The more often first graders practice reading, the stronger their literacy skills become. Partner reading requires two students to sit side-by-side with a shared book. Each child can have a copy of the same book, or they can use one book together. Partners take turns reading the story and practicing comprehension skills like connecting, questioning, predicting and synthesizing information.
An art station can be a place where students go to draw and/or write about a book they have read. The children can illustrate their favorite character, a funny moment, a scary part, or a scene in the story where they figured something out. Teachers can require students to write an accompanying sentence to describe their drawing.
A Magnetic Letters workstation can be a useful tool for first graders who need daily spelling practice. If students have a weekly spelling list, they can practice creating their words with magnetic letters and even using them in a sentence. They can see how many new words they can make with the same beginning or ending sounds. Magnetic letters can be used on individual magnetic boards, larger blackboards, or even on a student's desk.
A Poetry Center can offer children opportunities to read and write poetry. Poetry can be less intimidating for first graders as poems don't have to follow the same rules as other literary genres. The center can consist of various laminated poems for children to practice reading. It can also be a place where students practice writing their own poetry using simple models. Over time, teach the children various types of poems such as including acrostic or haiku.
Type up sheets of words or use word cards that have sounds or letter patterns in common. Provide sorting sheets or boards that prompt students to separate the words by beginning or ending sounds, prefixes or suffixes. This type of workstation offers students a chance to practice reading similar words. By grouping words with common sounds and structures, students' spelling of these words will become more automatic.