Literacy Center Rotations

I devote 2 hours a day 5 days a week to literacy centers. It is important to start centers within the first two weeks of the school year. Do your DRA or other assessment to get your students grouped into homogenous reading groups the first week of school. Next, set up 4 homogenous groups based on their assessment scores. During the first two weeks you must train, train, train and do some more training on expectations at each center. 

Once you start centers and everyone is trained give yourself the freedom to float around the room. Do not put your self at the teacher reading table the first week of center rotations. You can put an activity at that table each day. It is important for you to do more training while you are moving about the room. 

On the third week of school you are ready to start centers. You can now feel comfortable with letting your students be independent at the centers. At this point you will be a able to focus on your reading groups. Now, I am a realistic teacher and know that you are going to have interruptions from students while teaching small groups. It is to be expected, but if you train your students well you will have fewer interruptions. 

My rotations include:

• Reading with Teacher: This rotation happens everyday. This is a small group instruction center where I provided guided reading. I always start my first rotation with the group that needs the most help and end with the group who are more skilled readers (I am always more energetic at the beginning of centers thus giving my most to those who struggle with reading). 
• Journal Writing: This rotation happens everyday. This includes a small group of heterogeneous students working at their seat. They can write about topics on a topic list, a thematic writing, free choice writing, etc. 


• The students rotate through these rotations one time per week.
  • Poetry: Students build a poem with sentence strips.

  • Word Building: These are scrambled sentences or vocabulary exercises using thematic words.
  • Computers: Blogging, other Web 2.0 activity, or RAZKids.com reading.
  • Library: Students can switch out books they have at their desks for new books. They can free read in the library.

  • Writing: Thematic Writing. Students write about the thematic unit we are studying. 

The important things with doing center rotations are: Start early in the year; Train them very well on what you expect; Do not deviate from your routine. 

Learn more about teaching reading under the Common Core State Standards here. Sign up to take ELA 925 Reading: Common Core and Curriculum Mapping here.

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