The Daily 5 Book Study Chapter 7

Hi, Sweet Daily 5 Loving friends. Let’s get ready for the next chapter in this book study. This chapter helps guide teachers to learn when they should launch an additional choice for Daily 5. This can be scary for teachers… I get it. I have been there and I know the feeling. But remember that I have also SEEN the positive effects this program has on my classroom.

The Daily 5 Things That Got Me Thinking

I love that this book breaks down stamina goals for different levels of readers. They suggest K students need 7-8 minutes of stamina while reading. They also suggest using intermediate students at 12-14 minutes and primary students at 10-12 minutes. {p.109}

I also think that you will KNOW when your students are ready. If that means 5 minutes or 15 minutes of stamina… you will know. I suggest the LONGER of course. But I have also had classes where maintaining 7 minutes of stamina was a feat.

Remember I am also a mommy. my own 5-year-old can not read to me for 7 minutes, much less read to herself. She has time and she hasn’t been taught… but I get your thoughts about this 100%.

The Sisters suggest moving on to Working on Writing after you work on Reading to Self. I think this is great but can I share what I actually do in my classroom?

While we are building our stamina with read-to-self, I still do 4 small groups AFTER our read-to-self-time. I feel that I NEED to meet with my students early in the year in small group settings because I can’t wait 3 months to work with them in all the areas they need help with. 

So, after our stamina-building time, we break into groups to do work, writing, reading strategy work with a teacher, and listening to reading. These small groups fill the remaining literacy time. We work on these groups for short periods of time as well. QUALITY verse QUANTITY.

Choice Board for The Daily 5

I still break down the independence of each group after we build the stamina for reading to ourselves BEFORE I expect to do anything independently. This seems to speed up the interest of my students and their ability to get to the choice board.

Also, remember to provide great writing tools to your students at this point. Make sure you teach them when and how to use a word wall or such to encourage independence. On page 110, the book discusses the use of the choice board. Once your students have achieved stamina in a few areas, it is amazing to give them CHOICES.

My students are always more successful when they have the choice given to them. But it can seem scary to us. There is the prep I do for a choice board last year.

And let me tell you a quick story about the choice board. Two years ago I was able to have a certified teacher as my aid. She did an awesome job, of course, and was given a job as another K teacher in my school!

She was worried about doing the choice board in her own classroom, even after seeing it done in our classroom together the year before. She finally bit the bullet in January and swears she should have done it sooner… her students did so much better with the choices than they did with her rotating groups.

The book also suggests “checking in” which is not something I have ever done before. BUT I NEED TO DO THIS MORE!

Work on Writing

I have to allow my students to work more in creative, independent writing at the beginning of the year. I tend to do more handwriting skills at the beginning of the year in the independent station but do creative writing with a teacher. I am THINKING of switching these two around. Creative writing might not be fantastic, but that is okay.

{I had horrible hand-writers last year. I had 7 lefties and so many with no clue how to start writing that we had to focus on what THEY needed first.} I need to have the plan to focus and show off great attempts at Working on Writing.

Reading to Someone

The book also reminds us teachers that to read to someone you need a partner, hence the red arrows that show pairs. I noticed that when we went to the choice board, my students struggled to know which students want a partner to read with or who is reading to themselves.

{Some students have to sit at read to someone while they are waiting for a partner.} You will also need a LOT of reading materials to make all this reading time productive. When I first started Daily 5, I spent a fortune on actually reading books, but then I got smart.  I made these ABC Books that I can print out for each student.

My students can color the sight word they are working on identifying.

They can also work on tracking text and reading words with picture clues. They have to write in a word of their own on the last page. And a differentiated version allows them to write in words to match the pictures. Then we place the books into our book boxes to read with.

After a while, they find their way home to provide books to my families that may not have any at home. many parents have commented on how much they LOVE getting these books and many of my families save these books for the siblings they have.

{I try to send extra books home to those families.}

Listen to Reading

I love this station so much and so do my students, particularly my ESOL students. I use my iPads and iPods for listening stations {I need to blog about this because I love it so much.} I always practice this station with an adult a few times, esp the CD player!

I also always have two extra headsets around for students to grab. I train them to try another headset before they talk to me.

Word Work

My class usually does great at this station during The Daily 5. The book gave great suggestions on these types of activities and I know TONS of TpT sellers who make great packs for sale in this area. You guys know me… and you know I love iPads. But I don’t use iPads in this station.

WHY? Because I have another station just for iPads! Remember I run 8 stations instead of 5? This is one of my extra stations. And don’t forget that when you teach your students to DO each station, you teach them to set up and clean up their stations too… it is THEIR area and they NEED to keep it clean and organized.

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