Developing Effective Literacy Work Stations

Presented by:Leigh Kennedy, Progress Monitoring Consultant

Barb Hammond, Interventionist

• Defining a work station

• Planning and setting up work stations

• Launching a work station effectively

• Managing work stations

Key Concepts

What is a “literacy work station”?

Take a minute to write down your definition of a literacy work station and then discuss your

response with your colleagues.

Literacy Work Stations

A Literacy Work station is a place/s within the classroom where a variety of activities reinforce and extend learning

connected to specific literacy objectives/curriculum. Often implemented during a literacy instructional block to allow for students to practice previous skills/strategies, including the five essential literacy components. This

structure allows time for the teacher to meet with students in small groups to increase effective direct instruction based upon specific needs and levels.

Why use literacy work stations?

Creates small group instruction time– intensive direct instruction

– variety of grouping formats

Provide practice opportunities with aligned materials

Practice tasks in the 5 essential components

What about classroom management?

The appropriate and consistent implementation

of literacy workstations has been shown to

have a greater impact on classroom

management than the specific techniques

teachers use to respond to misbehavior (Weinstein & Mignano, 1997).

Literacy Work Stations

• Remember, when planning and implementing literacy work stations……

-Slow Down to Speed Up

-Go Deep not Wide

-Less is More

-Ask your Colleagues

Implementing Effective Work Stations

• Create work stations that are aligned to and support curriculum taught.

• Make a plan for implementing work stations in your classroom.– Pacing guide

• Establish an explicit & systematic routine for introducing each work station.

What should be in literacy work stations?

• Specified learning objective(s)– Aligned with GLCE’s and core instruction– Instructional activities based on student data

• SBRR-based tasks– Directly related to 1 or more of the 5 essential components– Skill(s) explicitly taught previously– Student(s) demonstrated a minimum of 80% mastery of the skill(s)

• Creating standards-based work stations1. Identify a GLCE2. Identify & align the GLCE to a current standard in core

curriculum/pacing guide3. Identify the core curriculum objectives taught in whole group and that

are differentiated during small group instruction4. Implement a literacy work station that is aligned and

supports/reinforces the objective.

Open Court-2, Unit 4—Lesson 4

Unit Theme: Fossils

Essential Component:

Word Study/Phonics

Objective: Students will identify /er/ sound spelled ur, ir, er within words.

• GLCE: R.WS #02.04 Use structured cues to recognize and decode word with vowel patterns.

Work Station Activity: Word Sort

Word Sort

Materials Needed: 15 3x5 word cards containing the /er/ sound spelled using er, ir, and ur patterns. 3 containers.

Students: 2 (preferably one student a slightly stronger reader than the other student)

Procedures: 1) Both students sort 7 cards into 3 containers according to pattern (er, ir, ur)

2) After sorting, one student flashes the cards for his buddy to read aloud.

Unit 4-Lesson 4

• Essential Component:

Vocabulary

• Objective: Students will understand the selection vocabulary before reading the selection independently.

• GLCE: R WS Vocabulary02.11 Determine the meaning of words and phrases including objects, actions and content vocab. ..

• Workstation Activity: Word Match with Illustrated Definition

Procedures• Materials: 5 word cards (climate, protection,

moisture, erupt and discovery)

(five cards with illustrations of each word).

• Students: 2 or more students-May be played like fish and may need more cards for larger groups. (child needs to ask for word or a picture card)

• Procedure: Students try to match picture cards with word cards, before they place a match they must read the word for the others to check their work.

Unit 4, Lesson 4

Fossils

• Essential Component: Comprehension/Inquiry

• Objective: Collects information using observation skills and recording data.

• GLCE: R.CM 02.03/04 apply significant knowledge from grade

level science, uses compare and contrast strategies.

• Workshop Activity: Observing Fossils

Procedures

• Materials: 5-6 fossils, observation grid

• Students: May be completed as an independent workstation activity or with a partner.

• Procedures: Display and number each fossil. Students observe and record: color, texture, shape and what they think it might be? Grids may be shared at group time.

Procedures

• Materials: 5-6 fossils, observation grid

• Students: May be completed as an independent workstation activity or with a partner.

• Procedures: Display and number each fossil. Students observe and record: color, texture, shape and what they think it might be? Grids may be shared at group time.

Planning Components

• Room arrangement

• Classroom management/transitions

• Grouping formats

• Accountability

• Implementing work stations

• Work station planning

• Differentiating

Room Arrangement

• Determining physical factors

•Areas of instruction•Storage of center materials•Room arrangement•Example and non-example

Room Arrangement

Classroom Management

•Clear and explicit expectations– routines & procedures

•Transitions– auditory & visual signals

•Minimizing student disruption– management boards, mini-lessons, & The

Daily 5

Carousel Activity

1. Share/discuss “I Can List” work station ideas as a group.

2. Brainstorm additional work station ideas as a group, adding them to the ‘I Can List.’

1. Please continue to number them.

3. Choose a station to differentiate and share/record ways to differentiate it.

1. Reference the # of the station if it has already been listed.

4. At signal, transition to next work station.

Implementing Work Stations“Now what?”

• Make a plan to implement ‘work station system’ in classroom.– Gradual release of responsibility, & “perfect practice” to build stamina.– Pacing guide

• Make a plan to introduce each station explicitly & systematically.• Explain the station

• Model expected behavior

• Have 1-2 students demonstrate (non-example vs. example)

• Observe the station in action

• Make necessary adjustments

• Creating Accountability– Product vs. process

• Literacy station student checklist (daily, weekly)• Assessing student progress in work stations

Time 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 1st Grade Kindergarten

8:15 – 8:45 Block 8:15- 10:45 Block 8:15-10:15

Math InterventionPara Support8:15 – 8:45

8:45 – 9:15 Literacy Workshop8:45-9:15

Math Block 8:45-9:15

9:15 – 9:45 Literacy Workshop9:15-9:45

Block 9:15- 11:15

Recess/Snack9:15 – 9:45

9:45 – 10:15 InterventionAll Paras

Block9:45 – 11:45

10:15 – 10:45 Intervention/WorkshopAll paras

10:45 – 11:15 InterventionAll Paras

InterventionPara Support11:15 – 11:45

11:15 – 11:45 Lunch/Attendance11:00 – 11:40

Lunch/Attendance

11:30 – 12:10

Lunch/Attendance

12:00 – 12:40

Elementary Literacy Block Schedule

Kindergarten Literacy Block

9:45- 10:15- GREEN BAND- Sounds & Letters. Whole group instruction

Warming-up: words in print, word order & meaning, word length & meaning, rhyme,alliteration,substituting rhyming words,etc.

Phonological & Phonemic Awareness: word substitution—changes in words & word order, & order of words in spoken sentences.

Alphabetic Knowledge: letter names & shapes, Big Book, letter order/ vowels.

Reading a Pre-decodable book: currently reading #6.

*Teachers fi nish green band right af ter workshop if needed.

10:15- 10:45- Literacy Workstations & small group instruction

10:45- 11:15- RED BAND- Reading & Responding (Weekly passage)

*Activating prior knowledge, preview & prepare, selection vocabulary

*Big Book Story for the week, 3x

*Comprehension strategies, print & book awareness

*Discussing the selection, inquiry, concept/ question board

11:15- 11:45- BLUE BAND- Language Arts I nstruction

*Word Analysis/ Vocabulary classifi cation

*Writing Process Strategies- getting ideas, planning,writing, sharing,

*Language Conventions-grammar, usage, mechanics

* WEE CAN WRI TE f rom 11:45-12:00

Discuss at your table different grouping formats you have seen.

Discuss your thoughts about the teacher being a center and not being a center.

and

Instructional Grouping

Where are the Students During Small Group Instruction?

Same-Needs Group at Teacher-Led Stations

Mixed-Needs Group at Work Stations

1

2

3

48:30-8:50 Purple Group

8:50-9:10 Green Group

9:10-9:20 Blue Group

Data-informed Instruction

Data-informed instructional settings

• Teacher provides small group instruction

– To students with similar needs (homogenous grouping)

– In groups that change as students’ needs change (flexible

grouping)

Differentiating Work Stations

• Differentiated content• advanced students• on-target students

• struggling students

• Different process/tasks…color-coded or symbols

• Different product in work stations

– Different time parameters• Daily

• Weekly

Differentiating Work Stations

Differentiating

Open Court Overhead Transparencies

Word KnowledgeGrade 4, Unit 2 – Lesson 1

Line 1: successful profitable musical artisticLine 2: earns steady thread easyLine 3: specific price decide serviceLine 4: lessons preparation vacation obligations

Sentence 1: Manufacturing businesses can be profitable.

Sentence 2: Do you want an ongoing business that brings in steady money?

Sentence 3: Is there another service you could offer?

Sentence 4: Most students look forward to summer vacation.

Differentiating Work Stations

1. Share/Discuss station with your group.

2. Choose/plan at least 2 ways to differentiate this station, keeping in mind content/process/product and Bloom’s Taxonomy.

3. Exchange stations if time.

Management Principles

• Remember, When Planning and Implementing Literacy Workstations……

-Slow Down to Speed Up

-Go Deep not Wide

-Less is More

-Ask your Colleagues

Where can more information be found online?

http://www.fcrr.org/activities

http://www.ed.gov/free

http://pals.virginia.edu/Virginia/Actiivites

http://www.uth.tmc.edu/circle/best_practices.htm

http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/Frames-Genres.htm

Leigh Kennedy- lkennedy@tbaisd.k12.mi.us

Barb Hammond- bhammond@tbaisd.k12.mi.us

References

Blair, R., Mohammed. S., Boley, L., McKenzie, K. & Stanley, K. (2005). Managing the Reading First classroom. 2nd

Annual National Reading First Conference. New Orleans, LA.

Diller, D., (2003). Literacy Work Stations: Making Centers Work. Portland, OR: Steinhouse.

Evertson, C. M., Emmer, E. T., Clements, B. S., & Worsham, M. E., (1997). Classroom management for elementary

teachers (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Florida Center For Reading Research. (2005). K-1 Student Center Activities. Florida Department of Education.

http://ww.frcc.org/activities

Snow, C. E., Burns, S. M., & Giffin, P. (Eds). (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children. Washington,

DC: National Academy Press.

Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts. (2002). Second grade teacher reading academy. Austin. TX: Author.

Turner, S. (2006). The use of Reading centers in the continuum of instruction. Weakley County Reading First

Conference. Weakley County, TN.