As part of a well-balanced literacy program students need to apply and practise their literacy skills through independent activities and independent reading.
These may include:
- activities at set up by the teacher
- re-reading in a guided reading group and may have taken home to read and practise
- reading
- reading other , such as library books.
A way for teachers to ensure that students are actively practising their literacy skills is to set up a range of classroom learning centres.
These centres are designed to provide purposeful and meaningful literacy tasks. They provide students with the opportunity for:
- extension
- reinforcement
- enrichment
- independence
- responsibility.
In the Key Links Teachers’ Tool Boxes Jill Eggleton provides a range of practical activities for a variety of :
- Oral Language Learning Centre
- Library Centre
- Poetry Centre
- Shared Book Centre
- Writing Centre
- Word and Letter Centre
- Handwriting Centre
- Design Centre
- Science Centre
- Computer Centre
There is also an example of how a Learning Centre Task Board may be set up to organise students.
There are several ways student can practise reading:
- re-read books from Guided Reading sessions
- take home reading books appropriate to their reading level
- read student-made books
Jill Eggleton provides several practical ideas of how to set up books for students to read independently in the Teachers’ Tool Boxes for Key Links.