Literacy Center Ideas
What follows are some ideas for a variety of centers. As time progresses, I hope to add more worksheets, game templates and other
resources to use in literacy centers.
1.
ABC Center or Word Study Center:
Students can be engaged in letter or word activities. This center should have a
variety of manipulatives, such as magnetic letters of the alphabet, magnetic
boards or metal cookie sheets, foam letters, alphabet cereal, picture or word
cards. Children manipulate the letters to spell words (sight words, theme words,
classmates names etc…), sort the letters by attribute, work with blends, onsets
and rimes,
etc.
Suggested Activities:
· Make as many words as possible and record.
· Make rhyming words with particular patterns.
· Make 1,2,3 syllable words.
· Make adjectives, verbs, etc.
· Make 10 words from the story
· Make 10 words and illustrate each word.
· Use the “Making Words” letters and build new words.
· Create file folder games to enforce word skills
Examples:
Trumps Game with verbs that have
-ed endings
Use a book students have become familiar with:
· Photocopy the pages from the book onto 11 x17 paper.
· Students select one page to work with.
· Students list all objects they can find that start with their letter on the
page.
· Then students can do other activities such as alphabetizing words, grouping
words by parts of speech, or groups words into 1 syllable, 2
syllable and 3 syllable words.
· Students can write alliterations such as "An alligator asked for an apple".
· Students can make their own alphabet collages or drawings. These c be put in a
center for other students to identify the objects or do any of the above
activities.
· One student can make a list of 5-10 words and another students can write a
story including these 5-10 words.
· Students can make their own wordless alphabet books.
Use an alphabet book for a wide variety of activities:
· Students can list all the objects, places and names for a particular letter.
· Students can select one letter of the alphabet and create the drawing and text
using new objects, names and locations from the lists.
Good alphabet books include the following:
· Eating The Alphabet by Lois Ehlert
· Have You Ever Seen…? by Beau Gardner
· A Apple Pie by Travey Campell Pearson
· Faint Frogs Feeling Feverish by Lilian Obligado is good for alliteration
2. Reading Center:
Reading Logs
Students can read individually, with a friend, to a friend, and in a
collaborative group.
Suggested materials:
· Familiar books from browsing baskets.
· Big books from shared reading.
· Books published by the class and individual students
· Books from the read aloud and the class library
3. Writing Center:
Students can compose and publish work in a variety of genres. Provide a wide
range of
writing materials and tools. Consider a variety of writing models: personal
stories, letters,
recipes, journal writing, reports and descriptions.
Suggested materials:
· Materials for students to publish books (picture stamps with stamp pad,
pencils,
crayons, markers, variety of sizes of paper, blank books, stapler, dictionary or
picture dictionary, ABC chart)
· Stories on the chalkboard or whiteboard easel.
· Reading journal/learning log.
· Greeting cards for students to make and send.
· Students can write postcards.
4. Poetry Center:
Students can read, recite or manipulate a variety of poems.
Materials suggested:
· Poems children have heard the teacher read.
· Photocopied poems the children can read.
· Large print poems to read with a pointer.
· Poetry cards mounted on stiff material.
· Small books of poems.
· Poems can be written on sentence strips to put together in pocket chart.
· Poems can written on sentence strips, then individual words and punctuation
are cut apart to put together in pocket chart.
· Complete
Poetry Response Log
*See Reading Response Section
5. Listening Center:
Students can listen to a wide variety of stories, songs, and read alouds.
Extensions:
· Toss Guided Reading Ball after they have listened to a story to promote
discussion.
· Complete a
story map.
· Draw favorite part of the story.
· Draw main characters/setting etc…
· Complete Listening Log
6. Computer Center:
Students can be engaged in a variety of interactive literacy-related computer
programs or
activities.
Computer Programs suggested:
· Microsoft Word - opportunities are endless. Students may each take turns
throughout the week adding a few sentences to a story. They may choose to write
and send a letter to an author. Students could type words that have same rime.
· Microsoft PowerPoint: Students could create a slideshow about a book they just read. The show could be a review or possibly a slideshow showing story elements from a particular book. Students could also create a "Genre Slideshow" where each slide represents a particular genre.
· Reading Software (still waiting for equipment for this one - a CD-Rom drive). I will add more ideas when I'm able to implement them and we know what will be available.
· Web Quests - see Computer as a Literacy Center Links
· Interactive online games - See Computer as a Literacy Center Links
· Paint - create a picture as a result of visualizing a story or poem
· Listen to online stories
· Participate in weekly poll on topics of interest to kids at "Writer's Block" site within Funbrain.com. Students may also choose to read several responses from other students and answer guided questions over responses of personal interest.
· Have each student participate on an online reading interest survey by answering a few questions. At end of survey, a computer generated list of books based on answers is given. Each books comes with a link to peer ratings and reviews. I intend on having each student complete a survey, evaluate each result based on peer reviews, ratings, and descriptions in determining a book to locate at the library and complete a book report. Once at RIF Reading Planet search for Super Sorter.
· Have students watch and listen to a video or story on http://www.unitedstreaming.com/logins/login_www.cfm and complete the corresponding blackline masters and activities.
7. Creation Center:
Students can be engaged in a variety of art activities.
This center should contain basic art materials like paints, crayons, glue,
colored pencils and paper. Activities should be follow-ups to the stories they
are reading in their Guided Reading groups.
Suggested activities:
· Create puppets of their favorite characters.
· Paint the scenery in the story.
· Make a collage related to the story.
· Students can choose two or three events in the story to illustrate.
8. Reading Response Center:
Students can respond to various elements in the story.
Suggested Activities:
· Students identify main ideas and supporting details using a web.
· Students illustrate the main idea –advertising for a movie.
· Students can create character webs with character in center of web and all
known facts surrounding the center such as physical characteristics, feelings,
actions, etc..
· Students write the events in the story on sentence strips then sequence the
events in a pocket chart or on the table.
· Students can draw different backgrounds for the setting, the following week
they can create paper doll characters, and the week after that they can write
the story.
These can be used over and over again for new stories.
· Student’s can create a reader’s theatre from the stories they have read.
9. Literature Circle Center:
Students can discuss various elements of the story. They may need a focus for
their discussion such as most interesting character, setting, personal
connections, comparing books etc…
10. Research Center:
Students can research various non-fictional elements of the story. It is helpful
to provide a research template with specific questions for the students to use.
It is also important to provide resources on the topic such as: fact files,
non-fiction books, magazines, encyclopedias etc…
11. Literacy Games:
Students can play different letter and word games.
Suggested games:
· Letter and word bingo.
· File folder games.
· Junior Scrabble.
· Theme related literacy games.
· Word Searches.
12. Overhead Projector Center:
Familiar short texts/poems can be copied onto overhead transparencies using a
permanent marker.
Suggested Activities:
· Use plastic letters to make words.
· Students can write their own stories.
· Students can use the overhead markers to identify features of language –
blends,
nouns etc…
· Cut transparencies up and have students put sentences in order.
13. Vocabulary Center:
· Students can categorize words from their story -- give them 15-20 words and
tell them they can only be grouped into 5 categories.
· Students can identify related words –synonyms, antonyms, and related words
(words that are almost the same but not quite). They can put these words on a
continuum such as bad to horrendous and everything in between, nice to
fantastic, etc…
· Students can think of all words that
include a certain word – such as “snow”
· Students can select phrases from their story then improve the language used by
the author to make it more exciting, to make the pictures in mind stronger.
· Students can create notebook pages with interesting words by categories.
· Students can select photographs from newspapers or magazines and then list all
the
words that would describe the picture.
· Add to Vocabulary in Context Chart
· Complete a Word Map
14. Pocket Chart Center:
Suggested Activities:
· Sentence strips that have to be put in order.
· Pictures and words can be included in the pocket chart
· Words can be put in alphabetical order or can be sorted.
· Pointer can be used.
15. Read The Room Center:
Probably more for K-1
Students choose from a collection of pointers and glasses (fun idea ;) and move
around the room
reading everything in sight. The best pointers are simply pencils with fancy
pencil tops or
chopsticks with glitter on the ends. Bring in old eyeglasses and take out the
lenses.
Students can be held accountable for this center by writing down a list of
things they
read.
16. Problem Solving Center:
Suggested Activities
· Use word problems created by students from math lesson (Example: Subtraction Problems)
17. Weekly News Center:
Suggested Activities
· Arrange students in supportive groups so the more advanced readers can foster strategies in struggling readers, or allow to read individually. Take turns reading sections to each other. Work on the question found on the last page.
· Have the students search and identify certain words (ex. synonyms, words with certain blends/digraphs, etc...)
· Don't forget the online resources from the magazines: Weekly Reader / Scholastic News