Variations To Literacy Centers

 

 

Pocket Chart Center:

  1. Nursery rhyme sentence strips and chart—the students may look at the chart (if they need) to put the sentence strips in the correct order
  2. Match names and pictures of c________________________
  3. Match first and __________________names of classmates
  4. Match three-letter words with pictures
  5. Match rhyming words (or pictures)
  6. Manipulative ____________________such as “Orange is a carrot”
  7. Match colors or numbers with their corresponding word
  8. Math ________________ and ________________ case letters
  9. Match “word of the day” pictures to their corresponding words

 

ABC Center:

  1. ABC puzzles
  2. Write names with magnetic letters or magnetic letters to tiles
  3. Letter train—hook all capital/lower case letters together
  4. Alphabet stamps—stamp the alphabet
  5. Alphabet stamps—stamp first and last name
  6. Form letters using playdoh
  7. Paint the alphabet (water color)
  8. Print name/alphabet on the ________________________
  9. Game: Beanbag/letter game—name the letter the beanbag lands on

 

Writing Center:

  1. Writing backpack—full of writing supplies
  2. Classroom mailbox—write notes to ___________________  ___ ____________
  3. Clipboards—write words in the room
  4. Clipboards—write words from the theme folders
  5. Wikki Stix writing—color words, names, alphabet, etc.
  6. Change writing supplies frequently—adding markers or envelopes can add new life to the center
  7. Magna Doodle—write words found on cereal boxes or other common food packages.

 

Letter Sound Center:

  1. File folder games
  2. Feel box—put out object, name it, place it in the correct bin
  3. Picture cards—sort by first letter sounds
  4. Magnetic letter—spell word of the day words—self-checking
  5. Syllable work—sounds in our names

 

 

 

Overhead Center:

  1. Match capital/lower case letters
  2. Read the names of other students in the class
  3. Read the numbers to 20
  4. Use clear word tiles—read two, three and four letter words
  5. Write the names of your _____________________________
  6. Write the alphabet using capital and lower case letters
  7. Draw a picture of yourself and write your name by it
  8. Draw the characteristics or __________________ _______ _______ __________

 

 

Other Possibilities For Literacy Center

 

1.      Read the Room: Children use “fancy” glasses of some sort and pointers to “read the room.”  They go from one piece of print in the room to the next, reading as they go.  Children will be most successful in this activity if they have had a hand in writing the text.  Some ideas for pointers include empty rolls of wrapping paper, penlite flashlights, rulers, conductor’s batons and pheasant tail feathers.

2.      Browsing Boxes:  Books in these boxes should consist of those that have been read in a guided reading session or made in class.  Children should be able to read these books quite easily.

3.      Sequencing Center:  At this center, students will use pictures to put familiar story or rhyme back into correct order.  Purchased or homemade materials may be used.  Difficulty level may be adjusted according to how many pictures are used.  Sequencing activities engage children in ordering the events of the story (first, second, third, etc.).

4.      Paired Reading:  Children can “partner up” and read stories to each other.  Variations: Children read every other page or by character.  Children should track the words during this process using 1:1 correspondence.

 

The possibilities are endless.  Once you have started doing centers the ideas seem to keep flowing.  You will see center “possibilities” in many seemingly ordinary materials.  You will find yourself making use of many materials that you have _________________________ in your cupboards and closet, but no longer use very much.

 

By Paulette Stefanik

 

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