Literacy Centers--I Love Choice!

So many of you have asked how do I manage my literacy stations.... See the library pockets and colored popsicle sticks?  .... This is my management board.  Yes.. this is the way I have done it for years!  It works for me and my children!  Every year I glue then laminate library pockets to a poster board.  Add the children's names and different colored popsicle sticks in the pockets and voila choice! I write the children's names on each popsicle stick so that I know who is in each station.  I love giving my children choice to go the station  they choose to work in each day.  After reading workshop, my children go pull the popsicle stick that matches the color of the station.   For example, the blue popsicle stick is for the listening station.

Do you see the blue tote and cup?.... That is where the popsicle stick goes.  This one is easy for the children to determine only 2 children can go here daily because there are only 2 places ...  On some totes and cups I have placed a number for the places available.

Here is my alphabet station.... It is orange and the children know that 2 children can go here because I have it written on the cup inside the tote.  Believe it or not the children learn the number of children very quickly.  This station is on a cart and the children push to a table.... teeny tiny room ... but it works! 

Here is the green station... this week the children are working with alphabet mats from Kindergarten Works.... They get to use play dough and alphabet cookie cutters.  They splat the play dough on the mat and then use the correct alphabet cookie cutter to cut out the correct letter.  They are loving this station!  Again there are 3 places here so 3 children can choose this station.

At the end of literacy stations, the stick collector places all the sticks in a cup. We keep the sticks in this cup until Friday. The children have to make a different choice  each day.  Then on Friday, we place all their sticks back in their library pockets for Monday!   I have about 9-10 different stations and change them out as needed.  Some of the stations, I change out weekly. 

Here is another picture of the pockets and sticks....

 Hope you enjoyed.... Do you give your children choice during stations?  Please leave a comment below... I would love to know how you do your stations!