One of the core concepts of successful reading is reading comprehension. For early readers, practicing listening comprehension on a regular basis is a good way to build up story comprehension, which positively influences applied reading comprehension. Set up a learning center specifically for children to practice listening to stories. Read aloud from an age-appropriate book or play a clip from an audiotaped book and ask students to listen carefully to the details of the story. After reading a few paragraphs, stop and ask students to summarize the most-important parts of the story, including the main character and the basic plot.
Set up this interactive center to give kids hands-on practice of basic phonic concepts. Design several activities at this center, or stick to one activity at a time. One example of a phonics-center idea is to write out common combinations of letters, like “ly” and “ea,” as well as at least one written copy of each single letter of the alphabet. Have students construct words with the letter combinations and single letters, and then ask them to read their constructed word aloud. This activity promotes spelling practice as well as phonemic awareness.
Have students practice their reading fluency at this center. You can utilize a variety of different activities at this station. The best way for early readers to gain fluency is to practice reading, so focus the fluency-learning center on practice and feedback. For example, pair students in small groups and have each student read a short passage aloud. Ask for peer feedback on reading style and basic ways to improve fluency based on the lessons you’ve taught in class. Alternately, use this center as an opportunity for individual reading. Set a time limit and have students chose a book and read silently for the allotted time.
Sight words are words early readers should learn by heart. These common words like “the” and “can” appear so frequently in most reading material that children should be able to see the word and recognize it by sight in order to increase reading skill and speed, rather than taking the time to decode and sound out the word. Help young readers practice sight words by making vocabulary cards and having them practice the words in pairs. To make this activity more of a game, turn it into a fun competition by allowing students who can identify and read the word aloud to keep the card or return it to the pile if they cannot read it. The student with the most cards at the end of the activity wins.