Language Arts Learning Centers for the Primary Grades - by Carol A Poppe (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Want to make the most of learning centers but not sure how? Let this outstanding resource be your guide. It features four complete language arts learning center units, based on popular children's books, that will fit into virtually any curriculum. The units include Dr. Seuss and His Friends, Bears, Dogs, and American Tall Tales and Legends, and can be used in any order. Each unit comes with an illustrated bulletin board activity, a letter to parents explaining the learning center activities and suggesting home enrichment ideas, a group activity for the entire class, and "take off" suggestions that serve as springboards for extended activities across other content areas. This unique handbook provides over 100 reproducible whole language activities that will improve students' skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing, spelling, math, and art. Children will get a variety of opportunities for acquiring new knowledge, as well as practicing previously learned concepts. Primary teachers and resource-room and special education teachers will find detailed directions for using a learning center system-from introducing, setting up, managing, and evaluating learning centers as part of the regular classroom program.

From the Back Cover

This unique resource provides over 100 reproducible whole language activities to improve students' skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing, spelling, math, art, and other content areas... plus detailed directions for setting up a learning center system in which each child participates daily at an individual learning center.

Included are four complete language arts learning center units that will fit into virtually any primary curriculum and can be used in any order followed by specific techniques for introducing, setting up, managing, and evaluating learning centers as part of the regular classroom.

Each learning center unit is base on popular children's books and contains ready-to-use activities related to a variety of content areas. Unit themes and sample activities include: "Dr. Seuss and his friends" In a People House rhyming game, McElligot's Pool paste up, and Fox in Sox Tongue Twister are just three of the activities in this unit that help build reading, creative writing, and fine-motor skills.

"Bears" Students develop computer, art, math skills along with reading and language skills when completing activities such as Corduroy computer banner, Teddy Bears Cure a Cold poster page, and Little Bear graph fun.

"Dogs" Clifford Takes a Trip travel mobile, Snoopy comic strip, and Tallyho, Pinkerton! science fun are just three examples of the activities in this section that motivate students to use reference materials and research scientific facts.

"American Tall Tales and Legends" Speaking, listening, and spelling are three of the skills emphasized in unit activities such as Johnny Appleseed storytelling, Paul Bunyan cassette book, and John Henry spell fun.

For easy use, all of the learning center activities in each unit include reproducible illustrated direction pages designed for mounting on file folders and student activity pages ready to be copied as many times as needed.

Each unit also provides an illustrated bulletin board activity... a letter to parents explaining the learning center activities and suggesting home enrichment ideas... a group activity that can be done by the entire class... and "take off" suggestions that serve as springboards for extended activities across other content areas.

You'll find the learning center activities in these units give children a variety of opportunities to acquire new knowledge, practice previously taught concepts, and develop independent learning skills and creativity. They are appropriate for use with students at all developmental levels, grades K-3.

For primary teachers, as well as resource-room and special education teachers, Language Arts Learning Centers for the Primary Grades presents a practical way to make learning centers an important part of your teaching program to develop independent learners. The activities can also be used for whole group instruction.

About the Author

Carol A. Poppe received her B.A. degree from Ohio University and has taken several graduate courses at Oakland University and Siena Heights College. Mrs. Poppe has 25 years of teaching experience at the first- and second-grade levels. She and her husband, Michael, enjoy camping and have traveled to most of the states and Canadian provinces. She has three daughters, Nancy, Molly, and Jenny, who live in Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee, respectively.

Nancy A. Van Matre, who received her B.A. degree and M.A. degree in Reading from Eastern Michigan University, has been actively teaching grades 1 through 3 since 1975. She resides in Ann Arbor with her husband, Bruce Miller, and their two sons, Nick and Jason.
During the past fifteen years, the authors have used their learning centers as an integral part of their classroom schedules at Clinton (Michigan) Community School. After presenting workshops, they realized that other educators wanted to begin a learning center system, but needed management techniques, leaning center activity ideas, and shortcuts.
In an effort to help other educators, the authors have also written Science Learning Centers for the Primary Grades (1985), K-3 Science Activities Kit (1988), and Social Studies Learning Centers for the Primary Grades (1989), each published by The Center for Applied Research in Education.