Literacy Centers

As teachers, when planning lessons or activities, we must always keep in mind ways in which we can extend learning and ways in which we can incorporate literacy. Literacy Centers are a great way to do both! In chapter ten of her book, Make Way for Literacy, Owocki talks about the importance of having literacy centers in the classroom and how teachers can implement them into different subject areas while giving children open ended choices.  She provides samples of how learning centers that are already present in most classrooms can be turned into literacy centers. 

Library Center - children are engaged in reading a book but are also

 getting the phonemic awareness as the book is also being read to them on the CD.

Most early childhood classes already contain centers such as art, dramatic play, music and library/reading. Owocki goes on to say that these centers can all benefit a child's literacy by using certain strategies or by adding materials that promote literacy. In her samples of these centers she writes how it is important to keep background knowledge in mind; what have the children done in previous guided activities that will extend the learning through each of these centers? It's also important to have the right kinds of materials and to be aware of what role the children will play and what role, if any, the teacher will play. 

In order to make any learning center work as a literacy center as well, we as teachers must also understand that literacy is not simply just writing or reading. Children can engage in literacy through different ways. The dramatic play area allows children to be engaged with books either in a shared reading format where as the teacher reads children  can act out the story or by allowing them to create their own alternate endings or interpret the story by the images that they see; this is as much a reading of a book as if a child were to sit down and just read it. An art center can also serve as a literacy center. Children become aware of their surroundings and create images/products according to what they see, hear or feel. Environmental print is a big part of literacy and is often times expressed through the art center.

Children learn literacy through different ways and by providing literacy related materials in each classroom center we are further extending their learning and encouraging their literacy skills.