#36: Literacy Center Secrets WITH MEQUEL BOLDEN
how to build effective literacy centers that actually work
One of the best pieces of teaching advice I ever received was this: “Go slow to go fast.” It didn’t make much sense to me at first. After all, my to-do list felt endless, my class was diverse in every possible way, and there never seemed to be enough time to get it all done. But over time, I realized that investing those first few weeks of school into setting up systems—especially for literacy centers—was the key to making my entire year run smoother.
That’s why I’m so excited to have MeQuel Bolden on the podcast! MeQuel is a former elementary teacher who now works with schools across Washington D.C., helping educators transform their literacy instruction. She knows the struggles teachers face when it comes to differentiating instruction, managing behavior, and creating centers that actually help students learn.
In today’s post, I’m sharing the most powerful takeaways from our conversation. Whether you’re setting up centers for the first time or looking for a mid-year reset, these strategies will help you streamline your literacy block, engage your students, and meet every learner where they are.
why literacy centers make differentiation easier
If you’re like most teachers, you probably have students who are all over the map when it comes to reading. Some are struggling to identify basic letter sounds, while others are flying through chapter books. It can feel impossible to meet such a wide range of needs during whole-group instruction. That’s where literacy centers come in.
Centers allow you to differentiate in ways that just aren’t possible during whole-group teaching. While you’re working with a small group, the rest of your class can rotate through activities that reinforce exactly what they need.
For example, imagine one center where students are practicing beginning sounds. At the same center, a more advanced group might be working on segmenting words. With a little planning upfront, centers allow you to target specific skills without reinventing the wheel every day.
The Key to Successful Centers: Training Your Students
I’ll be honest: centers used to stress me out. I tried setting them up during the first week of school, only to find my students off-task, confused, and constantly interrupting my small group. It felt chaotic, and I wondered if it was even worth it.
The truth? I hadn’t taken the time to train my students.
Student training is everything when it comes to literacy centers. Before you start pulling small groups, you need to model, practice, and provide feedback for every center you introduce. This means:
- Modeling the center – Show students exactly what to do. Don’t assume they understand your expectations just because you’ve explained them. Demonstrate every step, from how to get materials to what it looks like to work quietly.
- Practicing together – Give students a chance to practice the center as a whole class while you observe. Provide feedback and corrections in real time.
- Repetition – Repeat the process as needed. It’s better to take several days (or even weeks) to train your students upfront than to spend the rest of the year managing chaos.
make sure your centers aren’t just busy work
Here’s the thing about literacy centers: they need to serve a purpose. It’s tempting to print off a stack of worksheets or buy expensive, flashy centers just to keep kids busy, but that’s not what we’re after. The goal is to create centers that actually move the needle on student learning.
Here are a few of MeQuel’s tried and true tips for choosing effective activities:
- Focus on orthographic mapping – Select activities that help students connect sounds to letters, blend and segment words, and strengthen their ability to recognize words automatically.
- Incorporate multi-sensory learning – Centers that involve movement, touch, or visual engagement can help students stay focused while reinforcing skills. Activities like cutting, sorting, drawing, or using manipulatives can make a big impact.
- Keep it simple – You don’t need fancy materials to create effective centers. Use what you already have: whiteboards, markers, paper, and even math manipulatives can get the job done.
For example, if students are practicing phoneme segmentation, you could use small counting bears or unifix cubes. Students move one manipulative for each sound they hear in a word (e.g., moving three bears for “cat” – /c/ /a/ /t/). Simple? Yes. Effective? Absolutely.
Remember, the best centers reinforce skills students actually need to become better readers.
Overcoming Common Challenges with Centers
If centers still feel like a struggle, you’re not alone. Teachers often face two big challenges:
- Managing behavior – It’s hard to focus on a small group when you’re constantly redirecting students at centers. The solution? Go back to training. Your students need to practice the expectations before you start pulling small groups. As MeQuel said, “You cannot pull small groups on day one.” Take the time to teach, model, and practice routines until they become automatic.
- Limited resources – Not every school has the budget for fancy center materials, and that’s okay. The best centers don’t require expensive tools. Whiteboards, paper, markers, and a little creativity are all you need.
The truth is, students care far more about the learning experience than the materials
Start Small and Build From There
If literacy centers feel overwhelming, take a deep breath and remind yourself: you don’t have to do it all at once. Start small. Introduce one center at a time. Model it, practice it, and build stamina.
Maybe this week, you introduce a simple center where students practice sight words using whiteboards. Next week, you add a phoneme segmentation activity with counting cubes. By the end of the month, your students will be rotating through multiple centers independently while you lead focused, small-group instruction.
It takes time and patience, but it’s worth it.
IN THIS EPISODE, we’ll talk about…
- How much time is TOO much time for literacy centers.
- The most common challenges teachers face with literacy centers and how to overcome them.
- Tips for setting up literacy centers on a budget.
Literacy Center Final Thoughts
When done right, literacy centers can transform your classroom. They make differentiation easier, give students the targeted practice they need, and allow you to focus on small-group instruction without feeling pulled in a hundred directions.
If you’re just getting started, remember to take it slow. Invest time upfront to train your students, choose meaningful activities that reinforce essential reading skills, and give yourself grace. You don’t need a Pinterest-perfect classroom. You just need centers that help your students grow.
LINKS
Early Literacy Center Observation Sheet
Follow MeQuel on Instagram//LinkedIn
Become a Science of Reading Formula member!
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