Literacy Stations

My summer was basically spent researching the 'literacy workstation'. Something which, in Britain I have not yet come across outside of the Foundation Stage classroom.  Sure we have Plan, Learn (Do), Review, writing area's, reading corners etc.  But literacy workstations, not so much.

My understanding is that you have a selection of literacy activities available for the children to choose from during independent learning time or during guided reading time.  These activities vary greatly, but some of the best ones I have come across are as follows:

Scoop and Spell

Scoop and Spell - where the children scoop out (using an ice-cream scoop) some scrabble letters.  I bought mind from eBay for around £4 (I bought the junior version as they are lower case letters).  Then the children simply make as many words as they can with the letters they have scooped out.  My children especially like the kinaesthetic aspect to this activity and they enjoy playing with the patterns in words.

Word Doctor

Word Doctor - A great game I found here: tunstalltimes blogspot Basically it's an independent activity where the children are able to dress in surgeons gear (i.e. a dust mast, green gloves and a white coat!) And use tweezers to put together words on bones which have been 'broken'.  Proved a real hit with my children who again love the kinaesthetic element to it.

Trash or Treasure

Treasure or Trash - We all know the familiar game from Letters and Sounds.  This version can be found at: Teachers Pet: Activities which is a great website.  You have to pay for the activities part of the site, displays is free, but I would recommend signing up, I use it all the time for resources.  Anyway, the workstation versions is literally a bin form the pound store for the Trash and a basket for the Treasure.  I put in laminated coins which the children or I can change and the children simply work alone or with a friend to sort the treasure coins out.



Thats just some of the stations I have already set up, but I definitely have some more on the cards which I would like to try.  Hopefully i'll attach some photo's of the stations in action in my next post.