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using familiar materials just as they had pre-COVID. A few things were different:
· Students might sit on individual rugs spaced several feet apart and each held their own copy of a book for the partner reading stations. They still read and talked about the book.
· Children read on their own at the independent reading station. Some used a classroom library for this while others had students sit at their seats to read by themselves. They could still talk with each other about what they read and share books with their classmates.
· In some classrooms, kids had a clear acrylic divider between them, so they could still see each other and talk about what they were learning. They used this setup for partner reading, independent reading, and listening and speaking stations.
· A clear acrylic divider could be placed between two students sitting at a small table or two small desks at a writing station. They could see what each other wrote and talk about their writing.
· Students returned materials to a storage space and used hand sanitizer between stations.
· Students always wore masks during stations as they interacted with each other.
Children in these classrooms were doing fairly well. Kids were happy to be at school with other students and their teachers in these elementary classrooms. There were no (or limited) COVID cases at these schools, so children were in school most of the year.
I also met with teachers who were doing some online instruction. They really missed doing small groups and stations. They were often so busy trying to keep up with online demands of creating videos and assignments that stations and small groups were not at the top of their lists. I noticed common themes among their struggles:
· Many (or some) children were not regularly attending class meetings or completing assignments.
· Teachers missed having kids work at stations with a partner. They could formulate work for students to do alone, but they could not put K-1 children in breakout rooms to work with another child without an adult online.
· Often children were not having opportunities to talk with a partner about what they were learning. It was difficult to incorporate “turn and talk” into their lessons, unless the children were talking to an adult at home who assisted with their online learning
· It was challenging for children to develop oral language and academic vocabulary unless they met in small groups.
· Students often did not show up to small group meetings. Or their adults at home told them the answers or problem-solved new words when reading in small groups.
As schools prepare to open again across the country, I am talking with teachers about what their literacy stations might look like. Many are thinking about setting up their classrooms to have a whole group meeting area with a rug, a small group table, and an independent reading station/classroom library. Children will most likely be wearing masks and using hand sanitizer between stations. But I hope that educators will weigh the risks and decide to give children opportunities to work with partners again using some of the above suggestions.
Students need to talk with each other; they need to socialize; they need to use language as they learn. This is especially true where children may not have been able to attend school online or in person. Stations will be needed more than ever! So will small group instruction.
I recommend thinking about what children will be able to do independently starting in those first days of their return to the classroom. What did they know how to do online that can also be done in person? For example, if you established independent reading time online, transfer that to the classroom. Set a timer. Use the same routines children followed online. But let them read print books and talk with partners face-to-face about the books they are reading. You may need to place books read in a bin to be sanitized for a few days, but that’s an easy adaptation.
I recommend that we think about how to plan a joyous return to school for our students! Think about what they already know how to do and what they’ve missed. They know how to maneuver many online learning platforms. Continue to use some of these for stations, but have students work together rather than alone. They have missed their friends, their classrooms, their school buildings, their safe places for learning.
developed during their time being at home. Instead of looking at them as “second-graders” or “kids who missed a year of learning,” think of them as learners along a continuum. Build upon what they know, establish routines and be consistent, and help them continue to grow as children. They are resilient and want to learn.
Revisit literacy stations as a valuable part of your day. I’ve written about each station in depth in my new Simply Stations series. Start with one station and get to know it well. Build your stations with your students, one at a time. You might begin with the partner reading station to give children support in reading. It is fun to read with another person, and you can work together to help each other. After students know how to do partner reading, teach them how to do independent reading. Then have half the class do partner reading while the other half does independent reading. After they can do that well, layer on a listening and speaking station. Have students listen to the same text and then respond to it together.
Work with your colleagues. Do a book study together. Plan and begin to build anew. Use literacy stations as part of your day to grow oral language, enhance learning, and motivate students as they learn to work together again.
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