planning Things to Consider When Planning CentersCenters

• Curriculum- You must know your state tested curriculum.

• Students- You must know your students; their individual skill needs and how they learn best.

• Classroom-You must consider your physical space.

Literacy Centers Past and PresentLiteracy Centers Past and Present

Past Centers• Were used by teachers to keep students

busy.

• Were only used by students who completed assigned work.

• Incorporated only theme-based activities.

• Engaged students in the same activities.

• Often included only worksheets.

• Incorporated a lot of non-academic and trivial projects.

• A lot of art products were created.

Present Centers• Are utilized by teachers to provide

systematic, explicit small group instruction that meets the needs of students.

• Are for all students.

• Incorporate activities that reflect previously taught reading skills.

• Engage students in specific activities that are selected to differentiate instruction for each student (or small groups of students.)

• Keep students academically engaged in meaningful activities that reinforce and extend learning.

Implementing and Managing Implementing and Managing Literacy CentersLiteracy Centers

1. Form Flexible Groups Based on Assessment

• Keep group sizes small (3-5)• Be mindful of instructional need and strategies• Consider attitudes, behaviors, and work ethic of each

student• Make students accountable for center activities


2. Identify Appropriate Center Activities Based on Assessment

Kindergarten students who are having difficulty with Phoneme Segmentation Fluency might have these different center activities:

• Letter Cube Blending• Letter Bag Activities• Rime Closed Sorts


3. Design Center Management System: Center Management Systems help to establish time-efficient routines, protecting valuable instructional times. It also helps to coordinate the following:

• Group Formations• Activities• Center Locations/Areas• Systematic Movement of Student Groups• Scheduling of Student Center Times


4. Management Behavior System• Spend time at the beginning of the year modeling,

practicing and reviewing appropriate classroom procedures

• It may take 6 weeks to implement student centers• Can send students to one rotation daily until they

“get the hang of it”• Boundaries and consequences should be fair,

consistent and age-appropriate


Students Need to Know:• What to do when something doesn’t work.• What to do when they don’t understand the center

activity.• What to do when they complete an activity at the center.• Whom to go to for help (e.g. “ask 3 and then me.”)• How to clean up.• How to decide who goes first when engaged in a pair

group or activity.


Questions for You to Consider When Behavior Problems Impede Successful Implementation:

Did I do an effective job explicitly teaching the activity?

Is the activity interesting to the students?

Have the students mastered the skill and need to move on?

Is the center too difficult for students to do independently?

Did I introduce too many new centers at once?


5. Give Explicit Directions• You model and explain the activity.

*some activities need repeated modeling• You provide guided practice.• Students practice independently.


7. Manage Transitions• Protect instructional time• Keep a quick pace throughout the day• Instill set routines• Have expectations for changing centers and putting

materials away• Make every transition minute count


6. Organize the ClassroomThe Goal of creating an organized classroom is maximum

student achievement. Keeping an organized classroom enables students to:

• Easily locate materials• Focus on academic tasks• Use center time productively

Things to do:• Clearly define, organize and label centers• Place skill level baskets and label accordingly


8. Establishing Accountability• Review center work.• Feedback prevents students from practicing same

errors.• Provides opportunity for teachers to instill importance

of quality work.• Conveys importance of each academic task.• Centers become a meaningful application of the day.

Ready to Use Center ActivitiesReady to Use Center Activities

Go to website www.fcrr.org

Materials for K-1; and 2-3 include:

• A professional Development DVD and 3 books:

*Phonological Awareness and Phonics

*Fluency, Vocab. And Comprehension

* Teacher Resource Guide

leap into literacy centers by leigh ann roderick and buffalo jones staff

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