Using Literacy Centers in the Classroom

I can hear it now. Those two words were almost as exciting as recess or lunchtime. It meant that for the next hour or so, my classmates and I were going to explore the activities that the teacher set up around the classroom. Not only that, but we practically got to do it by ourselves. Seeing the words "Center Time" on the schedule that was posted daily on the whiteboard made every student in my classroom smile.

Although my memory of what we did in center time mostly consists of arts and crafts projects and puzzles, the idea of setting up various stations around the classroom for students to work independently at is brilliant. Center time allows for teachers to either observe students working at the stations, or it gives the teacher time to work with a small group of students on skill instruction or guided activities. The grouping of students can be up to the teacher, whether its homogenous or heterogeneous. Certain activities could work better for groups of students on the same level and others when they are not. Center time is especially helpful when working with language arts because there are so many aspects of the subject that students can always benefit from reinforcement. 

Literacy centers are great for providing students with activities to practice a variety of literacy components on a frequent basis. When working with literacy centers, the stations should focus on areas like vocabulary, writing, fluency, comprehension, phonics, and phonemic awareness. All of these important components can be practiced in literacy centers in a variety of ways based the specific literacy concepts that are being worked on in class.

       

  An important aspect of literacy centers is that the students must already have had a lesson on it in the classroom before practicing it on their own. Although it may seem obvious to some, literacy centers should never be used as an alternative to instruction! Students also should be given directions on each station to avoid confusion and wasting any valuable classroom time. Rotating centers in one set direction will help avoid chaos when moving from one station to the next. It is also helpful to have a poster stating the grouping of the students during this activity. I really like the idea of having a “station checklist” at every center for students to refer to as they are working so they can monitor their progress. It is essential to have a system to keep things organized at the stations. This could mean having a “turn-in basket” for students to have a place to put their completed work. It also can be beneficial to have a rule that all stations must be left as they were when they arrived there. Literacy centers will go much smoother if there is structure that is consistent, regardless of the activities that are at the stations. 

When using literacy centers in a classroom with various abilities, it is necessary to provide struggling students with assistance or tools that have been shown to be helpful in the classroom. Students with disabilities in the classroom may benefit from more specific instructions at the stations, verbal instructions, or sometimes an alternative activity. Any students with accommodations should be allowed to use them when working in literacy centers. Some of these helpful accommodations could include a reading tracker, larger print, and fewer questions to answer. Modifications and accommodations can make it possible so everyone can participate and benefit from the literacy centers in the classroom.

In addition to literacy, center time can be used as a fun way to reinforce any subject areas. Not only does is give students some independence and practice with following directions, but it also gives the teacher time to work with a small group of students or observe the students in the stations. Although I will most likely to stick to one subject at a time when designing a routine of center time stations, I definitely plan to use this in my future classroom.