What Literacy Workshop looks like in my classroom

I've said it many times before.  Literacy Workshop is the most peaceful time of the day in my classroom and it's also my students' favorite part of the day as well.  As long as you have strong management and your students are clear about your expectations, it will run smoothly.  Here are a few photos of what Literacy Workshop looks like during a typical day.

Students working on a comprehension activity for the Listening Center

Students are working on a "Read the Room" activity.  You have have them write the words they can read on a piece of paper, a whiteboard, or these great magna-doodles (I've bought them at Wal-mart and the 99 cent store).  I make it more exciting by telling them that these magic glasses help them read better.  I'll change the prop depending on the holiday.  During Halloween, they wear a witch hat as the work.  For Christmas, they can wear a Santa Hat  and for Easter, they wear bunny ears.  Anything to keep them motivated and excited to learn!

Students choose to read silently as a "may-do" activity.

Students love playing phonics games with a partner.

A student works on the computer, try www.starfall.com . I use cheap head phones so the sound does not disturb other scholars.  To avoid lice, students use a Clorox wipe to clean the headphone after each use.  You can also assign a head phone to each student and have them keep it in a ziplock bag.

Students are working independently on various activities.

This student is working on an independent listening center activity.  I will store a CD player, ipod, or tape player in a plastic "may-do" box with headphones.  There will be a book and headphones inside.  Typically, I choose books that go along with our holiday theme, unit of study, or a book that the class enjoyed from a previous group listening center.  Or, I will use my single books that I bought from Scholastic during a great sale, for this activity.

This "Rainbow Spelling" activity is a favorite.  You can use it for vocabulary, sight, or spelling words.

You can purchase the "Literacy Workshop" handbook to the right of this page for more than 50 activities that can be used tomorrow!