Having literacy centers in your classroom is a wonderful and exciting thing! This is an easy way to spiral skills that you've already taught in your lessons and continue a love of learning through all the subjects. First, you need to see the layout of your classroom to see where you want to put your centers and how many you'd like to have. I like to draw a map of my room and decide where my centers will go. This will give me a good start.
I also recommend you read Debbie Diller's book: Literacy Work Stations.
She has a lot of great ideas about how to organize your centers and center icons you can use. It's an easy read with a lot of fabulous information.
I have 24 centers in my classroom: Library, Research, Finger Puppets, Drama, Writing, Author Study, Word Work, Science, Museum, Theme, Construction, Games, Word Wall, Calendar, Felt Board, Math, Read the Room, Write the Room and Poetry, Computer, Listening, Geography, Big Books and Overhead. Here is my center rotation board:
If you do not have the space for ALL of these centers, I recommend that you have the basic ones to start out with that are most important: Library, Word Work, Writing, Listening, Math, Science and Big Books. Some classrooms are smaller than others, so if this is the case, you can always have centers that your students can take to their desks and play. I've done that before with smaller spaces. It works just as well! You could put your centers in tubs or in baggies.
So, how do you introduce all of these centers efficiently? ONE DAY AT A TIME! I've learned over the years to really MODEL, MODEL, MODEL and take your time introducing the centers. It will pay off in the long run and your classroom will run more smoothly and you will be a more happy teacher!!!!
Starting the first week of school I introduce one center at a time, one day at a time. I have my students sit near the center on the floor with their clipboards, center templates and pencil. We talk about whispering, how to sit, what to do and what to write on our template. Each student has a chance to participate in the center and fill out their template to put in their center folder. Each student has a center folder that they keep all of their templates inside. At the end of the month, they get to turn in all of these templates for bonus bucks! They LOVE it! Here are some pictures of my center templates. This is great for accountability piece and a purpose for learning and engagement. I tell my students that centers are not for play, but for learning.
You can do these templates two ways since they're in color and black and white. You can laminate the colored ones and stick them in a plastic sleeve for your students to write on with EXPO markers, or copy the black and white ones to have your students put in their center folders. I like to copy them so I can see proof of what they did... its your preference.
I also have "I CAN" cards at each center that I laminated on card stock, cut out and put on rings. When we learn about each center, I read the cards outloud many, many times so the students are familiar with them. These really help later on when the students go to the center and they forget what to do. It's so rewarding to see them reading the cards by themselves! Here are some examples:
I also have a center checklist that I keep in the brads of their center folder. My students color in each center after they have completed a center page. This checklist gets turned in at the end of the month with all of their center pages. I give them one bonus buck for each center page completed. This helps keep my students engaged and not get off task and be silly. Plus, it helps with responsibility. Here is an example of my center folder:
I'm really big about my students cleaning up their centers. I tell my students that this is their classroom and we need to keep it neat and organized. I give out bonus bucks for the best cleaned center at the end of the day. This really helps with accountability. After I've introduced all my centers it takes me about 25 days. Then, I'm ready for my students to take part in my center rotation. At the end of the day when we have finished our science/social studies seatwork, then they can go to their centers. I tell them they need to bring 4 things with them to their center:
1. Clipboard
2. Pencil
3. Center Folder
4. Whisper Voice
It is so rewarding for me to watch my students take part in my center rotation without a hitch... of course there will still be questions and they know to raise their hand at their center for help. I like to sit at my horseshoe table and wait for questions. I DO NOT do my guided reading groups during this time... that's during Reader's Workshop. I like to just focus on my centers...it keeps me sane that way and not having to worry about reading groups too.
Here are pictures of my 24 centers...enjoy!
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  Theme Center: Includes vocabulary cards, games, puzzles, mentor texts, center templates, I CAN cards, models, and puppets for science/social studies. I switch this center out every two weeks according to my thematic unit. This one is my favorite! If you would like to see a video of my theme center, click here |
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Word Wall: this is at eye level so the students can take off their sight words and write them on their center template in alphabetical order. If you're interested in my word wall resource click here Word Work Center: Vowel Games, Center Template, I CAN cards, ABC books, Popcorn Word Game, Word Muncher, Magnetic Letters, Rhyming Puzzle, Matching Letters and Sounds, Secret Stories, Word Family Flip Cards and Dice.  |
If you would like to check out my writing center resource, here
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Research Center: Center Template, I CAN cards, and Research Books. |
Read and Write the Room: Center Templates, I CAN cards, Pointers, Whispy Phones, and colored glasses.
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Museum Center: Center Template, I CAN cards, fishbowl with fish, magnifying glasses, models of butterflies, bees, chrysalis, pinecones, rocks, bird nests, shark teeth, skulls of goats, locusts and much more to observe.
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