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Centers
By Lori V.

II ahve been using guided reaidng and centers for about 5 years now. This is an old list, I couldn't find my more recent one. Email me if you need anymore info. or just need some more ideas! Lori1. Literature circle A group
of students read together from our reading series stories from the anthologies we have finished. After a while they begin to have discussions about the story and I do writing after....beginning middle end, circular story, steps in a process , Etc., (as a group on big chart paper...these come out really neat!)
2. Browsing Box Each guided reading group takes the books read during group

and puts them into a browsing box they can look at the books as a group. This is an effective because the students are dealing with familiar text independently. Each day three students choose book to read from their browsing box to share with the entire class. Once they read the book and read it to a partner they write about the story they read.

3. Independent Reading Children can choose from our class library, they complete a book review which is kept in a three ring binder in our library for others to look at.

4. Buddy or paired reading....I have a box of two copies of books at all levels they read with a partner, this can be familiar or unfamiliar texts. Then they work with their buddy to draw or write about their favorite part.

5. Writing Box. There are several options here, writing paper, picture and word prompts. In the beginning of the year, this is a nice place to use frames with sight vocabulary.

6. Journal Writing (can be a teacher directed topic if you choose)

7. Pocket Chart. I have an activity they work on. For example this week I have the big book The Big Red Barn (we are studying farms) I have the directions on sentence strips they have to choose a farm picture, write at least 2 sentences about it. and draw a picture. This is good for your themes.

8. Phonics Center Phonics based literature, games, worksheets and flashcards. I also have different activities on cards and have them in an index card box.

9. Handwriting Center I usually have a frame with blanks. I also
have laminated alphabet cards for the class to practice either by tracing over them in a marker or play dough. They can also use wikki sticks; pipe cleaners, etc., to make letters. This is a good time to write seasonal poem and not use whole class time for different holidays.

10. Overhead I put cloze paragraphs on there a lot (kids love working on the overhead) I also let the kids map out their stories on the overhead, stories they have read or will be writing. This is also where my kids start to develop their use of graphic organizers, I make overheads of plot graphs, venns , etc., and have the children do them for a story they have read.

11. Sight Word Center (which may change to vocabulary center depending on your students) They can make the sight words with rubber stamps, magnetic letters, paint baggies, sand trays, and I have letters written on shapes (shells for June) I use this to reinforce letter and word manipulation. Plus it works great to help them learn the sight words! YOU COULD USE YOUR SPELLING WORDS... I also might have them choose 5 sight words to use in a sentence. I also do Making Words folder here.

12. Poetry Box I have poems that are laminated, and another set that are the words cut apart. The kids put the words together and glue them and illustrate it. I also have pieces with magnets on the back for them to put in order too. I also have their poetry laminated and poetry books, rhyme games etc. My kids keep a three ring binder of poems in there are poems we have done in class, and original works. I also put all the poems we did in group there the kids use pointers and can stick wikki sticks or highlighting removable tape over words.

13. Listening This is always followed up by a writing activity.

14. Read and Write the room. The kids use pointers, etc., to read the print that is hanging int he room. They also carry a clip board to hunt for certain words or letters in words and write them down.

15. Big Books The kids use pointers, etc., to read the books. I sometimes put a post it outside a book a want them to read. I might put a post it that says circle all the Days of the week in this story. So they use pipe cleaners or wikki sticks to do that, and might write them etc.

16. Computers (I only have 1....) I usually have a living book or Ed CD ROM. They have a log to record what CD they did and three things new they learned.

17 Stamp a Story..Kids use rubber stamps (I have tons) to make a picture, and write a logical story to go with it. (this is a favorite!)

18. Build a sentence Kids choose sentence parts out of a bag they put them together to make a silly sentence which is copied onto a sentence strip and illustrated) I have them color coded begining words (a, the) on yellow, nouns on green, verbs on red, describing words on pink.

19. Deal a story I have cards I purchased that allow kids to choose one of each color to write a story about...my kids love this! I also add cards for themes we are doing.

20. Post Office I have all sorts of neat stationary etc for the kids to write letters on. I have a laminated class list and names of teachers there too. On rings I have words that would be used to write letters like dear how etc. I have the Wee Deliver Program so I got a rubber stamp and sorter and small mailbox. Plus it is great to learn names for the postal worker of the week.

21. Tape- A- Story I have blank tapes from Crystal springs the child can tape themselves reading, this is nice to bring home and for record keeping too. They can even ask to put it in our listening center also.

22. Book Making the beginning of the year I use this as the center for kids to make those reproducible books we do in shared reading. (like Schoalstic's My Books) Then my kids will begin to publish their own original books, these have a special spot in our library and can be used for DEAR time, be sure to include a blank page for comments!

23. Non Fiction Center I have available lots of nonfiction emergent readers (from Scholastic and Wright group) I have a card that goes with each book that has some questions to answer. I made this center because I felt like my kids did not do enough with nonfiction, this is one of the last centers I introduce.