crayons,
pencils,
chalk,
mini
whiteboards,
mini
chalkboards,
wordless
picture
books
(for
prompts),
magazine
pictures
(more
prompts),
paper
of
all
sizes,
clipboards,
and
anything
else
in
the
classroom
that
students
can
write
with
or
write
on.
These
items
could
be
placed
cubbies
or
shelves
near
a
table
with
4-‐6
chairs.
The
table
could
be
located
near
a
large
chalkboard
or
white
board.
Voila:
a
writing
center!
If
teachers
simply
rearrange
all
of
their
stored
materials,
putting
them
into
the
appropriate
literacy
center,
they
may
be
surprised
by
what
the
materials
on
hand.
Once
the
materials
are
reorganized,
classroom
teachers
may
need
to
start
shopping
for
inexpensive
materials
to
supplement
the
literacy
materials
collection.
Garage
sales
offer
opportunities
to
purchase
letter
and
word
games
at
minimal
cost.
Book
order
bonus
points
can
be
used
to
stock
the
“Book
Nook”
and
provide
materials
for
independent
reading.
Clearance
sales
are
great
times
to
stock
up
on
writing
materials.
Establish
routines.
For
any
classroom
to
run
smoothly,
routines
are
necessary.
Effective
classrooms
are
complex;
a
variety
of
activities
happen
simultaneously.
If
students
do
not
understand
how
to
complete
activities,
where
to
access
materials,
and
how
to
clean
up,
the
classroom
will
become
a
disaster
area
before
small
group
instruction
can
take
place.
It
is
important
to
anticipate
challenges,
and
clearly
explain
expectations
for
behavior.
Explicit
modeling
of
tasks,
as
well
as
cleaning
up,
helps
immensely.
It
is
also
helpful
to
practice
routines
for
transitions
(e.g.
5
minute
clean
up
warning,
where
to
meet
when
center
time
ends)
before
starting
literacy
centers.
Trust.
Often
the
strongest
barrier
to
implementing
literacy
centers
isthe
inability
to
give
up
control.
Teachers
often
do
not
believe
that
students
will
learn
without
direct
instruction.
Indeed,
humans
learn
through
trial
and
error,
applied
practice,
and
collaborative
efforts.
For
example,
we
cannot
possibly
teach
a
young
child
EVERY
word
in
our
spoken
language;
yet,
most
children
do
learn
to