i

HOW LITERACY CENTERS AFFECT BEGINNING READING SKILLS IN THE

CLASSROOM

Approved by Lisa Emendorfer on May 27, 2011

ii

HOW LITERACY CENTERS AFFECT BEGINNING

READING SKILLS IN THE CLASSROOM

__________________

A Seminar Paper

Presented to

The Graduate Faculty

University of Wisconsin-Platteville

__________________

In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirement for the Degree

Masters of Science

in

Education

__________________

by

Tara K. Ula

2011

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT PAGE

I would like to thank my husband, Josh, for his love, support and patience during the five years it

has taken me to graduate. I would also like to thank Lisa Emendorfer and Dr. Karen Stinson for

their help and for their direction with this project.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

APPROVAL PAGE………………………………...………………….………. i

TITLE PAGE………………………………………………………………..….. ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT PAGE……………………..………………………… iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………….…………………………. 1

CHAPTER

I. INTRODUCTION…………………….……….…………...….......... 2

Statement of the Problem

Definitions of Terms

Delimitations

Method of Approach

II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE……….…………………………….…… 8

III. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS………………..…...20

IV. REFERENCES…………………………….………………….…….....21

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HOW LITERACY CENTERS AFFECT BEGINNING

READING SKILLS IN THE CLASSROOM

Tara K. Ula

Under the Supervision of Lisa Emendorfer, MSE

Statement of the Problem

Literacy centers are thought to improve students reading, writing, listening, and speaking

skills and strategies. It can be a way to review prior lessons and skills taught while maintaining

consistent routines. There are different ways to conduct literacy centers and use them in the

classroom. The organization of literacy centers is crucial to the centers effectiveness to help with

reading readiness. Children learn at different speeds and ability levels. Some literacy centers are

flexible and the teacher can tailor each center to the student’s ability.

Students in classrooms vary greatly in their literacy needs and ability levels. As a result, it is

necessary to provide multiple opportunities for students to read, write, participate in meaningful

experiences, and collaborate with others so that they can develop their ability to read and

comprehend text. Literacy centers can have a positive effect on students with special needs.

Writing centers can boost students’ self-esteem as well as provide more practice with the

material that is currently being taught.

Methods and Procedures

Through a review of literature, it becomes clear that literacy centers can be very effective if

properly managed. However, the only person able to manage a center is the classroom teacher.

It takes the teacher time to create, organize and maintain centers. Teachers can tailor the center

activities to the specific needs of the students. Collaboration with special education teachers is

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also a great idea when working with students that may have special needs. This educational

project will review different ways to operate a center to develop a best practices approach to

centers that will be efficient and effective.

Summary of Results

The results of the paper indicate that there are many benefits to having literacy centers in the

classroom. Literacy centers not only help the children learn, but also can help students prepare

for more advanced reading skills. The purpose of literacy centers is to help all children practice

reading strategies and become more familiar with the skill being practiced. All children can

benefit from literacy centers because the teacher can target skills that the child may be struggling

with and students can see other peers performing these same tasks and skills. Literacy centers

can be a great resource to classroom teachers and a benefit for children in reading practice.

Literacy centers can have a big impact on students with special needs. Having literacy

centers allows the teacher to differentiate for the various levels within a classroom. Teachers and

special education teachers can work together to modify each center. Improved student behavior

is an additional plus that comes with literacy centers. Children with special needs can act out

because they become frustrated. Literacy centers can also help children work more

independently and develop work strategies on their own. Finally, students working in literacy

centers internalize what is taught because they have a direct opportunity to practice a task.

Students’ who are English Language Learners (ELL) would also benefit from literacy

centers as well. Not only would they get a chance to keep practicing the skills being taught, they

would also get to see skills modeled from watching peers perform the task. Classroom teachers

would be able to target skills ELL students have yet to master that other students may have

already mastered. Creating centers that are accessible and meaningful to students with little or

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no English is challenging because students who are ELL often don't have the ability to read

directions. To solve this problem, teachers can use picture cues when explaining the centers.

Teachers can also use a buddy mentor to help the students who are ELL with the directions and

the activities in the literacy center.

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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

As children begin their academic careers, they do so at many different levels of emotional

maturity and academic readiness. This makes the classroom a very challenging place for the

classroom leader. Some children are ready to sit and listen to a lesson, while others need to be

active. Teachers are left with the question of how to effectively reach each child’s needs.

Teachers are also faced with larger class sizes and fewer resources. Teachers in today’s

challenging K-6 classroom environments are coming up with new literacy center ideas to meet

the increasingly diverse needs of their students.

First of all, in order to know what literacy centers are, one must know the definition of

the word, literacy. Literacy is the ability to read and write. Therefore, literacy centers are

activities presented to students that allow them to practice reading and writing skills previously

taught in small or whole group instruction. Literacy centers are independent lessons that focus

on mastery of previous information conveyed to the group. The goal for teachers is to use

independent activities to encourage involvement and engage students in literacy centers to

increase student achievement in reading. Imagine how much learning could take place if each

child was challenged to his/her ability and could advance at a personal academic level that was

appropriate. This project focuses on researching ways to implement literacy centers in a

classroom for all students, including children with special needs and students who are English

Language Learners.

Curriculum instruction has drastically changed over the last century, moving from a more

traditional, teacher-centered emphasis on knowledge and skills during the early 1900’s to a more

progressive, student-centered emphasis in the 1940’s. In modern times, curriculum instruction

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has focused more on traditional teacher-centered aspects (Chall, 2000). According to Arquette

(2007), since the No Child Left Behind of 2001 was passed, accountability and testing have been

stressed. This has made teachers change the way they teach. To deal with these mandated

changes, Arquette (2007) has suggested literacy centers as sound ways to cover language arts

curriculum and also the five areas of No Child Left Behind. Literacy centers are a great way to

create one on one teaching experiences as a method to isolate individual skill instruction.

Some key change suggested that Best Practice teaching means less: whole-class

directed instruction, student passivity (sitting, listening, receiving, and absorbing

information) prizing and rewarding silence in the classroom; classroom time devoted

to fill-in-the-blank worksheets, workbooks, and other “seatwork” and more:

experiential, inductive, hands-on learning; active learning in the classroom, with all

the attendance noise and movement of students doing, talking, and collaborating;

choice for students, and emphasis on higher-order thinking (Bizar & Daniels, 2005).

According to Jean Piaget, as citied by Bizar & Daniels (2005), hands-on learning activities

are the constructivist theory in action- “learning principals by doing and playing with real stuff

makes learning come alive”. However it is looked at, using centers involves children working

alone or cooperatively with others while using hands-on instructional materials to develop their

skills or knowledge. Centers are used to connect new material with what is currently being

studied. Learning centers allow for individual learning styles to be useful in many engaging

opportunities as a means of sparking interest and imagination.

In describing the effectiveness of centers for young children, Isbel (1995) cited the ability

for children to touch, feel, and experiment with a variety of skills related activities as an

important component. Young children are interested in the world in which they live; centers are

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a symbolic representative of their world. In this “center world” children can try out many ideas

and rearrange happenings to fit their level of understanding. It is in this environment; children

can build their confidence and believe that they are capable learners.

Literacy centers are valuable to the pre-school age and lower elementary grade students

by allowing greater flexibility to meet individual student’s needs. “When students are involved

and actively engaged in learning in a supportive, exciting classroom environment, you will see,

hear, and feel the excitement and creativity that learning centers can provide” (Rice, 1996).

In many classrooms, there will be students that come from various backgrounds and may

have different learning needs. Teachers have to consider these things when planning and

teaching. It is important to know the needs and backgrounds of each student in order to meet

their academic and learning needs. Student needs should be considered when planning,

implementing, and assessing literacy centers.

A teacher also needs to consider students with special needs when preparing literacy

centers. The classroom teacher should collaborate with the special education teacher to review

the Individual Education Plans (IEP’s) of students with special needs to identify specific for the

child. Incorporating students’ goals into literacy centers can help students take part in the

classroom literacy centers as much as possible.

Preparing for centers takes time, creativity, and organization from the classroom teachers.

An organized classroom benefits not only the teacher, but also leads to a positive learning

environment resulting in decreased discipline issues. The first step in preparing for literacy

centers involves the selection of curricular goals. These goals act as the focus for each literacy

center.

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There are several different types of activities to use in literacy centers. The most common

types of literacy center activities include independent reading, listening center, literature

response, poetry, research, spelling and word work, and writing (Nations, 2001).

Independent reading: In this center, students can choose books from the classroom

library. While reading the books, students will get to practice all of the strategies and

skills learned. It is a good idea to switch books often to let the students get a variety of

materials to read. When students are finished with a book, they can create a summary

sheet or book report. Teachers can have each student write and illustrate what they read

about.

Listening center: Listening centers provide students the opportunity to listen to stories,

hear good reading fluency, monitor their own reading and practice oral reading. The

listening center also helps increase students’ vocabulary (Nations, 2001). This can be an

expensive center because audio books are costly. A local library may have books on tape

or co-workers may have books on tape or the teacher may record reading the books.

These are great alternatives to buying all new audio books.

Literature Response: This literacy center is geared towards student’s response to a

book being read or heard. Some activities in this center would be- story retelling box (the

teacher would provide materials for students to retell), BME (Beginning, Middle, End)

sheet, create a mental image of favorite part of a story, create a cover for the story, make

a book, partner reading, (or a book report the teacher would have a template for the

students).

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Poetry: Poetry can help with students’ fluency and expression. "Poetry is able to expose

the struggling reader to rhyme, rhythm, and repetition" (Nations, 2001). There a few

different ways to operate this center. One way is to have the poem on a smart board and

let students read the poem. Then students can circle or highlight the rhyming or repeated

words. Another way is to find poetry books and have students read it with a partner.

Have students use expression and a variety of silly voices. According to Debbie Diller,

children can do a variety of things with poetry. "Throughout the year, many of the

activities will remain the same. What changes is the level and sophistication of the

poems" (Diller, 2003). She suggests these activities to use in the poetry center: reading a

poem; buddy reading a poem; illustrating a poem; filling in the blanks; building a poem;

changing a poem; and copying a poem. (Filling in the blanks- is when the teacher writes

the poem on chart paper and leaves some words blank. The student then writes in the

missing words.)

Research: This literacy center allows the students to continue to learn about concepts and

skills that are currently being taught in the classroom. This is a great time to review or

finish up projects that were not finished during other subjects. Students can create

projects, write a summary about the concept or skill learned or make a paper chain of

events. The ideas and possibilities for this center are broad and can be used as a literacy

center all year long, by changing the materials to match the subject you want the students

to work on.

Spelling/Word Work: This literacy center allows students to play with letters to make

words that can be used in their reading and writing. The possibilities at this literacy center

are endless. Here are a few suggestions to incorporate. Students can make new words

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out of a word given to them, for example, member out of remember. Another strategy is

to use vocabulary, sight words, or spelling words to make new words. Have students

write as many words down as they can on a small white board or piece of paper. Another

activity is word families - (Change the word family every week). Spelling- Have

students write their spelling words in alphabetic order, write sentences using spelling

works, or do rainbow words. (A rainbow word is where they write the spelling word in

pencil, and then they write over the penciled word with 3 different colored pencils.) All

of these activities allow students to practice their spelling words independently. Word

Wall activities- use your word wall as part of this center. Have students sort words by

number of letters, vowel pattern, syllables, beginning, middle, or ending sounds.

(Diller,2003).

Writing: This literacy center gives each student the opportunity to practice creative

writing. It is important to encourage pre-writing steps and have students brainstorm and

think about their ideas before writing. According to Debbie Diller, one effective writing

center activities is to have students talk about ideas for writing with a partner. Another

writing center idea is to tell a friend a story before writing it down. It helps rehearse your

ideas (Diller, 2003). Other writing center activities could include; making cards, writing

a letter, writing a story, making a top 10 list of likes or dislikes, magazine picture stories

or creating a new ending to a familiar story. Students also love to share their stories with

the class.

All the literacy centers and activities mentioned above must be introduced, taught, modeled,

and practiced before allowing them to a part of an independent literacy centers, because

"Modeling the use of materials makes activities more interesting to children" (Morrow,2002). It

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is important that the class sees the activity being modeled or practiced several times before it is

expected to be at a specific literacy center. Showing something once is not good enough,

because often students forget. "Students need to see many demonstrations of how to use

materials before they can do them well on their own" (Diller, 2003). One nice thing about

literacy centers is that teachers can tailor them to individual needs. Literacy centers can expose

students to new activities in the classroom.

There are also different ways to structure centers. These include:

(a) teacher directed, (b) individual choice (the teacher provides basic guidelines but the choice is

in the child’s hands) and (c) open circulation (children rotate at will) (Rice, 1996). The

individual choice center allows for many positive rewards: children feel they are in control of

their learning; it encourages responsibility. Child advance at their own personal pace, and

independent center work increases self-esteem. Grouping can be according to ability; either

mixed or same ability or separated by interest. Using mixed ability levels can help develop

student interdependence.

When determining which type of literacy centers to use, it is necessary to consider the

center materials and activities. If a center requires the use of abundance of materials, it is bets to

designate an area in the classroom for that center. It would also be helpful to designate a

maximum number of students so the center could still run smoothly. If the center materials are

easily transported, the students could take the required materials and find a place suitable for

their learning. It is essential that materials are available for the students to stay on task

(Moskowitz, 2003)

Another consideration when planning learning centers is the amount of time that is set-

aside for the students to successfully finish. In order to meet learning center guidelines, it is

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imperative that scheduling allows adequate time for learning and exploration of center activities.

To do this, teachers must ask themselves several essential questions when considering guidelines

for literacy centers: Such as will the students be able to carry unfinished work over to the next

literacy center time? Will some students be required to get center work done daily? Are the

students prepared to make responsible choices without the direction of the teacher? Have the

students been fully prepared to work on a long-term project that will carry over from day to day?

(Moskowitz, 2003)

In addition to the essential component of centers, there is also the importance of

establishing a learning center environment. This environment will allow easy movement from

one center to another minimizing student distraction. Possible questions to ponder when

considering literacy centers environments are (Moskowitz, 2003).

1. Does one center require access to an electrical outlet?

2. Is there something going on outside a window that may be a distraction?

3. Will one center need to be in an extremely quiet environment?

4. Could one center be located near a bulletin board for use of its content?

According to Cunningham and Allington (1999), to keep centers working, guidelines

must be given and routines followed. It is important to build stamina in the children to increase

the likelihood they will want to try the activity again. The children need to practice the center

activity for one minute and build upon it each day until they reach the desired time on task

(Boushey & Moser, 2006). Boushey & Moser (2006) cited that after building stamina slowly,

one minute at a time, children feel success and motivation to stay on task. Through consistent

practice the centers should be able to work with little teacher involvement leaving more time for

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observation. The teacher should be able to watch group interaction, assess what is being done,

and plan for the future.

As a means of creating student achievement, and therefore chances for success, literacy

centers need to not only be designed by the teacher but also influenced by students. Creating

choice of literacy centers can give students the sense of being in charge of their learning

(Boushey & Moser, 2006). Furthermore, the use of choice in literacy centers can be highly

motivational to students, leading to increased academic success. It is important to communicate

with the students about what types of behavior and responsibility choices are good to promote

positive learning experiences. Choices and responsibility should be established and practiced at

the beginning of the implementation of the centers and practiced daily. Students seem to have a

higher rate of meeting expectations when they know what is to be expected.

Dewey, as cited in Bizar & Daniels, (2005), believed students would learn a great deal

about themselves, as well as the world, by working with others to carry out projects. Many

believe that literacy centers create camaraderie between students causing them to work together

and help one another. Periods of observation provide educators time to observe students to see if

students are developing this sense of camaraderie.

In order for literacy centers to be an effective teaching tool, appropriate record keeping

needs to be in place. During observation time, the teacher has the opportunity to gain a

significant amount of knowledge about each student and the assignments appropriate for

him/her. The use of anecdotal note taking can monitor the student’s progress and help form

assessments. Once an evaluation is complete, new assignments can be prepared to review,

enhance, or build on the prior knowledge (Moskowitz, 2003)

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Every student should be actively involved, and not a mere observer of the task. If routine

and purpose of the task is established, students will learn to be responsible. Additionally, they

will learn to make good choices and organize their work time (Opitz, 1994). An example of this

can be the creation of a “how to” poster for clean up, designed by both the students and teacher.

Students and the teacher can make a list of agreed upon expectations that take place during clean

up time. When students help with expectations they can obtain a sense of ownership and will be

more willing to help organize and help center clean up appropriately.

The main form of assessment for literacy centers is done through observation with

anecdotal notes to assess students’ progress, behavior, and choices. Anecdotal notes are taken to

assess on task time, proper use of materials, student cooperation, independent work, and

completion of work in a timely matter (Opitz, 1994). Assessment of literacy centers can be done

in many ways including:

1. Individual documentation of work through student portfolios.

2. Check center charts on an individual basis.

3. Class roster at individual anecdotal records.

4. Month-by-month calendar

According to Rice, (1996), centers can be extensions of what students are learning, or simply

topic the teacher would like to cover individually. Focusing on the state standards can help

educators determine if the center has a purpose. Within this framework, teachers can decide how

to reach their learning goals.

Diller (2003) noted that literacy centers are far more engaging in brain development for

young children when compared to the learning centers of the past. In the past centers would

change according to the classroom theme. Literacy centers should change, however, according

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to the levels of student achievement. Each student can be working at their own instructional

level. Traditionally, teachers used centers for students who finished their work early, but now

literacy centers are part of the daily routine to practice the lesson taught that day. The activities

in a literacy center are developmentally appropriate for each student rather than all students

working on the same task.

There are a number of educators and researchers that can verify the success of literacy

centers. In Julie Bullard's book, Creating Environments for Learning, she states, "In a study

examining the unique characteristics of K-2 teachers who were nominated as effective in

enhancing literacy, 100% of the kindergarten teachers, 85% of the first-grade teachers, and 73%

of the second-grade teachers had a literacy center in their classroom" (Bullard, 2010). According

to Debbie Diller, "...all students get to participate in work stations for equal amounts of time.

Another benefit is that literacy work stations allow you to differentiate for the various levels

within a classroom. Improved student behavior is an additional plus that comes literacy work

stations. One huge benefit for using literacy work stations in classrooms, is that children will

learn to work more independently. Finally, students at literacy work stations internalize what is

taught because they have a direct opportunity to practice a task just as the teacher modeled it"

(Diller, 2003).

During the research for literacy centers, no negative comments on the subject were found.

However, if elementary teachers were asked, it is pretty common to hear teachers say centers can

be crazy, chaotic, and are not always examples of good work. Management and effectiveness of

literacy centers can be a big problem for some teachers. According to Patricia Pavelka, who

wrote Guided Reading Management, "the same message and concern is being voiced: It is not

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the guided reading instruction that teachers are having difficulty with, it's the management piece"

(Pavelka, 2002).

Literacy centers are a valuable learning resource with many social and individual

benefits. They create a hands-on learning environment that nurtures each child’s developmental

needs. Thus literacy centers can enhance direction following, cooperative learning and problem

solving all while learning beginning reading skills.

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CHAPTER III

The researcher wanted to move beyond sight words and other functional literacy skills to

provide all students, including those with special needs, quality, meaningful literacy instruction.

The researcher studied best practices in reading and writing, and how to incorporate them into

the classroom. The educational project allowed the candidate to discover ideas for creating

meaningful literacy centers, differentiating instruction, and designing a classroom environment

that promotes literacy centers while addressing the individual needs of learners with special

needs. The research has provided strategies for including all students, including students with

special needs, and students who are ELL in a wide range of classroom literacy activities.

Teachers need to challenge their existing practices and implement new ones to benefit all

students, including changing curriculum and instruction to meet the needs of a wider range of

students. Teachers should have high expectations and provide meaningful and varied

educational experiences for all students in inclusive settings. There are a variety of techniques

that have been shown to help students with special education needs be successful in the

classroom. The primary goal is to teach to the ability or level of each student in such a way as to

build confidence in reading skills. This will lead to perceiving reading as an enjoyable activity.

The next several decades of research on literacy centers will illuminate just how much students

can benefit from literacy centers as an individual.

Supporting the needs’ of all learners in the classroom is crucial. Discovering each child’s

interests and needs and building on their strengths as well as simply believing in each child’s

capabilities will lead to a successful inclusive literacy classroom.

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REFERENCES

Arquette, C. (2007). Multiple activity literacy centers: Promoting choice and learning

differentiation. Illinois Reading Council Journal, 35(3), 3-9. Retrieved from Academic

Search complete database.

Bizar, M., & Daniels, H. (2005). Teaching the best practice way. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse

Publishers.

Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2006). The daily 5 fostering literacy independence in the elementary

grades. Portland, Maine; Stenhouse Publishers.

Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2009). The café book engaging all students in daily literacy

assessment & instruction. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.

Bullard, Julie (2010). Creating Environments for Learning. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson

Education.

Chall, J.S. (2000). The Academic Achievement Challenge. New York: The Guilford Press.

Cunningham, P. & Allington, R. (1999). Classrooms that work (2nd

edition). New York:

Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, Inc.

Diller, Debbie (2003). Literacy Work Stations: Making Centers Work. Portland, ME: Stenhouse

Publishers.

Ford M., & Opitz, M. (2002). Using centers to engage student during guided reading time:

Intensifying learning experiences away from the teacher. Reading Teacher, 55(8), 710.

Isbel, R. (1995). The Complete Learning Center Book. Maryland: Gryphon House.

King-Sears, M. (2007). Designing and delivery learning center instruction. Intervention in

School & Clinic, 42(3),137-147. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.

Moskowitz, N. (2003). The Ultimate Jewish Teacher’s Handbook. Springfield, NJ: Behrman

House, Inc.

Morrow, Lesley Mandel (2002). The Literacy Center: Contexts for Reading and Writing.

Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Nations, Susan & Mellissa Alonso (2001). Primary Literacy Centers: Making Reading and

Writing STICK! Gainesville, FL: Maupin House Publishing, Inc.

Nations, Susan & Mellissa Alonso (2006). MORE Primary Literacy Centers: Making Reading

and Writing STICK! Gainesville, FL: Maupin House Publishing, Inc.

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Opitz, M. (1994). Learning Centers, Getting them Started, Keeping them Going. Broadway, NY:

Scholastic, Inc.

Pavelka, Patricia (2002). Guided Reading Management: Structure and Organization for the

Classroom (1-3). East Lyme, CT: Husky Trail Press LLC.

Rice, D. (1996). How to Manage Learning Centers in the Classroom. California: Teacher

Created Materials, Inc.