Literacy Work Stations and Management
What are literacy work stations?
Literacy work stations are areas in the classroom where students work independently, or with partner(s), and use instructional materials (e.g. anchor charts) to explore and expand their literacy. While I work with a small group in Guided Reading, the rest of the class uses the Management Board to sign up for a rotation to work at one of our five literary work stations: Library Nook, Writing Fun, Computer Time, ABC Word Work and Grammar Practice.
At these stations, students practice reading, writing, speaking, listening, and working with letters and words. Such practice correlates perfectly with the balanced literacy instruction because it encompasses all modes of language arts: reading, writing, speaking, listening, word study and mastering mechanics. During this time, the students are in the "I" or "WE" sequence of the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model, since they are either working with a partner or working independently.
Moreover, the stations provide a variety of activities to reinforce and/or extend learning, mostly without my assistance since I am not introducing a new skill at that time. Instead, students refer to "I Can" anchor charts or other charts, which we previously created for that station. The flexibility of the literacy work stations lends itself well to differentiation instruction for all the various levels in our diverse classroom.
How are literacy work stations managed in my classroom?
During the first six weeks of school, I introduce the literacy work stations to students, including establishing routines in order for students to work independently at the stations. During that time, I have mini-lessons, which explain and model exactly what to do at each station. I only move onto a new station when students solidly understand what to do and are ready to proceed.
Moreover, the stations provide a variety of activities to reinforce and/or extend learning, mostly without my assistance since I am not introducing a new skill at that time. Instead, students refer to "I Can" anchor charts or other charts, which we previously created for that station. The flexibility of the literacy work stations lends itself well to differentiation instruction for all the various levels in our diverse classroom.
How are literacy work stations managed in my classroom?
During the first six weeks of school, I introduce the literacy work stations to students, including establishing routines in order for students to work independently at the stations. During that time, I have mini-lessons, which explain and model exactly what to do at each station. I only move onto a new station when students solidly understand what to do and are ready to proceed.
Literacy work stations last about an hour, with three rotations of fifteen to twenty minutes each. These times are flexible, depending on the students' needs. I use a chime in order to signal the ending and/or beginning of a work station. Students place their names on the management board, in order to know which stations they need to attend.
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Also, students use indoor voices and know not to interrupt me at the guided reading station. For example, if the students want to drink water, use the restroom, or sharpen a pencil, they make eye contact with me and hold up one finger for drinking water, two fingers for using the bathroom and three for sharpening a pencil. All of this is done quietly and does not disrupt the rest of the class.
Library Nook
The Library Nook is a cozy corner of our room where students can read books to themselves or to a partner. They can choose a book that I previously read to them during a read aloud. They may choose favorite books on one day or from a selected set on another day, depending on my instructions. For example, if we are studying about a specific author, then they choose books written by that author. Students choose books that are "just right," which means it is not too hard or too easy. This enables students to feel successful and avoids interrupting me while I conduct the guided reading station.
This area is well-designed with a sign clearly labeling it as the Library Nook. We have sturdy bookshelves, which designate fiction and nonfiction materials. We have a wide variety of books and other print materials, including fiction, nonfiction, magazines, newspapers, menus, charts and student-made books. Several baskets contain books by certain authors and are clearly labeled. Also, the area is decorated with an inviting rug, soft pillows and student-made posters.
At times, students may have to read a book and then create a poster or a written response. This is dependent on the skills or strategies that I want them to practice. For example, they may need to write a letter to a friend about their favorite part of a book. Another example is seen in the lesson plan below.
We also have a listening area in our Library Nook whereby students can listen to a book on CD. This is especially helpful for struggling readers, including English Language Learners.
This area is well-designed with a sign clearly labeling it as the Library Nook. We have sturdy bookshelves, which designate fiction and nonfiction materials. We have a wide variety of books and other print materials, including fiction, nonfiction, magazines, newspapers, menus, charts and student-made books. Several baskets contain books by certain authors and are clearly labeled. Also, the area is decorated with an inviting rug, soft pillows and student-made posters.
At times, students may have to read a book and then create a poster or a written response. This is dependent on the skills or strategies that I want them to practice. For example, they may need to write a letter to a friend about their favorite part of a book. Another example is seen in the lesson plan below.
We also have a listening area in our Library Nook whereby students can listen to a book on CD. This is especially helpful for struggling readers, including English Language Learners.
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Writing Fun
Our Writing Fun station is near the word wall, where we display our weekly spelling words. Students have a wide variety of activities to choose from. They can choose Writing Journal, Notes/Letter Writing, Book Writing and Special Projects. For example, they can compose many types of writing, include a letter, a card, a story, a fact book, a survey or a list. They can work with a partner and share ideas for writing. Depending on what skills we are practicing, they may write descriptive words about something in the room or about something that happened in the past. They can tell a partner about a story before they write it. Talking about it is important because it helps students rehearse their ideas. Then, they write down the story that they shared with their partner. They may write about something they are passionate about, such as an animal or a favorite toy. By writing about something they care about, students tend to write more and potentially develop their writing skills further because of all the practice. Students may also revise and edit a previous piece or a partner's piece. They can use a simple checklist, which we have posted in the Writing Fun station.
Students may also practice writing high-frequency words or write messages or look up words in reference materials, such as the dictionary or thesaurus. They can also continue to work on pieces they began in writer's workshop. This gives them more time to complete it. Also, they may get creative and use story starters, such as pictures in a magazine or other material.
Students may also practice writing high-frequency words or write messages or look up words in reference materials, such as the dictionary or thesaurus. They can also continue to work on pieces they began in writer's workshop. This gives them more time to complete it. Also, they may get creative and use story starters, such as pictures in a magazine or other material.
Computer Time
Computer Time activities also varies, depending on the day's lessons. For example, students may need to use Kid Pix and add pictures to a story they typed the previous day. Other students may be listening to a story from a designated website or a book on a CD. After listening/reading the story or informational text, they fill out a short graphic organizer with the key elements of the text. They may play a designated educational game that helps reinforce a skill. They may illustrate or write a story using a word processing program. They may type the spelling words or look up the definitions of vocabulary words. This station is especially helpful to our English Language Learners because it helps them develop reading skills as they can listen to a story or other text.
ABC/Word Work
The ABC/Word Work station is a great time to practice working with words. Students can choose Making Words or Word Sorts, among other activities. For example, students can do word hunts where they search around the room for certain patterns we learned previously. They can practice putting words in ABC order. They can sort words that have similar word chunks. They can make words using magnetic letters, letter tiles, pasta letters, letter cards, Wikki Stix.
This station encompasses a wide range of activities, depending on the students' needs. For example, if students in the emergent stage need practice writing known words in their writing, then they can play games with word wall words in this station. If they need practice writing beginning sounds, then they can make or sort words.If students in the early stage need practice writing some beginning and ending sounds, they can make, sort or write words at this station. to help students write with more proficient spelling of inflectional endings, including plurals and verb tenses.
This station encompasses a wide range of activities, depending on the students' needs. For example, if students in the emergent stage need practice writing known words in their writing, then they can play games with word wall words in this station. If they need practice writing beginning sounds, then they can make or sort words.If students in the early stage need practice writing some beginning and ending sounds, they can make, sort or write words at this station. to help students write with more proficient spelling of inflectional endings, including plurals and verb tenses.
Grammar Practice
The Grammar Practice station is a great place to practice using writing conventions. The students may work on finding nouns or adjectives in different books. They may need to search around the classroom to find proper pronouns on displays or anchor charts. The activities at this station are focused on using correct grammar. They may take an earlier piece from their writer's workshop and check and edit for punctuation. Overall, their goal is to improve and master the mechanics of writing,including punctuation and parts of speech.