Less Time on Literacy Centers, More Time on Reading

In a previous post, I unpacked why literacy centers may not be worth it.  I won’t go into these reasons here, so I do encourage you to check out that post before you read on.  The biggest reason, they might not be worth it, though?  When kids are in literacy centers, they’re doing very little actual reading. 

For the majority of teachers who implement them, the number one driver of the decision to implement them is to keep the class busy to free up the teacher to work with small groups.  A completely valid consideration.  But if reading stations aren’t the way to go, what’s the alternative?  What else could kids do while the teacher meets with groups of students?

Instead of literacy centers, ideally, kids would simply engage in reading.  As in independent reading.  

Some dismiss and even shun independent reading, and those people have very valid arguments.  They are totally correct in pointing out that we absolutely must support and coach students with independent reading.   Full stop.  From book selection to application of reading skills, the teacher plays a critical role.   

I talk much more about ways teachers can support students with text selection here.  This time cannot be a free-for-all.  Students need guidance in choosing texts that support and reinforce their developing skills as readers.

No way.  Not when our students so desperately need to build reading skills. 

The time our students are with us is precious and very, very finite.  There isn’t a moment to squander.  

The texts students read independently must be texts that they have the skills to read.  It’s also very helpful if those books are of interest to the child.  

So, sometimes the texts they read independently might be a reread of a book or selection read in a previous small group or during shared reading.  Maybe it’s an assigned selection from your curriculum.  Or maybe students have chosen some texts from a wide level band that you know they can access with a strong degree of success (note:  I’m not advocating for leveling students–much more on what I mean by this here).  

But there also needs to be space for pure joy of reading, too.  So sometimes, yeah, it might just be that Diary of a Wimpy Kid book they’ve read 14 times before, or a beloved picture book they know inside and out.  Because this complete choice matters, too. 

Teacher, author, and Global Read Aloud creator Pernille Ripp reminds us of the importance of choice in independent reading when she asks, “Can you imagine always being told what to read and never being able to work through a book of your choosing? What we should be focusing our energy on is how to help students navigate the choices they make as well as develop better book selection habits.” The teacher’s role in helping students develop book selection habits cannot be overstated.

In the end, though, it’s all about a balance of texts. 

Break the block up into shorter segments

Stamina for reading for longer periods of time is built over time.  The master schedule may show that there’s a thirty minute block of time available for kids to work, but it takes time to get them there.  The day one routines will look very different from day 100 and much, much different from day 180. 

If you have a 30 minute time block, maybe they read their own texts (or texts you’ve chosen for them) for 10 minutes, then meet with a partner for the next 10 minutes to do some partner reading, and then return to independent reading for the last 10 minutes.  Or any similar combination–there are many ways to split this up.

If you’re using a combined reading/writing approach like I often advocate for, then this gives even greater flexibility.  

And what’s the teacher doing while kids read independently?

Very targeted instruction.  Small group instruction, of course.  But keeping in mind that everyone does not need to be in a small group every week, we can balance this time out with 1:1 conferring to really keep a pulse on the current needs and trends in your class.  This is a powerful way to check on how your students are doing with reading their texts independently to inform your next instructional steps.  Check out how I use my conferring notes for this purpose here.   

What if your kids just don’t have the stamina for more than 10 minutes of reading?

That’s ok.  In less than 10 minutes, you can still conduct a targeted strategy lesson in a small group.  

Maybe you gather the kids back after that 10 minutes and do some whole group fluency work, then send them off in partnerships to continue to work together…on fluency building or partner reading.  At which time you could still work with another small group.  

This independent time is so important.  

Not only is this a time where stamina can be built–something today’s students greatly struggle with–but it’s also a time where they get the chance to apply the skills we’ve worked so hard to teach them, putting what’s called “set for variability” into practice. 

This gives students a chance to practice flexibility with phonics patterns they’ve been taught, in relation to meaning.  Marnie Ginsberg, creator of Reading Simplified, describes it as “a skill that a reader uses to transform a pronunciation error into the correctly decoded form.”  In other words, it’s the authentic opportunity to put the real purpose of MSV–and the monitoring behind it– in place.  

Readers need to become flexible, as our language isn’t super straight-forward.  It’s not code-based only.  Meaning plays a big role in pronunciation.  Kids need a lot of opportunities to practice doing it.  Reading–and reading widely–is a great way to provide that opportunity. 

Beyond this, Tim Rasinski recommends wide reading as “a key component of any effective reading program.” It’s a big vocabulary and background knowledge-builder, and can help kids become more fluent readers, as long as the texts they’re reading are accessible.  

Is there any place at all for reading centers?

Of course.  But sparingly.  And with a great sense of purpose.  

Incorporating some flipped lessons to propel students forward is a great idea, although they do take work at the outset to put together.  Dr. Catlin Tucker is the go-to guru on this, and I highly recommend her work if this is an option that interests you.  

Or maybe there are some once per week stations built around a grammar focus of study, as Patty McGee and Tim Donohue suggest in their book, Not Your Granny’s Grammar.

Or perhaps you have some rotations built in to kickstart an inquiry to build background knowledge around an upcoming social studies or science topic.  This could even be combined with flipped learning. 

Maybe once a week you’ve built in some station rotations to review last week’s (or earlier) skills and concepts, as a form of spaced practice.  

These would all be very valuable ways to incorporate stations, but the teacher needs to be available to support students as needed.  They don’t dominate the reading time. 

Reading dominates the reading time.  

In the end, it’s simple: kids don’t become readers by rotating through centers. They become readers by reading—with us right there to guide, coach, and celebrate their growth.

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Who is Coach from the Couch??  I’m Michelle Ruhe, a 25+ year veteran educator, currently a K-5 literacy coach.  I continue to learn alongside teachers in classrooms each and every day, and it’s my mission to support as many teachers as I can.  Because no one can do this work alone. I’m available to you, too, through virtual coaching calls!  Simply email me at michelle@coachfromthecouch.com or reach out for a coaching call.  I’m here to partner with you to ensure that your reading block is as purposeful as it can be for your students!

Or, consider joining my Facebook community–a safe, supportive environment (really–no blaming or shaming is allowed!)  where you can ask questions, learn ideas, and share your thoughts among other literacy-loving educators!