A reader recently sent me this question, and I’d love if some of you could post a few lines on how you got started with stations in your kindergarten classrooms. I’ll follow up with comments, too. (I’m asking for your help because I just found out that all my website email from the past 6 weeks went to a spam folder, and there were 64 messages that I hadn’t received including the one below!) Thanks for helping me!
From a teacher in NC– Hi! Our Kindergarten team is currently reading your book about Literacy Work Stations. We are going to implement these into our schedule. I would like to know how and how many to introduce in K at a time. Also when is it appropiate to introduce the work stations since some Kinders are getting adjusted to school. Thanks, Joye
From a teacher in NC– Hi! Our Kindergarten team is currently reading your book about Literacy Work Stations. We are going to implement these into our schedule. I would like to know how and how many to introduce in K at a time. Also when is it appropiate to introduce the work stations since some Kinders are getting adjusted to school. Thanks, Joye
Debbie Diller 
Our kindergarten team begins the school year with “developmental centers” (housekeeping, blocks, lego table, easel, art, sand table, puzzles, playdoh,etc). These centers will become the first literacy centers by adding books, props, letters, signs, and writing materials. After the first week or so we add these things slowly and discuss ways to use them at the centers. During this time we also are using big books, poetry charts and the pocket chart during our whole group instruction. These materials are then used to introduce those centers. We “open” new centers as the students are ready for them. The excitement when a new center is opened is part of the fun! Once we have established routines and procedures for all of our centers we use Debbie’s Work Station chart to assign two “teacher choice” areas each day. After the teacher choice time, children make a student choice. This allows each student to visit three literacy centers each day. I hope this is helpful…Good luck to your team!
I started stations the first full week of school this year. In years past we did not start stations until the end of first quarter (mid-October), but I decided to try introducing them at the beginning this year, and it has been a wonderful experience. The kids do not know any different so they are not overwhelmed. It gets them in the routine from the get-go and gives them all of first quarter to practice routines/procedures and be “masters” of stations by the time we would have normally started them.
I introduced one station at a time modeling exactly what was expected in great detail at each of the first three stations that I introduced (computers, writing, word work). The points I stressed most were: *find your picture in the rotation chart to see where you start, *stay at your assigned station until it is time to rotate, *use quiet voices, *always do your very best, neatest work.
After practicing those three stations the first week, I introduced three more stations (art station, SMART Board station, listening station). We practiced those stations exclusively for one whole week.
The third full week I introduced the final three stations (reading station, pocket chart station, and math/science station).
Our kids have been in school for seven full weeks. They are rotating like pros! 🙂
I am starting stations in my kindergarten classes next week. My kids started on 9/10. They are definitely adjusted to being students and are finally done being pulled for various district assessments that I ready to get going.
I am planning to start slow and do lots of modeling as far as how my stations work. (I was fortunate to attend my district Summer Institute with Debbie and her associates.) I am going to introduce a couple stations at a time and plan to have a couple parent volunteers (at least in the beginning) to help get them going. My goal is to have my stations in “full force” right before Thanksgiving break. (My students will not attend school at all for a week at the end of October due to conferences.)
I started with a few ‘generic’ stations like library & art stations. Then, I slowly started adding more specific stations like the Big Book station & Pocket Chart station after a few mini-lessons on these stations. We also worked on ‘I Can’ lists for these new stations. Now, about 6 weeks in, we’ve got our routine down & just about every station up & running. I’m looking to add a listening station in a few weeks.
I usually start with the centers that need very little instruction, like blocks and housekeeping. We go over the do’s and don’ts the first time they go to those centers. I start with centers on our phase in days. This way it is easier for me to manage my students in these centers than if I have all 22 little bodies at once.
As the year goes on and I teach specific skills, I start implementing different materials and games into the centers. I put materials that we have used together as a class into those centers for students to use. This way they know exactly how I expect them to use the materials. I also begin to phase out some of the stations for other ones. Right now, I am in the process of phasing out my Playdoh center and putting in a graphing center. I really pay attention to the needs of my students as to when they’re ready for me to phase one center out and put another one in its place. This helps keep the students from being bored with the centers and becoming behavior problems.
I have used work staions in my kindergarten class for the past 7 years and love it!! My end goal is to have 10 stations and to have them all geared to literacy. (In the afternoon, I have 10 math stations–can’t wait for the new Debbie book about Math Stations to hit the shelves!)
Anyway, I begin by having the stations numbered 1 – 10. When using a numbering system, you can have duplicate stations instead of just having to focus on one thing in each station. In other words, station 3 & 5 could both be a Library. One fiction and one non-fiction. Stations 2 & 7 could both focus on letter id and sounds, etc.. And when using a number system, you can change the focus at a station at any given time.
To start, I open all 10 stations and have “toys” in each.
Play-Doh, Legos, doll house, Tinkertoys, etc.. My main goal the first 3 weeks of stations is to teach the children how to go to stations, how to stay in their station, how to use a quiet voice in stations, and how to put away the station when finished. I often say, “Look at your station, are you proud of the way it looks? If not, please go back and fix it so you are proud of yourself and your station is ready for your friends for tomorrow.”
After the initial 3 weeks of being in stations, I start adding something new in each station. I try to add something new in 2 stations each day. So by the end of one week, every station has one new thing added. This new item is based on literacy. Then I repeat this over the next 3 weeks. So in 3 weeks time, every station has 3 literacy activities and 1 “toy” in it. I do not remove items from stations until I have at least 6 diff. things for the children to work on. Every new item is the thing they do first in the station, then they revisit all of the other items as they want.
Once I start assisted reading groups, oral language groups, and guided reading groups, the stations will begin being “levelized” for each group. The items we work with within our small groups will trickle into the work stations. After about the 7th week of stations running, I remove the “toys.” At this point, the children should have plenty to do in each station.
My stations look like this:
1–letter matching, poetry reading, Concepts about print activities using poems
2–letter matching, concept sorts, Science exploration
3–Library, non-fiction
4–Puzzles, i-touches
5–rhyming houses, letter match
6–Story retelling, Big Books, puppets
7–Housekeeping, letter id, handwriting practice
8–Writing (lists, stories, postcards),
sorting characteristics of letters (sticks, curves, slants)
9–Listening station (phonemic awareness) and a book on tape
10–Computers
Hope this helps a little and doesn’t just confuse you. I would be happy to send you a picture of our organizational pocket chart or of any of the centers in my room. Just let me know! Have a great day in the best job ever!!
I’d love more info on your ten stations. Sounds similar to mine but I’d like more specifics on activities & organization. Please email me @ kimberley.du@apsb.org. Thanks so much!
I am interested in the stations you use 🙂 I just tried ten stations but I like how you added new activities on each please send me a picture of your chart or activities.Thank you so much for sharing great ideas .
I would love to hear more about your stations and see pictures (if possible).
Thanks,
Amy
I love your plan of having 10 stations. I would like to see pictures and have more information on how this works.
Thank you,
Rita
My email ritarochelle61@yahoo.com
This sounds wonderful! I would love a picture if you have a chance:)
caronen@campbellchristian.org
Thanks,
Christina
I was hoping you could send me a picture of your organizational chart! I am so excited to try this!! Thank you!
My email is pekalskyj@hampstead.k12.nh.us
Thank you!
Just found your information as I was browsing this evening. I love that you have a nonfiction and fiction library center… I’ve never thought of that. I am curious what types of papers or work kids do at each center to show accountablity? Also, do they carry a work folder from place to place or do you have turn-in baskets at each station or somewhere in your class? How much time do you have in your Literacy block and do you have an assistant that also teaches a small group? Do students stay at one center each day so that 10 centers would last 2 weeks or do they visit two or more each day? Are students grouped so that they have and average and low or average level and high? When you call students to your table for small group instruction, does that leave one person working alone at some centers? I hate to ask so many questions but I am intrigued with numbered centers and duplicate types of some jobs. Also wondering if the stations are in tubs that kids take to their seat to do or if the stations are free stations in various locations in your roo? Email me at denise.stephenson@cms.k12.nc.us sometime if you can. Thank you! Denise
I have three “center times” each day. (math, literacy stations, free choice centers) I start introducing my literacy stations the first week of school but they are done as whole group activities. For example, wipe off boards. We use them several times as a whole group to practice routines and rules. I discuss the “can do” activities and we model a lot. Then, I make that a station. I do the same thing with charts and poems, big books, magnet boards, and retelling. At this time in the year (35 days), I add activities after we do them as a class. For example, the retelling characters of the Three Bears was done together as a Language Arts follow up and it is now at the retelling station. I will be adding about six more stations this month and then I will have enough to have each student visit two a day. The important thing is to be available for the first few weeks of literacy stations. You will need to monitor and assist often. I also try to regroup after station time to discuss what worked well and what we need to change. The kids are so funny with their “advice”. I would like to share an idea I’m trying this year to cut down on the students interrupting my reading groups. I’ve tried telling them only if there is an emergency (blood, sickness) but everything seems to be an emergency to a five year old. This year, I put two carpet squares on the floor several feet away from my reading table. If they have a problem that only I can solve, they stand on the carpet square quietly and I will get to them when I can. It seems to work and they don’t budge or make a sound. Too funny.
I start my literacy work stations from the very first week. We have “phase-in” days where 1/2 the class comes one day, then 1/2 the class the next, etc. I introduce library first, then listening, computers, poetry, writing and word work. I model what to do at each work station, then have kids model what to and not to do. Then, I give each group a few minutes to practice that day. For the first few weeks, I try to use parents to help in stations that are most difficult/trouble-inducing (usually writing and word work). I do NOT meet with small groups until everyone is in the routine and knows what to do. This is crucial! 🙂
Please send me a picture of your organizational pocket chart.
Many thanks! Susan
Im a first year kindergarten teacher. In the afternoon i have an hour and a half for math. We are using singapore math and many of the lessons will only last for 15 minutes. So I guess I should do math centers but how do I introduce them? With 26 students if we are talking about things that are the same and different how to I create math centers and how many would I have? Or would i have some at computers, some in library and the rest at the tables doing cubes or some worksheet relating to sameness or different?? Help??