Literacy Work Stations: Making Centers Work [Paperback]

Debbie Diller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2003 | ISBN-10: 1571103538 | ISBN-13: 978-1571103536

This book will help teachers solve the dilemma: What does the rest of my class do while I'm working with a small reading group? Debbie Diller offers practical suggestions for over a dozen literacy work stations that link to instruction and make preparation and management easy for teachers. Learn how to set up work stations, how to manage them, and how to keep them going throughout the year.

Each chapter includes:

• how to introduce each station;
• materials to include at each station;
• what to model;
• how to solve problems;
• how to differentiate;
• how to assess and keep students accountable;
• reflection questions for professional development.

Materials in both English and Spanish are provided in the extensive resource section. Throughout the book the author has included photos of literacy workstations from a variety of classrooms in which she has worked to illustrate the methods discussed in the text.

Product Details

• Paperback: 218 pages
• Publisher: Stenhouse Publishers (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571103538
• ISBN-13: 978-1571103536
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,738 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Debbie Diller is an author, educator, and national educational consultant who lives in Houston, Texas. She uses her experience of over 30 years as a classroom teacher, Title I reading specialist, and literacy coach to teach others about sensible, realistic ways to meet the literacy needs of all students in the classroom.

Debbie's work (through books and videos)focuses on showing teachers how to provide meaningful independent practice for children and how to teach effectively in small groups for reading. Most recently, she has been helping teachers get organized in their classrooms and does "classroom makeovers" on campuses to improve instruction.

When Debbie isn't on the road working with teachers and their students, she enjoys being at home with her family and friends. She grows perennials, rides her bike, concocts homemade soups, and lifts weights.

To learn more about Debbie, visit her website at www.debbiediller.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

186 of 187 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Actually make centers WORK!!, September 21, 2003

By 

School Faery "miss_smurfi" (Brea, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Literacy Work Stations: Making Centers Work (Paperback)

I have purchased many books on "centers", and still was not successful with small group time. Most literacy center books provide cute reproducibles to produce fun ideas, but all the ideas in the world is not enough to make centers work. THIS book does! First of all, it provides practical, realistic ways to understand your expectations for literacy centers, and great ways to introduce them to the students. The supplies for these centers are not time consuming for the teacher to make, the work stations will be in line with the curriculum. Her strategies for preventing and managing center behaviors are great! She outlines some fantastic mini-lessons to both learn and enhance the literacy centers. Reproducibles are included to go along with some of the centers, as well. One important feature is that each work station has more than task in it to help keep the students interested. The centers are fun for the children, and they are reading and/or writing in them! I highly recommend this book to K-2 teachers, it has helped me very much in my 1st grade classroom!

115 of 117 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Center Book Ever!, July 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Literacy Work Stations: Making Centers Work (Paperback)

As a literacy coach I have never seen a more comprehensive book on setting up centers (work stations) in an elementary classroom! This book covers everything: materials, introducing the work station, how to model them, solving problems, differentiation, assessment and accountability, and personal reflection. It even shows how kindergarten teachers can make their "traditional" centers more literacy-focused. A special section is also devoted to Second Language Learners. If you teach Kindergarten through 3rd grade, buy this book! You will love it!

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth the read!, July 27, 2005

By 

Ms. Rebecca Whitfield "grade3teech" (Phoenix, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Literacy Work Stations: Making Centers Work (Paperback)

I teach 3rd grade and started using centers last year in my classroom for the first time ever. Although my first year wasn't bad, I knew I wanted this coming school year to be much better and more organized than the last. Debbie Diller gives many great ideas and tips to manage centers and keep them fresh all year long. Although this book would be a 5 STAR book for K-2 grade teachers, I would also recommend it for 3rd grade teachers as well who are capable of using Debbie Diller's ideas given and "tweek" them to make them work for the older kids.

This book was an EASY read! Be prepared to write down many of her ideas or highlight them to implement them into your classroom!