Using a writing center during literacy centers is a great way to keep your students engaged and continuously working on their writing. Giving the opportunity for them to choose their type of writing and giving them the time to write helps strengthen those critical writing skills.
But, how do we set up an effective writing center?
Let’s dive into how to set up an effective, meaningful first grade writing center!
Decide on location
First up, think about the space in your classroom. Do you have adequate space for a writing center? In my first grade classroom, I had a specific place set up. I had a bulletin board which displayed the monthly pages and examples. A table that fit 4-5 students was placed directly in front of it so students could easily see the examples.
I know this may not be the case for your classroom. So, you’ll need to think about whether or not you have the space for a designated area. If you don’t, how will you store and organize your first grade writing center?
Writing Center Organization
There are a few different options to consider for organizing your first grade writing center. You will want to think about the amount of space you have, how this group of students will do with a specific way to organize (you know how some things work for different groups of kids), and how many copies you are going to make available.
- Rainbow Cart: I used the 10-drawer rainbow cart from Michaels. Each drawer was dedicated to a different writing genre. I printed about 10 copies of each writing page at the beginning of the month and placed them in their drawers. Students could quickly grab them this way. If I had extras at the end of the month, I kept them stored away for the following year.
- Paper Trays: Another way to organize your writing center papers is with a paper tray. Paper trays make it easy for students to see what is there, rather than having to open a drawer. This one is a great option from Amazon. You can store the lists and notes in the bottom drawers – perfect size!
- Folders: Make a folder for each writing genre. Students will grab their paper from the folder. The only downfall to this is that it could get messy. However, it’s also probably the cheapest way!
Activities to include in your first grade writing center
Here are the different writing types included in our first grade writing center:
- how to stories
- informative writing
- KWL charts
- lists
- notes
- illustrative writing
- book reviews
- opinion writing
- story starters
- writing prompts
How To Introduce Your Writing Center
“Slow and steady wins the race” is the motto for introducing your writing center! Writing centers have a lot of ongoing components and moving parts.
Introduce each writing piece on its own day. That’s extremely important so students can practice each one on their own.
Here’s an example schedule:
Monday- Introduce the whole writing center. Quickly go through each one and what they will do at the writing center. Don’t spend a ton of time doing this because they will get time to practice over the next couple of weeks.
Tuesday- Introduce “This Or That?”. Explain the prompt, students will look at the two pictures on the page and decide which one they prefer. Then, they color that picture and write about why they prefer that one. Don’t worry about the specifics, like that you want them to restate the question. All of that will come as the year goes on. Remember that you are just introducing them to the center.
Then, students will return to their seats and write on a “This Or That” page. Each student should have the same one (so that you can use the other templates for the rest of the month when they are actually at the center).
Wednesday- Repeat the process with another writing template.
Go through each one each day until all writing genres have been taught.
Writing Centers For The Year
We have your writing centers ready for the entire year! You can plan your year of writing centers without having to think about it every month!
Click here to check them out on TPT.
Click here to check them out on Missing Tooth Grins.
Try A Free Writing Center!
Make sure you click here to download your free farm-themed first grade writing center! This is a great way to try it out!
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