Last summer I read The
Daily 5 and The CAFÉ and was
lucky enough to attend a workshop with the sisters in the fall. I was very reluctant about changing
my methods of teaching literacy but I jumped in and I will never turn back. I decided to join a summer reading club to
refresh, reflect and improve on my teaching practices.
The Daily 5
Chapter 1-
Introduction
My Top 10 Reasons Why I Switched to the Daily 5
10. Listening to the
excitement of teachers at my school who used Daily 5 and Café
9. Getting my children to read and
write daily
8. Children get to choose their books and writing topics
based on interests
7. Teachers do not
have to plan “busy” work and time-consuming centers
6. Children spend more time reading and less time on guided
reading packets.
5. Skills are taught in mini-lessons daily...allows for more integration of skills
4. Daily 5
establishes routines and independence
3. Teacher can work
with small groups while children work independently
2. Children
internalize reading and writing behaviors
Hi Kelly,
ReplyDeleteWould you explain how your students respond to their reading. Daily entires, weekly letters, or something different. I started using Daily 5 at the end of last year and love it! Also, do you have students keep a notebook or binder for reading, writing, or daily 5? I had a binder, but feel I might go to composition notebooks and call it Daily 5 Literacy Notebook. There they could keep everything from our daily mini lessons, note taking, and their 5 rotations. I wold love to hear how you do this and respect your opinion. Thanks for blogging as it has steered this 3rd year teacher!
Amyin VA
4th grade, but looping up to 5th!
Hi Amy,
ReplyDeleteI started off last year with Daily Five and the CAFE. The kids picked up the routines quickly. Many of the CAFE skills are geared for younger kids.
I then read THE Book Whisperer at the end of October and I added a weekly response letter. (Check out my old posts tagged Daily Five or Book Whisperer) The author teaches fifth or sixth grade and her book really changed me. She has some great ideas to get kids motivated to read.
I focus on a specific reading comprehension strategy for several weeks that has to be demonstrated in their letters. I bought a great size journal from Really Good Stuff and I will definitely use them again next year. I use different reading strategy bookmarks for the kids to collect information to put into their letters from their independent reading.
I use a binder to keep their book log sheets, reference sheets, etc. The binder is split into three sections: Reading, Writing, Spelling. I cut pocket folders in half and three hole punched them to make sections. I use a black composition notebook that will be used for everyday writing.
It sounds like you are on the right track! The great thing about Daily Five is that everyone can make it fit their needs. If you have any other questions please let me know!
Kelly
I just wanted to say “thank you” for continuing to inspire me not only as a teacher, but also as a blogger. You’ve been nominated for The Versatile Blogger and The One Lovely Blog Award. Head over to my blog to pick them up!
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Amy
Turtley Loving Teaching