In this post, I’m sharing actionable tips to help you launch literacy centers in your kindergarten, first or second grade classroom. You’ll get suggestions for the best ways to group students, how to choose the best literacy centers, and how to effectively organize your literacy center materials and classroom space!
Hello Friend!
Does the thought of planning literacy centers overwhelm you?
Do you wonder how you’ll manage your students or prep and organize all the materials?
Are you unsure of how to best group your students?
These are all very common concerns that many teachers have when they think about starting to implement centers. Yes, establishing literacy centers can be a lot of work! But once you get them up and rolling I promise you they can become one of best parts of your day!
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This post is the first in a series on literacy centers. Today I’ll share with you some of my favorite tips for grouping and assigning students, optimizing classroom space, and organizing materials in easy and effective ways. I hope after reading you’ll see that the process of launching literacy centers doesn’t have to be an overwhelming one!
How to Group Students for Literacy Centers
After reviewing initial literacy assessments, you will need to group your students. The groups will determine two things:
1.) the team that will work together at a literacy station.
2.) the students who will work with you in a small group.
There are multiple ways to group children into collaborative teams for centers. Students can be grouped heterogeneously and homogenously for centers. For small group instruction, they will always need to be grouped homogeneously.
If you choose to group students heterogeneously for centers and homogeneously for small group instruction, you would pull individual students from their center group to meet with you in small group. Just be mindful that you don’t always pull students from the same center or from one that they really love. Also, make a plan for what to do if the center requires partner work and one student leaves for small group. Teach your students what to do in these instances so they can remain on task.
Personally, I find that students tend to do better when grouped homogeneously into teams of four for both centers and small group. The homogeneous groups travel from center to center together. When I need to meet with them the whole group comes together.
Of course, student groupings should be flexible. Children will acquire skills or need more practice than others in their group. I use formal and informal assessment data to move kids in and out of groups. My Literacy Centers Chart resource makes it easy to edit names and print the new groups of kids!
Quick note… I do not assign students to meet with me on our center rotation chart. Because I like having the flexibility to meet with students on an as-needed basis, it’s best if it is not posted.
I meet with some groups every day, while others I only see 1-2 times a week. There are also times when I need to meet with individual students to help them catch up on something or work through an intervention.
How to Assign Students for Literacy Centers
Once students are grouped, I assign them to different centers using literacy center cards in a pocket chart. It is important that the chart is always displayed in an accessible location where my students can independently check it.
My emergent readers like the literacy center cards because they can rely on picture clues for an independent reminder as to which centers they are visiting that day. I like them because they allow me to quickly reorder or change the center activities.
If you have 24 students in your classroom and you group them into teams of 4, it takes 6 days to rotate through the entire chart.
To begin, I place the colored student groups in rainbow order. My highest achieving students are in the red group and the ability levels decrease with each color. This is an intentional decision as the red group will unknowingly serve as models for their peers.
At the end of each day, I move each group down a row. Once the “red group” gets to the bottom row, I know it may be time to switch up my centers.
How to Choose the Best Center Activities
To plan my centers, I follow the research based-steps outlined in my Success with Centers course. Each activity follows one of the following structures:
-Word Study
-Independent Reading
-Writing Center
-Listening Center
-Partner Reading
As my students grow and change throughout the year, so do our core centers. But I do not create and teach students how to work in 18 new centers a week! Sure I love a cute holiday or seasonally themed activity, but I don’t create and recreate word sorts on Halloween pumpkins, winter snowflakes, and Valentine’s hearts! You probably don’t either!
I rely on resources that I can use over time. I keep my students practicing their reading and writing skills with resources like Decodable Sentence Builders, Sequence Stories and Heart Words Word Mapping Activities. These resources can be used for months rather than just weeks.
How to Organize Literacy Center Materials
It is essential that the materials students will need during centers be accessible and well-organized. This preserves instructional minutes and allows for maximum learning time.
A student can’t afford to waste time wandering around the room in search of materials they need for a Heart Words Word Mapping center. In my classroom, all supplies for a center are stored in a tub that is labeled with the matching center card. This makes it simple for students to easily identify what they need.
How to Optimize Classroom Space for Centers
When I set up my classroom I am intentional about the space needed for literacy centers to run smoothly. I like the stations closest to my guided reading table to be the quietest. To the left of my teaching table is our listening center, and to the right, I have a computer center. My students wear headphones at both centers so it’s almost silent. In addition, when students encounter an unsolvable glitch in technology, I can redirect or pop in quickly from my teaching table to help them get back to their task. Being close to the computer station also lends me the ability to keep an eye on my students’ choice in websites.
A few years ago I pushed my writing center table against the wall and will always continue to do so. The wall has become a great place to hang anchor charts for my students to refer to while composing. Additionally, I notice that students focus bettter on their writing when facing the wall. They are less distracted by what other students are doing at their centers.
The remaining centers are spaced around the classroom. Labeled baskets with materials are housed on shelves or even on the floor. We keep the materials in the same location throughout the year as another support to help students maximize their time learning.
Although I have “designated areas” for centers my students know that they are free to move to any area of the classroom that helps them be productive in their work. On any given day, you will see my learners standing, sitting on the floor, or at their tables, but all absorbed in their tasks.
I hope the information on setting up student groups, choosing your centers, and effectively organizing materials and classroom space has been useful to you! If you’re ready to continue learning about centers, take a look at my next blog posts, How to Introduce Literacy Centers and Build Independence and LIteracy Centers for Primary Students where I share must-have literacy centers for k-2 students!
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I love your ideas. I would like to hear more about your rotation time for each center. We are mandated to do Jan Richardson G.R. and we must rotate every 20 minutes no less and no more. There can be no fluctuation/ flexibility. Our administration does not allow this. I would love to hear your input and how you would manage. Thank you
Susan
Hi Susan,
My students (1st grade) work at a center for about 17 minutes. They complete 3 rotations each day while I teach small groups. I think you can make it work for 20 minutes, just be explicit with your students about what you expect them to do once they complete an activity. (Most of the activities I choose do not have an “ending”) but if it does, my kids know what they should do- check over their work, read a book, finish unfinished work. If you have any specific questions I am happy to help, email me christina@mrswintersbliss@hotmail.com
Will these ideas work for third grade? I am super nervous launching Daily 5. I tried last year and failed.
Hi Mrs. Hanley!
Yes, these ideas will ABSOLUTELY work in 3rd grade! If you have read thru the 3 blog posts in this series I hope I shared clearly: start slow, MODEL and BE EXPLICIT in your directions and expectations. Put in the time in the beginning to “train” your kids, it pays off bigtime. If you have any specific questions I am happy to help, email me christina@mrswintersbliss@hotmail.com You can do this! Christina
How do you handle your kids missing their rotation activity? Which rotation activities do you pull from?
Hi Michele,
That is a great question! I have tried it so many ways but what I have been doing the past several years has worked the best for me and my kids: I call their group (by color) and if they miss their center they go to it once we are finished. They are allowed to skip “read to self” (last center) if they are unable to complete both rotations after meeting with me. Some students will be able to finish 2 rotations, meet with me, and do a little bit of read to self. I never wanted kids to feel like they were missing out on a “fun center activity” while they were meeting with me. Hope this helps! Christina
Hello,
When you say ” I call their group (by color) and if they miss their center they go to it once we are finished.” does this mean that the students are not with you for the full allotted time for each center. For instance, if each center is 17 minutes, do you keep your reading group with you that length of time?
I love your ideas btw.
Theresa
Hi Theresa,
My reading groups are usually with me for the entire rotation (17 minutes). Once they finish working with me they would go to their missed center. So their rotations might be: reading group, center 1, center 2 (skip independent reading). Often what happens is as the year progresses, kids are quicker at the centers so they can complete reading with me, centers 1& 2 and a little independent reading time within the rotations.
I hope this helps! 🙂 -Christina
Christina,
This was such a helpful blog post! Even though I focus on literacy centers for upper elementary students, I found a lot of useful tips here. I love the diagram showing a possible layout for centers. And I agree that centers need to be easily accessible for student use. Thanks for sharing your experience and skills with literacy centers.
Hi Tayna,
Thanks so much for visiting my blog and leaving thoughtful feedback!
🙂 Christina
Hello!
Does your third rotation always stay the same with everyone doing Read to Self at the same time? How does that usually work? I’m wondering if they go back to their seats to complete Read to Self or what their procedure for that rotation is. You’re tips are so helpful! Thank you for sharing your insight ☺️
Hi Emily ,
Yes I always end my centers with read to self. I do that because it gives the kids who worked with me a chance to complete their center and skip read to self (they read with me that day). Also I found it to be an easier transition to the next teaching time after centers if they had a more calming center like reading rather than collaborative work. When teaching read to self, I follow the Daily 5 framework and allow kids to read wherever they are most comfortable in the classroom as long as they are reading to themselves. Thanks so much for visiting my blog and reading! ~Christina
This is the best,” how to “use centers description how to do rotations realistically! Thank you for the “Aha” moment!
Thank you again!
Awe thanks! So glad you found these tips helpful! 🙂
This was a great post!! Thank you for sharing.
Can you tell me by any chance what model pocket chart this is or where you purchased the size is perfect
Hi Dejanee,
I got mine at Lakeshore, https://www.lakeshorelearning.com/products/teaching-resources/pocket-charts-accessories/space-saver-pocket-charts/p/GG551
There is also a pocket chart on Amazon
https://amzn.to/31DQMxI
that will work if you want to set centers up like pictured. It needs to be at least 16Wx26L
Hope this helps!
Christina
Great post.
Thanks for stopping by!
Christina, I think I have discovered a solution to my problems. We have “inclusion” in our county; therefore, I have people coming and going all the time pulling children too. How would you work in your rotation the special ed. Teacher on two days do pull kids during rotations and IA’s to pull kids or work with kids on a different day? Thank you in advance.
Hi Pamela,
I have had that same situation happen as well. When my kids were pulled I would just have them miss their center but make sure they were able to still meet me for small guided or strategy groups. I do hate that they miss their center and sometimes they are often bummed about it too. But I would rather them miss the independent practice than direct instruction or small group instruction specifically tailored to their needs. Hope this helps! 🙂 Christina
Great post! One question, I have recently switched from 1st grade(25 years) to kinder(2nd year). We are beginning the 2nd trimester and had trained the students to move in a circular fashion of rotating from table to table, instead of having 3 rotations as you have shown on this blog. Do you think it would be difficult to switch to this model mid year with kindergarteners? Any tips/suggestions on switching mid year?
Hi Evelyn!!
I totally think Kinder kids can do it! Many K teachers have shared with me the success they have in their class with this rotation system. I’d approach it like this, “friends you are getting so smart and capable we are ready to start centers in a more challenging way…” then be sure to model exactly the process of finding the center and the personal work space for the center. I’ve shared a lot in this post that may be helpful to get you started! Thanks so much for visiting my blog! Christina
I absolutely love the digital set up you made of your classroom. Was that from a program? Or did you just make it yourself?
Thanks for all the tips!
Hi Ashton,
I purchased clipart and made the images. Here is the link https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Seating-Chart-Classroom-Furniture-Clipart-2518261
Take care, Christina
I used to try rotations…..for me as a teacher, that just doesn’t work. I can’t stand the movement and noise….Love the ideas though and the images/displays.
I like your very organized system of moving the children from one group to another, the color coding; everything. May I ask, what does this look like in a classroom now, during carefully spaced out desks, teaching in a pandemic? My center areas and tables are not able to be set up as in the past, leaving collaborative groups being spilt up into individual desks.
Hi Jackie,
I know each school has different protocols and it looks so different from previous years. I wrote this post a few years ago and I’m not in the classroom this year. If I were I would focus more on independent student centers or build in routines to sanitize and quarantine materials. I would talk with your team to see what is allowable and working in your building. I hope this helps a little bit! -Christina
Hi Christina,
I’m wondering how your students know it’s time to move from one center to the next?
Thanks!
Carrie
Hi Carrie,
I use a bell or other signal at the beginning of the year to help students know when they should move to the next rotation. Later in the year I teach them how to self-monitor themselves and move when they are ready! 🙂 -Christina
Hi I love this post! I do not have space in my small classroom to set up centers. How do I do rotation centers? Should the students grab the buckets of the spelling, writing etc centers and do the work out of the bucket? At their seats or on the carpet?
Hi Brittani-
I know space can be such a challenge!! I think the ideas you suggest are all good ones. I have also seen teachers use a system like this pocket chart https://amzn.to/3s8353D. Whatever system you decide, I want to encourage you to think through the procedures and expectations for how to get supplies and work independently, then explicitly teach, model and practice them. You and your students will be so happy and literacy centers will be your favorite part of the day! Happy Teaching –Christina 💕
Question I teach in Canada. I will be teaching only grade 2 in the morning leaving me with about an hour before recess and an hour after recess to teach literacy and social studies. I’m use to balanced literacy but would like to shift to more structured literacy. After much researching I’m frustrated with trying to figure out how I can incorporate centres into my program. What would structured literacy look like on a tight schedule. Any help would be appreciated:)
Hi Lyndsey,
Literacy centers should be a time for students to independently practice cumlative skills that you’ve explicitly taught. Here are a few blog posts that I think will be helpful for you! Students should be engaged in meaningful learning which frees you up to teach targeted small groups.
https://mrswintersbliss.com/the-science-of-reading-3-steps-to-get-started-with-structured-literacy/
https://mrswintersbliss.com/what-is-structured-literacy/
https://mrswintersbliss.com/the-best-cumulative-practice-center-activities/
Hope this is helpful! -Christina
Hi! This post helped clarify a bit for me but then I realized that explicit phonics instruction wasn’t here. Where do you fit that in? Also when do you teach specific writing expectations?
Hi Shauna,
This blog post is about what students are doing during literacy centers while you teach small groups. I think this series of blog posts will help you see where to fit in whole group explicit instruction (post #3 coming soon).
Hope this is helpful!
-Christina