Literacy Work Stations: Making Centers Work

by Debbie Diller

Ever wonder what the rest of your class should be doing while you are working with a small reading group? Debbie Diller offers practical suggestions in Literacy Work Making Centers Work for over a dozen literacy work stations that link to classroom instruction and make preparation and management easy for teachers. Learn how to set up work stations, how to manage them, and how to keep them going throughout the year. Each chapter How to introduce each station Which materials to include at which station What to model the station as How to solve problems and differentiate How to assess while keeping students accountable Reflection questions for professional development Materials in both English and Spanish are provided in the extensive resource section. Throughout the book the author has included photos of literacy workstations from a variety of classrooms in which she has worked to illustrate the methods discussed in the text. Literacy Work Stations is a go-to classroom resource that will help you keep all students engaged while you focus in on small groups.

Genres: Teaching, Education, Professional Development, School, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I can say is that after my first year teaching, I was given this book by my mentor. It truly saved my classroom. From the beginning of my second year, I knew what to do from the beginning. It made such a difference in my overall emvironment. I recently saw her speak, and I was even more inspired by her willingness to be realistic and practical. If you are new or experienced in teaching...you need to get this book.

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disclaimer- I LOVE The Daily 5 and The CAFE book by the sisters so when I read books like this I get some value, but compare them all to my self-proclaimed gold standard,and this one just doesn't stand up.

The workstations in this book are far superior time savers than using a bunch of seasonal or thematic centers, but it is still more WORK for teachers- so by extension me- than using The Daily 5. Why maintain and teach my kinder kids 10-12 work stations, when I can teach and maintain only 5 (with 2 of them being almost maintenance free)?

Bottom line, there is good stuff in here for new and experienced teachers alike. BUT don't waste your time if you LOVE The Daily 5...you probably won't be jumping the ship for this.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many books on how to teach effective centers in your class but this book has made it so clear for me! First, it provides practical, realistic ways to understand your expectations for literacy centers, and great ways to introduce them to the students. The supplies for these centers are not time consuming for the teacher to make and it is very easy to make sure that the work stations correlate with the curriculum. Also, Diller's strategies for preventing and managing center behaviors are great! I am going to use this as my main resource when I am setting up my centers this fall.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going into my second year of teaching, I wanted to definitely revamp and refresh my literacy stations. I always get ahead of myself and put too much together at one time and everything goes awry. I found this book to be simple and refreshing and highlighted/ flagged the entire book! It is a great reference and not only offers ideas for literacy stations but helps guide the teacher and students towards rules and expectations at each station.

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reread this book since it is referenced in the new literacy curriculum my school district just adopted. It was relevant in the 1990’s when teachers used OVERHEAD PROJECTORS! The foundations in this book are solid I was looking for more innovative and updated center ideas.

[Heather Stamper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got a lot of good ideas for the fall.

[Mary Bolt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not that many people will read this book, but it is amazing! It has revolutionized my Reader's Workshop centers. My kindergarteners are so much happier and engaged, and I can already tell that they are learning more (and we have only been using it for 5 weeks!). I would HIGHLY suggest it to any K through 2 teacher.

[Lorena · Rating 4 out of 5]

All my stolen books ended up on the steps of a church. By the love of god...
I got this one back.

[Laura Tabrizipour]

I havnt read this book yet but it looks like a great book to use if your going to be a first time teacher.

[Kimsimpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a must have for new teachers!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read many books on how to run centers in the primary classroom and this one is by far the most practical! I recommend this book to any k-3 teacher wanted well-run, effective, FUN centers!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another amazing resource from Debbie Diller. I have used this book to re-design my literacy work stations this year, and I am having so much success!

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative, this book may reshape my teaching quite a bit! If you are a teacher, I highly recommend this book.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprising how simple she makes it seem .She has great practical ideas for the students wok but not enough about management which is the difficult part for teachers..

[Donna]

Anything by Debbie Diller is great stuff to help with student management and reading. Helpful tips throughout the book.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for teachers! Loads of helpful hints, ideas, and how-to's. I borrowed this from a colleague, but now I want my own copy!

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book to help every teacher, from new to highly experienced.

[Leslie Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book to have in the classroom as a resource. I have heard time and time again that no teacher should be without this book.

[Gail Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent ideas. I already use some of this in my classroom, but I am excited to try some new things too! I highly recommend this book to early elementary teachers.

[Shari · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a teaching book, it was actually a fast read with real, applicable information. I highlighted and made notes and will use this information as I start the school year.

[Lisa Toth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book! I enjoyed reading it and got tons of ideas to implement in my classroom!!

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love how she targets problem areas and identifies solutions. Practical.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome teacher tool for making literacy centers work in your classroom! I love this resource!