Setting up a listening station is made simple with these steps!
Literacy stations are a BIG part of the day for kindergarten and first grade classrooms. Time and time again, I had kids who loved this part of our day. Some people walked in our classroom and may have felt like it was a zoo, but I knew there was more happening.
I knew kids had authentic literacy experiences.
I was certain kids had opportunities to practice their literacy skills.
I was positive it was anything but a zoo.
There was one key to this success in our classroom: explicit modeling and teaching.
Here are 5 simple steps to explicitly model and teach your listening station.
1.Choose a book and CD.
2. Model how to begin. Put in the CD, open the book, and check the volume to make sure it’s not too loud.
3. Model what it looks and sounds like to listen to the book 2 times. The first time for fun and a second time to make sure we understand.
4. Show how to fill out a listening data sheet after listening.
5. Model how to put the book away, where to place the data sheet, and how to choose another book.
After I have done this, I invite the students to repeat it with me using the same book. I don’t want to use a different book because I want them to focus on the process, not the actual book.
Together we all fill out a data sheet. This helps ensure that they know what is expected and how to do it even if they aren’t reading yet.
Grab these FREE listening data sheets for your little learners!
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Believe it or not, I have always used a CD player without headphones.
You will love this headphone splitter if you would rather that.
I found all of my books from Scholastic. If you want multiple copies of the same book, try your local Half Priced Books.
We used both data sheets and plain spiral notebooks to write about the book we listened to.
If you are unsure, have cold feet, or are worried about a starting a zoo in your classroom when it comes to launching your literacy stations, don’t wait! They are the best thing for your students to do while you are pulling your reading small groups!
I can’t wait to hear how successful your listening station is after you have followed these 5 simple steps for setting up a listening station.
Want to use the latest research to boost your readers during small groups? This FREE guide is packed with engaging ideas to help them grow!
I’m a K-1 teacher who is passionate about making lessons your students love and that are easy to implement for teachers. Helping teachers like you navigate their way through their literacy block brings me great joy. I am a lifelong learner who loves staying on top of current literacy learning and practices. Here, you’ll find the tools you need to move your K-2 students forward!
2 Responses
I can’t wait to use these. Thank you for sharing.
Could I use Epic in my listening center? We have iPads in my classroom.