Michael C. McKenna University of Virginia

1. Making Centers Work Sharon Walpole University of Delaware Michael C. McKenna University of Virginia

2. Today’s Goals • Consider reasons to establish literacy centers • Consider several possible centers rotations • Consider resources for the design of literacy centers

3. Back in School . . . Create a complete plan for centers for any one grade level Support one struggling teacher and model implementation of your centers rotation

4. What about the Rest of the Class? A balanced diet of whole-group, Tier 1 instruction and small-group, differentiated Tier 2 instruction can only be accomplished in one of two ways: • Collaboration (teachers use a push-in model to teach two or more groups at once) or • A single classroom teacher develops a rotation of teacher-directed instruction and student-directed practice

5. Literacy Work Stations Diller, 2003

6. A First-Grade Study • First-graders who began the year with weak decoding skills grew most with more time spent in teacher-managed explicit instruction • First-graders who began the year with strong vocabulary skills grew more with more time spent in child-managed implicit instruction Connor, Morrison, & Katch, 2004

7. A Third-Grade Study • Children who began third grade with average or low reading comprehension grew more in classrooms with more time spent in teacher-managed comprehension instruction rather than child-managed comprehension activities Connor, Morrison, & Petrella, 2004

8. How can we make more time for explicit instruction for some students and more time for child-managed activities for others? You can increase time for different types of activities by designing centers or by using collaborative systems for co-teaching. Let’s look at some possibilities.

9. Kindergarten Example • The teacher has the collaborative support of a paraprofessional • After the core lesson, the teacher uses a three-group format, with each group spending time with the teacher, with the paraprofessional, and in one center activity. She ends her block with a whole-class read aloud. • The first and second segments of small-group work last for 15 minutes each; the final one (with the weakest students in the comprehension center) lasts for 10 minutes.

11. First-Grade Example • This teacher has a group of strong decoders, a group of adequate decoders, and two distinct groups of struggling decoders. She has grouped the children according to informal assessment data. • After her read-aloud, she has a rotation of four 15-minute blocks, with the support of a reading specialist for the second 30 minutes • Both groups of struggling readers see the teacher and the reading specialist each day.

13. Second-Grade Example • The teacher reviews data and finds 5 distinct groups -- two very strong groups, one group that needs some additional fluency work, and two groups of struggling readers • After her read-aloud, the teacher meets with four groups each day, for 15 minutes each • The teacher sets up a rotation whereby the two strong groups work together in paired readings and summary writing and meet with her every other day • The two groups of struggling readers meet with both the teacher and a special educator.

15. Third-Grade Example • The teacher has one group with intensive needs in the area of word recognition and fluency, one group with some needs in fluency, and one group of children who are at or above grade level • The teacher has 45 minutes for small-group time. The first group constitutes 10 minutes, the second 20, and the final group 15 minutes

17. Some GARF Assumptions • Schools vary in the extent to which they use centers rotations and collaborative teaching approaches • The most effective centers are simple, repetitive, aligned with core instruction, and differentiated • Teachers vary in their comfort with a whole-group, small-group, centers approach • Effective management is necessary for centers to work well

18. Coaches’ Corner Has anyone had an especially positive experience integrating centers into the instructional plan? What were your secrets?

19. Ford, M.P., & Opitz, M. F. (2002). Using centers to engage children during guided reading time: Intensifying learning experiences away from the teacher. The Reading Teacher, 55, 710-717. Read this article. It provides guidance for teachers who are integrating centers into their instructional plan.

20. Let’s Plan . . . You have several sources to consult in the design of effective centers: • Your core program • The ERRFTAC core-specific manuals • The ERRFTAC Centers manuals for K-1 and 2-3 (see fcrr.org if you need to download these). • Your read-alouds

21. Now You Try It! Work with the centers planning template to brainstorm repetitive procedures to use in Reading First centers. Can we come up with three simple ideas for each center? Our goal is to use the same procedures, but modify the content.

22. Back in School . . . Create a complete plan for centers for three weeks for any one grade level Support one struggling teacher and model implementation of your centers rotation Prepare a reflection on your work to share at our next meeting

23. References Connor, C. M., Morrison, F. J., & Katch, L. E. (2004). Beyond the reading wars: Exploring the effect of child-instruction interactions on growth in early reading. Scientific Studies of Reading, 8, 305-336. Connor, C. M., Morrison, F. J., & Petrella, J. N. (2004). Effective reading comprehension instruction: Examining child X instruction interactions. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96, 682-698. Diller, D. (2003). Literacy work stations: Making centers work. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.