From our vocabulary lists, I chose to explore literacy centers. I had a general idea of what they might be,
but I did not expect the center to be so similar to the Daily 5 we explored for
our discussion post for this week. The
first sentence of the paragraph on literacy centers was to be sure to create
and maintain the centers regularly. This
is designed to keep the students engaged in a variety of literacy
components. I really liked how some of
the centers were cross-curriculum by incorporating social studies and science
into the centers.
During an earlier field experience I really liked how my cooperating
teacher had her room organized and it included literacy centers. At the time, she had a writing table where
the students sat on milk crates with padded seats. Under the seats were writing supplies and
writing ideas. In the class library,
there was a futon where the kids could lounge and read to themselves. In another area, she had bean bags for
students to listen to audio books on their chrome books. I really liked the lighting in her room, the
only time she had the overhead fluorescent lights on was during individual work
at their desks. Otherwise she had soft lighting
by rope and strand lights, desk lamps, and floor lamps. This was a nice addition since she did not
have any exterior windows for natural lighting. I see this concept being a
useful tool in my classroom and would use some of the things I have seen during
my field experience.
Below are a couple of images I found of how to organize the selection of
centers. Let me know what you think or
if you have any great ideas of how to organize the selection or movement.
I can see why it is so important to keep literacy centers maintained! Students get board very quickly with the "same old activities." They need new ideas and material to keep them engaged. I also love the idea of crossing curriculums in the centers. I love to cross curriculums, and look for every opportunity to draw from prior knowledge and check for understanding in other content areas!
ReplyDeleteI like the ideas of centers and rotating through stations. When I was a kid, we didn't do that. Every thing was whole group instruction. I was reminiscing just this week with my 3rd & 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Dicus. She works at the school that I sub at. The small country school at High Point combined two grades into one classroom. There were 8 students in my grade level. In our textbook, it said that more learning occurred in rotations than whole group instruction.
ReplyDeleteI replied on my tablet. I forgot that I had a personal account. LOL. I am susiehomemaker.
DeleteOne thing I found interesting about literacy centers was that they can be stationary or portable, that could help with the flow of the classroom. I also really like the idea that they can be cross curricular. That can help to make them a bit more interesting for students. I haven't had the chance to observe literacy centers yet but I hope to!
ReplyDeleteAny organizational tool that allows for flexible grouping works best. The clothespin one for example, allows you to move a student into a group that you might feel he/she needs more time in. Love this post!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Claire and Parker. The literacy centers being cross-curricular is a definite plus. I mean, really there is not subject that is exclusive. When we're working on science we may also be working on math, but we're definitely working on our language and communication skills at the same time. There's so much happening at the same time. I love it. I think that's why I enjoy learning about project-based and problem-based learning. It's usually not just one topic that is being taught.
ReplyDelete