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Daily 5 {Update} Choice Board

October 18, 2014 By Mary Amoson 20 Comments

Choice Board in KindergartenOctober is here…
 and so is choice board time for our Daily 5 time.

 

I spend the first chunk of time teaching my class in small groups.
We talk about how to move from group to group.
Then, we work on learning how to completely activities independently.
We learn how to learn.
Slowly I give them a little less play and a lot more routines.
I feel them out and learn what they need to learn.
They learn how to learn.
Then… something special happens… it is called Daily 5 choice board.
I open up all our stations for my students to chose where they will go,
how long they will stay,
and where they will go afterwards!
Free choice.
 Choice Board time for kinder... how I make it easy
I know this sounds scary.
Very scary
But… deep breaths people… I am actually giving my little ones SPACE and FREEDOM to learn.
And I am not managing behaviors since all my students can do their work and
move on when they are done, not when I think they will be done.
They also KNOW how to complete each activity and they love their independence.
I am managing LESS and they are working MORE.

 

Let me show you how I handle the open choice board for daily 5 each day for one hour.

Book BoxesHere is one of my little learner’s book box in her cubbie.

 

She has tons of books she can read and her Great 8 necklace.

{Yes, I run 8 stations because I am a little crazy and it works for me.}

Each day, we start our daily 5 at Read to Someone.
Why? Because this is our hardest area to tackle and it seems to work better for my little learners if we all PAIR up to start with.

We grab our boxes and we put on our necklaces.
And we go to read to someone for three books, or about 10 minutes. Whichever comes first.

Here is an up close image of the necklace.
{These are a new idea of mine this year and I am LOVING them.
More on how to make them below.}
Daily 5 necklaces
There is a slot for each station with a color code.
That color code is that colored table.
The cards are printed on card stock and I laminated them.

Cross off a station when you are DONEI placed the hole punch on the bottom so my students can hold up the tag to see all the choices they have to go to.

When they finish that station or area, they use an overhead marker to check off their necklace.
They do this, not me.
Each station has a marker in it and there are extra markers at the choice board.

This is a way they manage themselves.
AND THEY LOVE IT.

They feel so responsible and so excited.
Plus, they don’t loose the necklace because it is around their necks.

Okay…
on to the choice board…
Here is a glimpse of some of my choice board which is on my white board in the front of the room.
{Remember I have 8 stations, but you can chose how many you have!}

You can see the Word Work and Work on Writing stations.

Daily 5 Choice Board... make this happen in your room

I actually do my cafe strategies at the blue teacher station.
I teach mini lessons and conference there.
This allows me to work with and read with my class everyday.
Since we have short attention spams and we need lots of practice, this works for us.

I also add an orange station that is NOT on the necklace.
It is just a work space.
Why? If a table or station is filled, or someone next to you is bothering you…
head to the work space so you can get things done.

Here is some more of the choice board.

My assistant is at the green station.
She usually does writing activities or swaps out reading with me.
One of us works on writing and one of us works on reading.
I am very blessed to have an aid for this time.
This would work for a parent volunteer.

I also have a Listening to Reading station
As you can see, this is at the red table.

And all my images and colors MATCH on the necklace and on the choice board.

prepare students to make OPEN CHOICES for daily 5

 Each of my students has a magnetic name they use to place their choice on the board.
For management reasons,
I put girls names on one side of the choice board and boys names on the other.
choice board optionschoice board options in k
Here is a picture of my girls and my boys magnets.

 

 I print out two versions, one black and white and one colored.
students take their name off the board and put it on the board when they go to that station
The black and white is laminated as a while and taped to the board as our “home.”
The colored version is cut apart and I put on a thick button magnet with one stick side.
Use a magnet on the back of the name to allow students to move the name over and over again
 This make there name moveable and also lets them grab it easily.
When they want to go to a choice, they take their name off the “home” and
move it to the station they want to work at.
They put their name on the stations they go to
They work at their station until they move to another station.
If they want to go to the red table, there has to be a spot open for them to go to.
Or they can head to the work space station.
I still have spaces for Read to Someone and Read to Self.
They can always head there if the are waiting on a station to open.
At the end of our daily 5 time, they put their names off the choices and back home,
they put their necklaces back in their book boxes,
and my cleaner goes around with a baby wipes and clears their necklaces off for tomorrow.
erase the check marks when students are done
Here is how I made my necklaces.
{I added this sheet to my Starting Literacy Work Stations pack.}
AND this pack is NOW EDITABLE!
Work Stations NOW EDITABLE
It has the regular daily 5 choices on it with a blank spot for a student name.
You print this sheet out on card stock.
Daily 5 necklaces
Laminate.
Cut out each card and pole punch it.
I tried a hole punch on top and bottom.
how to make a daily 5 cross off necklace
My class likes bottom better, but top words too!
Add a colorful lanyard
easy and useful Daily 5 cross off necklace
You are done!
Some lanyards come with a plastic card holder like this one.
Since my students write on the cards daily, I am not sure how well these would hold up.
Of course some friends don’t like the feel of a necklace. It bothers them.
No problem.
I took the clips I use for name tags at the start of the year and attached it instead.
This friend clips his to the bottom of his shirt.
clip option for daily 5 stations
You can grab all these choice board parts
Daily 5 Stations
 and necklace pieces in my
Use this pack to start using work stations in your classroom
Choice Board in K

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Filed Under: Daily 5, Organization, Teaching Tips

Comments

  1. Jennifer Larkin says

    October 18, 2014 at 5:29 pm

    I love the freedom and the choice aspect but you are right, it does scare me a little bit. Are your sight word centers a part of this or is that at another time of the day?

    Reply
    • Mary Amoson says

      October 19, 2014 at 1:22 pm

      It sounds so scary… but dang if it doesn't work 100 times better. I am not managing everything… THEY ARE. A few friends need more help than others, but they will always need more help. My higher children excel because I am not limiting them. My lower kids get more time to complete what they need to complete. Plus, the first week we do free choice boards, I don't have a group. I help them learn the system. I started on Friday and by Tuesday they didn't need my help anymore so I started a group.
      I do some sight word activities during this time, but I do a whole separate rotation system for Sight Word Station. We run these for 10-20 minutes after lunch. I plan for 10, but they LOVE more time and beg me for longer. Who am I to say no? Sight Word Stations are also free choice. If they stop progressing with their words, then I start to choose that students station for them.

      Reply
  2. Amanda says

    October 18, 2014 at 7:20 pm

    Can you share (sometime) a little more of what you have in each place? I'm interested in seeing how you differentiate at each place. My current system is a little crazy, and I L-O-V-E your center system that I started using after I Teach K!. I think this would fit well in my room too. Thanks for sharing!

    Amanda
    A Very Curious Class

    Reply
    • Mary Amoson says

      October 19, 2014 at 1:18 pm

      I am so glad centers work for you! They run smooth as butter in my room.
      I will def post about the activities for Daily 5 this week too. Right now it is more like handwriting and sorts, simple activities to practice skills. As the year goes on we do deeper. I need more of an attention spam to tackle other stuff.

      Reply
  3. Kara says

    October 21, 2014 at 10:49 pm

    I love the lanyard check-off badges!! Do you do 8 different station activities each day or are they the same? Also, will you please post some more pics of your classroom setup. I am very into the matchy-matchy thing as well 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!

    Reply
  4. Luanne says

    July 27, 2015 at 4:32 am

    Do you change the activities in each "basket" daily? I like the concept of letting them select which center to go to and that they are unlimited in each center each day but I don't think I can handle changing them daily.

    Reply
    • Mary Amoson says

      July 30, 2015 at 2:35 am

      Try it weekly! You will be SHOCKED with how well they work.

      Reply
  5. dayton65 says

    July 27, 2015 at 7:00 am

    How long is your daily five time? Do you change your centers daily or weekly? How many centers should students complete each day? Do you pull students from centers for small group work? I love your ideas!!

    Reply
    • Mary Amoson says

      July 30, 2015 at 2:35 am

      An hour to an hour and a half. I change them DAILY but most do weekly. I expect hard work and at least 5 stations. I am a station, so I don't pull them, I am a choice they can do to.

      Reply
  6. The Smith Spot says

    July 30, 2015 at 2:24 am

    When and how do they come to you and is it by level that they come to you and your assistant? How is it managed?

    Reply
    • Mary Amoson says

      July 30, 2015 at 2:34 am

      Open Choice! They choose which station and at some point they come to mine. They have to complete all the stations so they get around it them all. I keep a class list next to me so I cross off who has come and I can call over some of my friends as needed. I don't manage it… THEY DO!

      Reply
  7. Skip says

    September 23, 2015 at 1:24 pm

    I am really excited to read about your Daily 5 Work Stations. I have been fine tuning my work stations, and this is just what I was needing. I love the necklace idea and will be using it. I use snack as one of my stations. It gives me an additional 15-20 minutes of class time. Thank you!

    Reply
  8. Lindsay says

    June 10, 2017 at 8:19 am

    So they have free choice for the entire hour/hour and a half? Do you set some kind of timer for them to be at one station and then have them choose another. Just trying to understand it entirely! Love the choice boards! Thank you for all of your explanations.

    Reply
    • Mary Amoson says

      June 13, 2017 at 9:51 am

      Free choice the whole time.

      Reply
  9. Megan says

    February 24, 2018 at 6:27 pm

    Do you meet with guided reading groups during this time? Or do you meet with students individually as they “choose” to work with the teacher?

    Reply
    • Mary Amoson says

      March 3, 2018 at 12:33 pm

      I see each student everyday. I keep a class list by me to make sure I get them all. They usually choose when, but they all typically WANT to get to me. 🙂

      Reply
  10. Monica says

    July 5, 2019 at 12:49 pm

    Is there anything they turn in for authenticity and to track progress?

    Reply
    • Mary Amoson says

      July 14, 2019 at 10:08 pm

      You absolutely can!

      Reply
  11. Nicole says

    July 21, 2019 at 4:08 pm

    Hi! Curious to know if during the entire allotted time a slower working child doesn’t complete all 6 or 8 centers what do you do? Do you give extra time at another time in the day?
    Would also be able to share what your 8 centers are? I think you do all 6 with technology and _______?
    Thank you!

    Reply
  12. Carey Hastings says

    December 23, 2019 at 3:12 pm

    I love this idea, but am confused about how you accomplish guided reading with kids coming and going from all different levels. I typically pull groups based on reading level and skill. I have a lesson plan for each guided reading group. I wold love to hear how this works for you. Open to new ideas!

    Reply

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