Tips for Adding New Students to Literacy Center Stations
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We’ve all gotten that email…
New student starting TOMORROW.
My first thought? How am I going to fit them into our already humming Daily 5 stations without skipping a beat?
Cue the feelings of panic, overwhelm, and excitement.
When a new student joins your class mid-year, it can feel like someone tossing a pebble into a perfectly calm pond—no matter how carefully you’ve established and perfected your literacy block routines.
But here’s the thing—it’s not just about routines. It’s about making sure that new students feel like they belong from the moment they walk in. That takes some special care and a little bit of planning.
With a few thoughtful strategies, you can be ready for that moment before it even happens. Trust me, when you have a system in place, the process of welcoming a new student doesn’t just run smoother—it becomes a chance to show your entire class what it means to embrace someone new. Incorporating new student activities into your classroom not only helps streamline this process but also ensures that everyone feels prepared and included. So, let’s talk about how to make that happen.
The Importance of Streamlining New Student Activities in the Classroom
When it comes to welcoming a new student to your class, the MOST important thing is to make sure that they feel welcomed and a part of the class the moment they walk in.
Period.
And I get it, getting a new student - whether it be the first week of school or at the end of the year - has its challenges. It’s a mix of excitement and stress all at the same time.
There’s a whole laundry list of things you need to get a new student up-to-speed on in an extremely short amount of time. New students need to learn classroom expectations, routines, and the entire structure of your literacy block in a condensed form - while at the same time just trying to fit in with their new peers.
And here’s the thing, when it comes to getting a new student, it’s not if, it’s when. This means we can create systems and protocols for when a new student arrives ahead of time to streamline the process. Because, let’s be honest, without a plan in place, this can feel frustrating for both the teacher and the student.
Creating a streamlined approach to introducing new students to your Daily 5 stations ensures they feel welcomed and supported. (New to Daily 5? CLICK HERE to purchase your Daily 5 book!) It also minimizes interruptions to your established routines, keeping the literacy block running smoothly for the rest of your class.
Strategies to Streamline Adding New Students to Literacy Stations
Since getting new students isn’t necessarily an if, but a when, putting some thought into what things need to be done (i.e. create a cubby space, etc…) and what routines need to be taught (i.e. how to make their lunch choice, etc…) in preparation can be extremely helpful. And it can help make sure you don’t forget something important later!
Here are a couple of my favorite tips and strategies that have made welcoming a new student to my literacy block a breeze!
Teach Expectations with Visuals and Modeling
The very first thing I do when welcoming a new student into my classroom is go over our classroom expectations. I’ve learned over the years that being upfront about what’s expected helps ease those first-day jitters. When students know what to expect, it takes away some of the uncertainty and helps them feel more comfortable right away.
I start by covering the basics:
How our Daily 5 routine works.
How to know which station they should be at and when to move.
What activities happen at each center.
What “working” at a center should actually look like.
And I love getting the whole class involved! I’ve found that a quick mini-lesson where students model correct and incorrect behaviors (or even role-play different scenarios) makes the process more engaging. Plus, it reassures the new student that their classmates have their back and that we’re all in this together.
And this is where anchor charts for expectations around the room really come in handy. They serve as visual reminders of what’s expected, giving new students an easy reference point as they settle in.
Pair New Students with a Buddy
Here’s something we know all too well as a teacher…
You can’t be everywhere at once!
But here’s the challenge… You don’t want your new student feeling like they were just “thrown to the wolves” and left to figure it all out on their own but you also can’t give them your undivided attention all day.
This is where assigning a peer buddy - or even making a class job of it - to help the new student navigate their first few days is extremely helpful. This student can help by:
Guiding the new student through Daily 5 station rotations
Offer tips for how to choose and/or store materials
Serve as a friendly, familiar face during independent activities.
One thing I’d like to note…be sure to choose a responsible, friendly, empathetic buddy who exemplifies the behaviors you want to new student to emulate. It just helps the entire process go smoothly!
Introduce Stations Gradually
That first day must be overwhelming for students. There’s so much for them to figure out—classroom schedules, routines, expectations, and even where the bathroom is!
It’s important to get new students “up to speed” quickly so they feel part of the class, but we need to be careful not to overload them all at once.
When introducing new students to my Daily 5 literacy centers, I like to take it slow and gradually introduce the stations, just like I did with the whole class at the start of the year. Over time, I add in more stations so they feel confident and successful (and doing this is SUPER easy with my station rotation chart!).
I typically start with less complex stations like “Read to Self” and “Work on Writing.” Once they’ve mastered the expectations of one station, I add another, continuing this process until the new student is fully integrated into all rotations.
This gradual introduction helps the new student build confidence and prevents them from feeling overwhelmed.
Encouraging New Students to Thrive in Your Classroom
Integrating new students into your Daily 5 stations doesn’t have to be stressful!
By having a plan, teaching expectations slowly, and appointing a buddy for support, you can create a welcoming environment for new students without the stress!
And to make the process of welcoming new students into your classroom, check out my Daily 5 Toolkit! In it, you’ll find ready-to-use resources such as expectation charts, stamina-building charts, and (my personal fav) my station rotation chart!
Simplify Planning Your Daily 5 Stations!
I said it once and I’m gonna say it again…Having a PLAN can go a long way in welcoming a new student into your classroom.
And, speaking of having a plan, I put together a FREE Daily 5 planning sheet! (Yup, I said free!)
This sheet provides you the space you need to plan everything for your literacy centers - lesson objectives, whole group lessons, center tasks, and more - while making sure it's ONE easy-to-use sheet!