Literacy Centers: Ideas and ways to utilize them.

Could include

·        Free writing

·        Structured writing

·        Word study/Grammar

·        Group reading of subject related material

·        Silent reading/response

·        Listening (recording) centre

·        Readers’ theater

·        Computer

·       Guide group (with teacher)

Structure:

·       Groups of 4-6

·       Work for 10 (settling) 20 bulk (guided group with me) 10 finishing up/reflection

·       First day explain centres

·       Four centres in total

·       Last day finish up and/or repeat favorite centre

 

Famous Kids

Writing Centre

1.            Read the contest ideas.  Read the reviews that other children wrote.

2.           Think of a movie that you have seen recently and enjoyed.  (A movie that you saw in a movie theater would be better.)

3.           Write a review of the movie for the magazine. 

4.           Don’t forget to include:

·        a little bit about what happened in the movie (don’t give away the ending)

·        why you liked the movie

·        try to convince someone else that they should go see it too

Famous Kids

Writing Centre

1.    Read the contest ideas.  Read the reviews that other children wrote.

2.   Think of a movie that you have seen recently and enjoyed.  (A movie that you saw in a movie theater would be better.)

3.   Write a review of the movie for the magazine. 

4.   Don’t forget to include:

·        a little bit about what happened in the movie (don’t give away the ending)

·        why you liked the movie

·        try to convince someone else that they should go see it too

Famous Kids Magazine

Reading Centres

1.            Flip through the magazine preview it.  Look at the pictures, headings, etc…

2.           Read the articles that are about the movies which are in theatres now.  You may not want to read the entire article, if you decide it is not a movie that you would like.

3.           Which movie(s) would you like to see?  Why?  Which movie(s) does not interest you? Why?

4.           Read Stuff.  Find the page number in the Table of Contents.  Which item do you wish you have? Why?  What would you do with it?

5.           Read the article about Jelly Beans OR the biography of the Rock.  Code the text. 

Use:      I learned

I wonder

I already knew this

This did not make sense

Surprising

Read/do any other part of the magazine alone or with a partner in your group that you would like.

Activity A: Reading Centre: Intended Audience

1.    Choose a text (poster, magazine, newspaper…)

2.   Take a PEEK (Picture, every heading, other features of text)

3.   Discuss who you think the intended audience/reader is (who did the author write the text for).

4.   What evidence do you have to support this.  (What do you see/read in the text that helped you decide who the intended audience is)

5.   Repeat for other texts.

6.   Record your thoughts about the intended audience for one of the texts.  Don’t forget the date, title of the book and full sentence answer with proof.

7.   IF TIME, read a text that interests YOU.

Activity B: Writing Centre: Setting (where/when a story takes place)

1.    Follow the instructions on the hand out to write a paragraph to describe the desert using the phrases given to help you.

2.   Write a new paragraph to describe the setting shown in one of the three pictures.

3.   If you have time brainstorm ideas for a setting for a story you can write (you could make it a story about the character you described at last week’s literacy centre

Activity C: Guided Reading Centre: Early Settlers/Structures

Group 1:

Group 1 Living Together	Group 2 Great Dams	Group 3 Living Together	Group 4 A Great Wall

A Great Wall

1.    What is the main idea of this article? Support your answer with evidence from the selection.

2.   Use a flow chart to explain the steps the workers used to build the wall.

3.   What did you find the most interesting about the Great Wall of China?

4.   How did the Chinese do to make/remake the Great Wall of China strong and stable?

A Great Wall

1.    What is the main idea of this article? Support your answer with evidence from the selection.

2.   Use a flow chart to explain the steps the workers used to build the wall.

3.   What did you find the most interesting about the Great Wall of China?

4.   How did the Chinese do to make/remake the Great Wall of China strong and stable?

A Great Wall

1.    What is the main idea of this article? Support your answer with evidence from the selection.

2.   Use a flow chart to explain the steps the workers used to build the wall.

3.   What did you find the most interesting about the Great Wall of China?

4.   How did the Chinese do to make/remake the Great Wall of China strong and stable?

Living Together

1.    What is the main idea of this article? Support your answer with evidence from the selection.

2.   Make a Venn Diagram to compare the bees/beehives and Termites/termite mounds.  Use jot notes.

3.   What did you find the most interesting?

4.   Why do people say that bees (and termites) are social animals?

Living Together

1.          What is the main idea of this article? Support your answer with evidence from the selection.

2.         Make a Venn Diagram to compare the bees/beehives and Termites/termite mounds.  Use jot notes.

3.         What did you find the most interesting?

4.         Why do people say that bees (and termites) are social animals?

Living Together

1.          What is the main idea of this article? Support your answer with evidence from the selection.

2.         Make a Venn Diagram to compare the bees/beehives and Termites/termite mounds.  Use jot notes.

3.         What did you find the most interesting?

4.         Why do people say that bees (and termites) are social animals?

Living Together

1.    What is the main idea of this article? Support your answer with evidence from the selection.

2.   Make a Venn Diagram to compare the bees/beehives and Termites/termite mounds.  Use jot notes.

3.           What did you find the most interesting?

4.           Why do people say that bees (and termites) are social animals?

Great Dams

1.    What is the main idea of this article? Support your answer with evidence from the selection.

2.   Make a Chart with the titles: Type of Dam, Materials Used to make the Dam. Use jot notes.  You may also use drawings to explain the Dam using the chart.

3.   Which fact did you find the most interesting?

4.   What are some problems with dams?

Great Dams

1.            What is the main idea of this article? Support your answer with evidence from the selection.

2.           Make a Chart with the titles: Type of Dam, Materials Used to make the Dam. Use jot notes.  You may also use drawings to explain the Dam using the chart.

3.           Which fact did you find the most interesting?

4.           What are some problems with dams?

Great Dams

1.            What is the main idea of this article? Support your answer with evidence from the selection.

2.           Make a Chart with the titles: Type of Dam, Materials Used to make the Dam. Use jot notes.  You may also use drawings to explain the Dam using the chart.

3.           Which fact did you find the most interesting?

4.           What are some problems with dams?

Great Dams

1.    What is the main idea of this article? Support your answer with evidence from the selection.

2.   Make a Chart with the titles: Type of Dam, Materials Used to make the Dam. Use jot notes.  You may also use drawings to explain the Dam using the chart.

3.           Which fact did you find the most interesting?

4.           What are some problems with dams?

Activity D: Word Work: Verbs

FYI:

·        Verbs can be in present (happening now), past or future

·        Usually to change a verb to the past you need to add ed, for the future you add will in front of the verb

·        A verb is an action word (or a state of being “I am tired.”)

Verb Charades

1.    Split your group into 2 teams

2.   Each team brainstorm a list of verbs in the past tense (e.g., skipped, hopped, blew, flew…)

3.   One person from Team A chooses a verb (don’t tell team B) and WITHOUT talking acts out the verb.

4.   Team B has to guess what the verb is.

5.   After Team B has guessed the verb then Team B acts out a verb for Team A to guess.  Continue until everyone has had a turn to act out a verb.

Time Travel Game

·        See the paper for instructions

·        Please cover the game board with plastic

Verb Sounds

·        Brainstorm (as a group) verbs that actually sound like the sound they describe (e.g., crunch, sigh)

BONUS: Verbs like Me

Please write in your journal not on the photocopy.

Guided Reading: Urban and Rural Nelson page 88-91

Take a PEEK. (THIEVES)

What is the main idea?  How do you know?

Which type of community do we live in? How do you know?

Silent reading

Choose a Just Right book.

Read quietly and independently.

If time, write a reading response to Mrs. Lane using the organizer and sentence starters.

Writing

Use the examples of poems to help you write a poem about URBAN or RURAL following the same format.

First brainstorm ideas about urban/rural.

Use the ideas to create a poem following the examples.

Word work

1.    Editing worksheet. Highlight and fix the errors in the text.

2.   Practice editing with a partner using their writing.

·        Start by reading the partner’s writing outloud.

·        Does it make sense?

·        Is it interesting?

·        Is there enough detail?

·        Are the characters and setting introduced before the action starts?

·        Is there dialogue (speaking)?

·        Use a different colour and sit side by side to try to fix the errors in punctuation and spelling.