There are so many different literacy centers that you can have:
-ABC (Alphabet) Center
-Writing Center
-Sight Word Center
-Work Work Center
-Poetry Center
-Pocket Chart Center
-Listening Center
-Library/Reading/Book Center
-Computer Center
-Leap Pad Center
-Art (explaination below)
-Read the Room
-Write the Room
What I Do:
1. Art Center- I tie this in with our shared reading books (our teacher book has art center options to tie in with the books), I do holiday realated art projects (there are simple directions they have to read and follow), or I have some project that ties in with a writing skill we’ve been learning about (i.e. draw a picture and label, make a card–must include writing, not just pictures). I think as long as you tie it to reading and writing, the art center is a great center to have…this center will help a lot with fine motor skills in which kindergarten student desperately need to work on.
2. Read and Write the Room- I include both read and write the room into one center. For the main part of the year, I have the students read the room for that letter of the week that we are studying, and then copy the word (write) on thier paper. If we spend more than a week on a letter, I will combine the past 2 week’s letters on one page and they have to find two letters and write the words in the appropriate column. Towards the end of the year, once all the letters have been taught, they will have a sheet of paper with all the letters of the alphabet on it. Their job is to find one word that begins with each letter of the alphabet and write it down on the appropriate line. Once that is done, they have to write a sentence using at least 1 of the words they found and wrote down. There are several lines, so gifted kids can write more sentences if you chose to have them.
3. Leap Pad Center- I have collected many Leap Pads and Leap Pad books over the past couple of years. Students can go through many of the literacy based Leap Pad books during the center time
4. Writing Center- I have changed this up a little bit due to my Writing Workshop format…what I do now during Literacy Center time is usually writing based on the shared reading book we are reading (once again in the teacher’s book there are ideas for writing based on the shared reading book) or I will have some writing thing for them to do based on a holiday. I also have them practice their Handwriting Without Tears (prior letters) during this time. They will use the wooden shapes to make those letters, we have already learned, on the foam map, then I have a sheet that has the 2 letters we have already done. Then they can do the writing assignment for the center.
5. Pocket (poetry) Chart/Name Center- I combine a few of these together. At the beginning of the year, it’s crutial for them to learn their names and others names around them. I focus a lot on the names, and then I will introduce poems we have read together into this center. I use the pocket chart for them to do the name activities on and the poetry activities on.
6. ABC Center- I do a lot of alphabet work at this center.
7. Sight Word Center- This past year, we made a year long weekly plan for the sight words we wanted our students to learn. What I would do is have many different activities that helped them practice those words (once we went over them).
8. Library Center- I usually just have kids read books at this center (I have atleast 1,000 books they can choose from). But this past year I have had them start off reading a particular book I pre-viewed and chose for the sole purpose of them trying to read it and tally the number of times 3 particular words (sight words we’ve been studying that appear a good number of times in that one book). Once they read the book and tallied the 3 words, then they could read anything they wanted.
9. Listening Center- Once every 2 weeks, I have an audio recording and small copy(ies) of our shared reading book. The other week I chose a book that I have multiple copies of that goes with a theme we are learning about or a holiday, or just any book I have (this is a last resort). Both instances they have to fill out a sheet that they have to fill out their name, title of book, draw a picture of something that happened (favorite or not) in the book, color in the smiley face, neutral face, or frowny face that tells how they liked the book, and then they have to fill out the right side of the paper that has maybe like 8-10 little lines. They have to write words they knew from the book on those lines. The smarter the kid, the more words I expected. At the end of the week, they brought me the paper and read me the words…if they could read me all the words, they got 5 Perks’ Bucks (which is our behavior system), if they missed even 1 word, I marked it down (I wrote “practice” next to it) and they take it home to practice. They can bring it back to me the next week and reread it to me and if they get them all correct, they can get the 5 Perks’ Bucks.
10. Computer Center- I usally just have them “play” on www.starfall.com- there are so many different levels that they can work on and I don’t restrict them from anything on there.
