FAQ Frequently Asked Questions This topic generates the most questions regarding using literacy centers. I must start by stating that what works for one person may not work for another. We all have our own styles and personalities which definitely affects our teaching. The following organization plan works for me. I hope you can find something useful to apply in your classroom. Q: Where do I begin?? A: Here is my advice on starting literacy centers/guided reading groups in your classroom. Do not start until at least October. You may even want to wait longer, depending on your class. When you start the literacy stations, give your students two full weeks to "practice" using the centers. That is, do not hold guided reading groups, just have stations. This allows you to observe your students working at the stations. You will be available to remind them of your expectations. You will know when they are ready to work independently and then you will be free to meet with your groups. Another suggestion is to write up your centers (as I did on the lesson plans page) and keep them in a folder. This will be a great reference to you in the years to come. You can recycle plans, add to plans, and share plans with your colleagues. I also keep a copy of all corresponding papers with the plans. For example, if one of the stations was to stamp words from the word wall, I have a copy of the "Word Wall Words" paper. Q: How often do you switch your literacy centers? A: If everything goes according to plan, the stations last 6 days. Here's how it works. When I meet with my first group, the rest of the class writes in their journal (no station). When I meet with my second group, the rest of the class does stations. This means students are doing one station per day or meeting with me. I have five stations (sometimes six) so this takes up five days, plus one day they meet with me (yes, they meet with me twice a week, but one time is during journal writing time and one time is during station time). Q: How do you manage your literacy centers? A: I display the center signs from ABCteach.com on one of our classroom blackboards. Each student has a name card with a magnet on the back. They place this card underneath the center sign in which they choose for the session. Underneath each center sign, there is a class list with every students' name on it. The students highlight their name to indicate they have completed that station. Each session lasts approximately 20 - 30 minutes. Q: How many guided reading groups do you have? A: Currently, I have four groups. Each group has anywhere from 4 to 6 students. These groups are flexible. I can easily move a student to a higher or lower level group if the need arises. Some years I have had 5 or 6 groups - it really depends on the students' reading levels. Q: How often do you meet with your guided reading groups? A: In a perfect world I meet with each group for 20 - 30 minutes, twice a week. That being said, we frequently have to adjust our schedule due to assemblies, special projects, tests, etc. Q: How do you decide in which group to place a student? A: I rely mostly on my own observations, but of course I take into consideration several other factors such as kindergarten records, classwork, and two standardized tests our district administers in September (GATES and DIBELS). Students reading on high levels and students reading on low levels are easy to spot. The students who fall somewhere in the middle are the challenge. Q: What sort of books do you use in your guided reading groups? A: A few years ago our school invested in the Scholastic Guided Reading program. This program was developed by Gay Su Pinnell, guided reading guru! The books are terrific. Each comes with a very helpful teacher guide and the whole program included an organized labeling and storage system. Q: What kind of accountablity do your students have in completing the centers? A: Any papers that are completed at a station are brought to me immediately after students clean up the station. I can quickly check the papers and give them back to the students to take home. Keep in mind, all stations do not have a completed paper (computer station, listening center) and there was a group of at least four students with me so the maximum number of papers I'm correcting is 10 or 12. I do not record these results anywhere as the centers are meant for reinforcement, review, and practice of previously learned skills. Also, I can quickly see who has completed which station by checking the class lists where the students have highlighted their names (located underneath the station sign).