Simply Stations: Independent Reading, Grades K-4

Literacy stations should be more than just busy work.

Simply Stations: Independent Reading shows how to ensure that kids are purposefully and effectively practicing comprehension, deeper thinking, vocabulary, and communication skills every day.

Here’s everything you need to plan, teach, and refresh the Independent Reading station year-round, including…

• Step-by-step instructions for launching and maintaining the station;
• Whole-group lesson plans, based on key literacy standards, to introduce and support partner work;
• Printable teacher and student tools;
• On-the-spot assessment ideas and troubleshooting tips;
• Lists of grade-level specific materials; and
• Countless real-classroom photos so you see the possibilities first-hand.

Teach students how to practice reading skills independently – so learning sticks

Simply Stations: Independent Reading shows how to ensure that elementary students are purposefully and effectively practicing reading comprehension, reading fluency, selecting books, decoding, inference, and summarizing every day. Your students will soon be purposefully engaged and making critical steps to owning their learning.

Debbie Diller has been refining literacy stations (sometimes called centers) for more than 40 years, working with thousands of teachers and students. In this book, she guides you step-by-step through planning for instruction that incorporates reading standards, setting up and launching independent reading stations, varying and refreshing content, to reflection and ongoing modification.

What stands out in this book is the full integration of instruction; Debbie shows how whole-group lessons transfer to stations work so students are practicing key skills independently – and gives you everything needed for success:

• Recommendations by grade level at every step, including grade-appropriate materials and book choices, fiction and informational texts, for each station;
• Whole-group lesson plans, differentiated by grade level and based on key reading standards, to introduce and support independent and partner work;
• On-the-spot formative assessment ideas and troubleshooting tips;
• Ideas to improve English Language Learners’ reading skills, including online Spanish-language materials;
• 30 time-saving downloadable resources for teachers and students to ensure success; and
• Dozens, real-classroom photos so you see the possibilities first-hand.

Simply Stations: Independent Reading gives you invaluable tips, solutions, and insight that can transform the way your students learn and practice reading skills. It’s time to boost the impact of your literacy stations!