5 Tips for Creating Elementary Literacy Stations

Ever wonder why some teachers have effortless literacy station rotations and others can’t even get the kids into groups? Rotations sound easy in professional development, but everyone who’s ever tried to set it up knows it’s not. 

Perhaps you’ve tried implementing stations and it collapsed. Or perhaps excessive noise and motion gave you a headache. Or maybe you’re not sure the students are actually learning. You want to do stations, but it’s hard. 

Beyond a basic knowledge of what stations “should” look like, teachers struggle with implementation. Here are some ways to work on your stations routine during your reading block. Follow these steps and you should have effortlessly flowing rotations… if you stay consistent. 

5 Ways to Streamline Stations

1. Set behavior expectations clearly. First, have the stations procedures printed, and teach them to students every day. These tend to be simple instructions specific to this one block. Station procedures tell the students to stay in the station, speak in a quiet voice, do their assigned task, and not interrupt the teacher unless there is an emergency. I taught my first graders a “stations rap” that we practiced daily to remember all of the procedures.

2. Have stations materials that all children can use. Make sure that the material in each station is accessible to other students and the station is able to differentiate instruction. You want to include games with clear instructions, reading that can be accomplished by students of all reading levels, and materials that can’t be misused or broken. In addition, when you have the class working, look over the room for trouble spots. If there’s one station where students find it difficult to focus, plan to put that station away and introduce one that may work better. 

3. Create a clear rotation schedule. Make a wall chart or digital display to show the students where they will work each day, and refer to it when you are sending the students out. Teach the students to work as a team and use stations that leverage this strategy.

4. Create heterogeneous groups. Creating groups made of students with varying abilities is a game changer for stations work. Heterogeneous groups increase success for students who are working in stations, because they can rely on each other’s strengths and support each other’s growth areas. 

One easy way to create heterogeneous groups is to number the students from the highest-scoring reader to the lowest. Then put the students sequentially in the four groups, with the highest-scoring student in the first group, the second in the second, and so on. 

This will mean that every group has at least one student who’s academically strong and can help the others. It also means that no group will be overloaded with students who need help. You may want to make a few switcheroos based on your personal knowledge of the students.  

5. Create a flexible teacher table. Meanwhile, as your heterogeneous groups are rotating around the stations, you’re going to call targeted groups to the teacher table by turns.

Create teacher groups that are homogeneous—that is, they have students who are all working on the same skill. This might be phonics, phonemic awareness, or comprehension.

It’s tempting to make the teacher table a station, but this seriously impairs your instructional flexibility. With all the students in rotating groups, you have flexibility with regard to students to call for instruction. And, if you need to switch your teacher table groups, you don’t need to change the whole group station rotation—your heterogeneous groups can stay together in their station rotation all year. 

Ideas for Centers that Are Engaging and Differentiated 

When I was teaching first grade, I had a class full of students with widely ranging abilities. Not only were there nine English language learners, but also I had five students who were designated gifted and talented, along with three or four I’d been given so I could help them with severe behavioral struggles. These students had widely different strengths and needs! Here are some of the stations that I found most successful with this group: 

Writing station. Because writing is self-generated, responding to a prompt or sentence strips is a naturally differentiated challenge for students. My classroom writing center used a word wall, sentence strips, and paper with different-sized lines, including paper with space for a drawing above to stir their creativity.

Listening station. Perhaps one of the most effective and overlooked stations, the listening center allows a student to use a computer to listen to a book while following the text on the page. My students loved sitting in the center sharing the experience of listening to a story. As they did, they engaged in a variety of literacy objectives. More advanced students work on understanding and analyzing text, while struggling readers match text to print and develop phonics and fluency. 

Arts and crafts center. This was a favorite. Students used materials such as construction paper, markers, glue, and scissors to build a literacy-themed work of art. Our curriculum, “Reading Street,” featured a repeated read aloud during the main literacy block. The students created artistic responses to the stories they heard. 

Leveled passage work. This can also be very effective. For example, in my first grade I used an SRA Reading Laboratory, which is a boxed set of reading passages with comprehension questions. Students work on their level and then self-check their work. Most students love to self-correct, and the fact that they are working on their level means they are successful when they apply themselves. I have seen marked reading gains from this station in students who need motivation and self confidence. 

These procedures and practices can make your station rotations come off without a hitch. Reminding students of your expectations is an everyday thing. Switching stations out when students master them or get bored is also important. 

The best part? Once the stations are working smoothly, you’re likely to find that this time is your—and your students’—favorite part of the school day.