Literacy Stations {and a mini giveaway}

Hello friends! So I have recently posted about my math tubs and RTI. Now, it's time for literacy stations! Maybe it's because I teach little ones, but I {puffy heart} LOVE stations! I feel like my students get so much hands on learning out of them. Here's what my stations look like for kindergarten at the beginning of the year. 

First, I set up a pocket chart using their picture and free station cards from One Extra Degree. My students rotate through stations and only do one station each day. 

Our stations are:

1. Listening Station (2 students)

2. Pokey Pins (2 students)

3. Word Work (2 students)

4. Computers (4 students)

Listening:
For my listening station, my students will listen to stories on storylineonline.net, leap frog videos and alphabet songs. It varies depending on the group. I want them to listen to something they can learn from and enjoy.

Pokey Pins - Then Read to Self

I use the pokey pins from  from Mrs. Miner's Monkey Business. Students lay on their bellies to do this work. They are great for fine motor skills. I also have carpet squares if I have a student who would rather sit at a table for this activity. Felt under their paper will also work. When students complete this one we hang it in the window just because it looks cool and then they go and read to self. Our read to self is a little reading corner with a kid sized couch and beanbag. 

I had a hard time finally deciding to implement this station. Students use push pins to do the work. When I was in kindergarten, the little boy I sat beside put a push pin on my seat hoping I would sit on it. I saw it and immediately told on that stinker. But I tell ya, I cried! And all of that made it hard for me to do this station ( I guess that scarred me, LOL). But as I see my kiddos doing this station, I know I made that right choice to make it part of our stations. 

Work Work

This is how I fit my sensory table into my stations. (And just happens to be the only thing I remembered to take picture of.)

I  have many activities for my table all stored underneath it. With this activity, students will pick a side to stand on and look at the board to see what letters they need. 

Then, they will look through the table and dig through the noodles and find the uppercase, lowercase and 3 pictures for each of their letters. 

The board is dry erase and magnetic, so I added a small magnet on each card so my students can easily sort what they find, remove and switch spots with their partner to work on new letters.

You can find that station here in my little store:

P.S. -all sensory activities are on sale until the 4th!

Computers

Four of my little friends will work on Starfall.com during station time.

Now I'm sure you are wondering how many kids I have, since they can't possibly fit at those few stations. I am very blessed to have an aid for 30 minutes each day. I have made that time my station time. She takes half of my students into our back room  to work on letters, sounds and words in a small group setting. The half that stay with me go to a station and then I pull for guided reading. 

This is the first year that it has worked out this way and I love it! 

With all of that said...I'm still a firm believer in very small groups for stations. With computers as the exception, I only put 2 kids at each station. I do the same with math tubs (and all of my kids are in the room for that). Only 2 kids are at a tub at one time. That means more things going on in the room and more stations to teach procedures for. But, you don't have to change stations out as often and I find that my students are actually quieter with just one friend instead of 2 or 3 friends in their group. 

Now is your chance to enter to win my alphabet activities for the sensory table. Just use the rafflecopter to enter and 2 lucky entries will be randomly chosen!
Lois is the winner! Check you email for some goodies! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway