Alyson Cotter Literacy Centers

The website Literacy Centers: Literacy Center Ideas and Management Tips from http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/literacy_stations/main.html had many useful tools. It has numerous beneficial resources and links. It had pictures of charts that give teachers a wealth of information. Also next to these pictures was an example of how one teacher used a chart in the classroom setting, and how this teacher organized and managed certain centers. It also has links that focus on mini-lessons, activities, signs, and rubrics. The site has a variety of ideas for particular subject areas. Examples of these centers include: Independent Reading Center, Language Arts Center, Vocabulary Center, Word Work Center, Computer Center, Writing Center, Poetry Center, Listening Center, and Literature Circles. Each link has a list of activities, ideas for bulletin boards, charts, and ways to organize the center.
Another site that that seems to be an excellent resource was Teaching Hearts Learning Center Page from http://www.teachingheart.net/LC.htm. This page was a lot different than the one described above. A teacher explains how she has the centers set up in her classroom and the procedures that she follows. She then has different centers that she uses in her classrooms with links to print worksheets, signs and schedules. The teacher took pictures so that we can see students working at the centers and how they are set up. This is great because sometimes it is hard to envision what a teacher is describing without actually seeing students at work. Also helpful was the listing of books that can contribute to the success of the various centers. There were teacher-suggested activities on how to increase learning in the centers. After studying these sites, I have concluded that literacy centers promote student learning, and that these websites will be excellent resources to use in my future classroom.