ABC Centers is the time of day that most students eagerly look forward to! It is a very active time in which students have the opportunity to work hands on with literacy materials.  Students feel as though they are just 'playing games', but they are actually actively engaged in the learning process as they are thinking and doing!  They are practicing and developing letter/sound knowledge, listening skills, oral language expression, rhyme, letter formation, cooperation, etc.

In EDK, students are involved with ABC Centers each day. In our regular Kindergarten session, students participate in ABC Centers approximately once each week.  ABC Centers may also be chosen during free choice time once introduced.

Some of Our ABC Centers

ABC Memory/Go Fish	ABC Sounds
Alpha Bears	Big or Little 1
Big or Little 2	Book Baskets
Chicka Chicka ABC	Colors
Fun Fonts	I Can Read!
Letter Search	Letter Writing
Names	Read/Write the Room
Rhyme Time	Seasonal ABC's
Sequencing	Stamp a Story
Word Maker

Organization

EDK students are assigned to one of four groups. Each group is also assigned to a color-coded table. Students complete most of their ABC Centers at their table (or on the carpet when more room is needed for an activity). Book Baskets, Stamp a Story, Read the Room, and Write the Room do not hold to this rule.

Each day, at the start of our ABC Center time, students check the ABC board.   The ABC board shows them which two centers their group may work in.  The ABC center signs are rotated each day so that all students may explore all of the centers that are being used during that week.  The signs on the ABC board coordinate with the labels on each ABC center tub. Most materials are stored in the labeled tubs on shelving at the child's level.

EDK ABC Board   ABC Center Tubs

Rules

• Students must start working on the tub activity they are assigned to first on the chart.
• Once students complete one activity and have an adult check it, they may bring the second ABC tub to their table if they desire to.
• Students must work the entire time.
• Students may not choose an ABC tub or other activity that is not assigned to them for that day.

If you would like more center ideas, check out the following websites.

KinderKorner -This is where I first saw the idea for ABC Centers!  There is a collection of ABC Centers here from Victoria -the list owner, and KinderKorner members.
Literacy Centers - First Semester K - ideas accumulated by Debbie Harrison
Literacy Centers - Second Semester K - ideas accumulated by Debbie Harrison
Teachers.Net Lesson Bank -Here, there are more collections of ideas for ABC/Literacy Centers.
Literacy Centers - great ideas from Mrs. Bonthuis' Class
Literacy Stations - more great ideas from Mrs. Pohlmeyer's Kindergarten
Learning Center Ideas -great sight word activities from Mrs. Klenke's Kindergarten Korner
Literacy Centers - ideas from Mrs. Taylor's class (Check out the syllable clapping tub!
Literacy and Math Centers - from Mrs. Meachum's Class (a Wonderful Resource!)
ABC Centers - ideas from the toddler house (great start for preschoolers!)
Shared Game Ideas - from Games for Learning
Printable Center Signs - free from Carl's Corner
 

Also, I would recommend the following books

• Developing Literacy Using Reading Manipulatives by  Sandi Hill (Creative Teaching Press, 1997) ISBN 1-57471-222-5
• Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction by Donald Bear, et al. (Prentice-Hall, 1996) ISBN 0-02-307490-6
• Word Matters: Teaching Phonics and Spelling in the Reading/Writing Classroom by Pinnell and Fountas (Heinemann, 1998) ISBN 0-325-00051-4
• Literacy Work Stations: Making Centers Work by Debbie Diller (Stenhouse Publications, 2003)  ISBN  1-57110-353-8