Each Monday we collaborate with our building's new and Dual Language staff members for a professional development session based on what they highlight as their needs and/or desires for learning! This week we focused on Daily 5 ideas as all of our staff are currently working hard to get their stations and guided reading up and running! The teachers who attending the session came up with a variety of wonderful ideas and activities that could potentially be used throughout the year in these work stations. I thought some of you may enjoy taking a gander at what they came up with as well! Just a little background... we utilized a strategy many of you may be familiar with called "Round Robin" to gather ideas during our meeting. The staff were given the anchor charts with only the titles and asked to add any activity ideas they were doing, would like to do, etc. based on the title on their paper. We gave each group 1 minute to brainstorm and write their ideas, and then they were asked to pass the poster to the next group. We continued to do this until all posters had made it to all groups. This is a great strategy that you could use with your students as well to assess their background knowledge and/or learning of concepts. You could even do it at the beginning of the year to see what activities they already know and enjoy doing during Daily 5 if they are familiar with it from the year past! This may give you some insight as to what they may want to do in your classroom as well! Alright now onto the posters...keep in mind these were quickly written by our staff and we discussed them a bit after as well, so not everything may make perfect sense! But feel free to ask questions in the comments if you have any and I would be happy to try my best to answer! After our meeting, I also took some time to type up all of their ideas onto one page for them to hold on to and refer to throughout the year. You are welcome to a copy if you'd like- just click on the image below :)! (Graphics: Scrappin Doodles, Priscilla Concepcion)
Take a deep dive into the common five structure options for your ELA block with benefits of each outlined in an informative and actionable manner.
Take a look at how I set up my class and organize my stations for a successful start to Daily 5 in kindergarten.
Hello friends! Today I’m joining a fabulous group of friends for an online book study of The Daily 5. Over the course of the next 8ish weeks, we’ll be taking a close look at the newest …
Daily 5 Literacy Stations!!!! Holy email, you all have a ton of questions, and while I’d love to claim that I’m an expert, I can really only tell you how this works in my own classroom. As some of you know, I do a form of Daily 5 . . . We call it Daily…
We're sharing how we set up for Daily 5 rotations! Come check out our pictures and grab FREE resources! Expectations Posters Here's our take on the Daily 5 expectation posters! We keep these posters hanging in the room all year. In the beginning of the year, we continually refer to the posters as kiddos learn the rules and expectations of the Daily 5 routines. After Winter Break, we like to refer back to the posters. After a busy holiday season and a bit of time out of school, the review is really helpful! Just as outlined in the Daily 5 book (affiliate link), by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser, we set up the expectations of each Daily 5 routine with our kiddos. Below is each poster. At the bottom of this blog post, you can grab a FREE file with the black icons to make your own posters! **Quick note** We don't make an expectation chart for Work on Writing until after we have completed our 25 day Writer's Workshop Introduction. For our favorite lessons to intro Writer's Workshop, see this blog post! Student Check Sheet After we're in full swing with our Daily 5 routines, we have kiddos use this check list to record their daily choices. Additionally, if you have kiddos who need more direction with their Daily 5 center choices, this rotation chart can be helpful! We've had groups of kiddos who select their own Daily 5 choices just fine! Other groups will end up doing the same rotations over and over through the week. These rotation charts have been very helpful for managing those kiddos and getting them to participate in the Daily 5 choices evenly. Click here to grab all of these resources for your classroom! Book Leveling And here's a little tip to get your kiddos ready for selecting books for their book boxes. We've found that used colored dots to label our books, then giving the kiddos colored dots on their books boxes really helps facilitate the book selection process! It also helps to keep kiddos selecting and reading 'good fit' books! Below is a pic of the supplies we use to set this up in our classroom. You can grab a free download of the leveled book chart and large color dots to put on book bins in your classroom. For the colored dot stickers, we buy plain white dot stickers and color them with markers! This gives you a way to create a much better variety of colors! Click HERE to grab the file for book leveling!
Use this color-coded schedule to help your five groups navigate through Daily 5 Rotations. The "meet with teacher" time is built in to facilitate guided reading.
This past October my team went to an amazing Daily 5 conference by The Sisters. It completely changed the way I ran my literacy block. I've been so excited to implement each one of the five elements, but I'm not rushing it. I'm really allowing time for my students to "get" each part. The last element I have to bring in is Read with Someone. We'll be starting that one next week. I just wanted to share some of the things I've been doing that have really worked and the kids are excited about. One of the first lessons was to teach the kids how to find a "just right" book. This took a few days and I'm still assigning a parent to go "book shopping" with the kids to make sure they now how to pick a book that fits them. The first element I introduced was Read to Self. I wanted to make it FUN and something they would look forward to doing. Now that I have more than 30 little ones in my class, I had to get rid of my bean bags and comfy chairs in the library. Our space is just to limited. What I did pick up were five furry saucer chairs that fold and stack, so I can easily slide them under a desk. I've seen them at Target and on Amazon. I also picked up four giant clear tubs and oversized pillows. Big pillows can be pricey, so I went to Big Lots and found these cute, soft ones for under $5 each. I didn't have a selection to choose from, but I like what I ended up with. The kids cuddle up in these private cubbies and READ. It's awesome! They truly don't look up for 30 minutes. I don't know what it is about these cubbies that make them tune everything out, but it works. Word Work is another favorite of theirs. I try and offer a few options each week. Mostly we work with our spelling words or other words that match the phonics skill we're working on. They love Rainbow Writing because I let them use markers which is a rare treat. I got this freebie from Mel D over at Seusstastic. She also has amazing posts on how she runs Daily 5 in her classroom. If you are implementing the program or thinking about it, you must check her blog out. Work on Writing was one that I was nervous about because this was an area they have the least amount of stamina. "I don't know what to write about" is a constant. I also wanted them to write in different forms (lists, directions, etc.). This led me to creating a station that provided them with a ton of options and prompts. I wanted it clear to understand, so they could pick their type of writing and get going quickly. On my white board I provide examples of that months writing opportunities. They look to see what they would like to do (journal in their desks is always an option I give) and then go to the file box. I helped them the first few times, but surprisingly they got the hang of it. This quickly became a crowd favorite. The wonderful thing was they were writing the entire time. Kids were writing stories I never thought would have picked that option. Lists, cards, super sentences were also very popular. As time goes by, they venture into other options which I am loving. We are doing a lot with Olive the Other Reindeer, so I made a separate Book Study just for that book. It's not available in my writing station unit, but you can grab it here. I also love that any of these options can be used as a whole class directed lesson. The writing station does not take the place of direct writing instruction. I do that at a separate time, but it does set them up so they can practice their writing for a length of time, much like you would have them do Silent Reading. The sisters also talked about the importance of making your word wall interactive. A magnetic word wall seemed perfect for my classroom. This magnetic word wall is part of my Writing Station. Check it out. I have words based on theme, time of year, and units of study. Some words I keep up all year and others I change out monthly. I also added adjectives in a different font that are popular with my kids and will provide them with an opportunity to use richer vocabulary. The words based on theme is available in my writing station unit, but if you just need some more adjectives, you can grab this freebie here. You can find all the above activities in my Writing Station unit found in my store at TpT. A couple of the fun Christmas crafts that we're doing is this triangle Christmas tree. I first give the kids nine triangles. I do not provide them with an example. I just tell them to try and make a large Christmas tree with these nine triangles. It's fun to watch them move the pieces around to try and make a large triangle. Usually a few get it, but I have to start giving them hints by giving them the base row. I sometimes put this piece on top of our calendar that goes home, but this year we decorated the trees and I put them up on display. On our door, we have all of Santa's helpers. I love using paint chip samples in our artwork and language arts. They are so versatile. I thought these came out cute. The only problem I ran into was that kids couldn't decide on just one. Enjoy these last few weeks before break!
If you’ve read my blog before, you probably know that I use a Daily 5 structure to organize our reading time. I love the freedom, choice, and time spent reading/writing it offers my students. One of the most common questions/comments is “My students can’t handle choice. I’m doing Daily 5 just without the choice. My...
Ever since I started Daily 5 in my classroom, it has run smoother, my kids are reading more, and I am able to teach more. I have begun to search for some organizational products for me and my students. I have been looking for something exactly like these cards. They are compact enough to be kept at their desks. It's going to be so much easier for students to keep track and for me. With just a glance I can see what they have done...and what they may need to be pushed to do. I have no idea who created these. I found them on Pinterest. There are also wonderful instructions on how to introduce each part of Daily 5. I am definitely using these next year! I apologize for not knowing who created these. If you know, would you let me know, so I can give credit. Here's another example of how to keep them really reading, thinking, and writing. This was created by The Fighting Texan. If you want the whole kit and caboodle, head on over here. Holy Cow! This has everything you need! AND IT'S FREE!!! The last thing I'm going to share today is a Daily 5 Rubric Who Knew??? I just love these ideas! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Have a wonderful day!
As far as I'm concerned, there is no "right" way to structure a literacy block. Literacy Centers, Guided Reading, Daily 5... there are so many resources and formats to choose from! Depending on how your schedule works, it can be super tricky to fit it all in. Sometimes, I find that it works best to take a little bit from each style and make your literacy block your own. 95% of our literacy block structure is from The Daily 5. I learned how to teach a balanced literacy block this way as a student teacher, and I immediately fell in love. Here is what our Daily 5 Board looks like in our classroom! It's right beside the CAFE Board, which displays our reading strategies. True life, people... it's February and the bulletin board border isn't as pristinely staying in place as it was back in September. You'll notice that at the bottom right corner of the Daily 5 Board, our rotations are listed. The stations the children visit each week are: Teacher Table, Read to Self, Work on Writing, Read to Someone, Word Work, and Listen to Reading. Now, for the tricky part. My kids have either two or three specials each day. While it makes for incredibly rich learning, it's hard to structure a consistent block of time dedicated to literacy. Here's how we make our daily rotations work! Rotation 1: 10:30 am - 10:40 am: Whole group mini-lesson - The mini-lesson varies! Our school uses Reading Wonders as a resource, so sometimes the mini-lesson will be a comprehension skill/strategy from Wonders. Other times, it will be based on a specific unit (right now, we're in the middle of biographies), or an interactive read aloud involving turn & talks and think alouds. In the beginning of the week, we'll usually cover a phonics skill. 10:40 - 11:00/11:15: Read to Self and Reading Group - I am lucky enough to have an assistant teacher with me all morning. She is THE BEST. In the morning, she will take a reading group while I hold individual conferences with the other students as they Read to Self. While conferencing with the children during Read to Self, I take anecdotal notes on these conferencing sheets. Usually, I'll conference with 3 or 4 children per day. The work that the children do in reading group varies. Sometimes they'll read a story and answer comprehension questions from the Wonders workbook, or anthology. I'm not a huge fan of strictly teaching whole group from comprehensive literacy programs, and in a small group setting, it's more meaningful. It's also a way to make sure that everyone covers important comprehension skills that week while catering to that group's individual learning styles! If they're not working out of the workbook, they may be working on the week's phonics or vocabulary skill. Part of what I like about Wonders is the scope and sequence of vocabulary strategies. The kids enjoy making these mini-books in reading group! You can find them in my TpT shop here! At 11:00 (or 11:15, depending on the day), the kids are off to specials. Then, we have lunch from 12:30 - 1:00, and afternoon recess from 1:00 - 1:30. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, the kids have another special from 1:30 - 2:00. Mondays and Wednesdays, we're back in the classroom at 1:30. Whether it is 1:30 or 2:00, this is when we resume the literacy block! Rotation 2: 1:30 pm - 1:40 pm/2:00 pm - 2:10 pm: Whole group mini-lesson - Again, the mini-lesson will vary! In the afternoon, I usually like to keep things reading comprehension strategy focused and pair the mini-lesson with an interactive read aloud. 1:40 pm - 2:20 pm/2:10 pm - 2:30 pm: CHOICE! While I am meeting with one group at the Teacher Table, the other students choose to visit either Read to Someone, Work on Writing, Word Work, or Listen to Reading. Of course, all of these stations were slooooooowly introduced, modeled, and practiced in the beginning of the year before everything was up and running independently. I keep track of who goes where with this tracking sheet! The students are allowed to visit the same station more than once during the week, as long as it's not two days in a row. The students also keep track of their own progress. This darling freebie was from Martha over at Primary Paradise on TpT! On the first day of the week, the kids each get a blank rainbow tracking sheet. Each time they visit a station, they color in the corresponding place on the rainbow! I've found that this tool inspired students to branch out and do less repeating of stations. They're SUPER motivated to fill in all five colors. Throughout the week, the kids keep all of their work from Daily 5 in a folder. At the end of the week, I'll collect the work from each student's Daily 5 folder, and staple it all together with the tracking sheet on the front. I usually won't meet with a reading group for Rotation 2 on Friday afternoons. Everyone has a choice of their Daily 5 station. This is when I'll collect each student's work from the week and put it together. As students are working in their choice station, I'll call them over to go over their work from the week. We celebrate new stations that were visited, progress on a certain skill, and correct work when needed. After this brief conference, they color in the last place on the rainbow, the teacher check. Everything gets sent home at the end of the week. It's nice for parents to see exactly what their kiddos have done throughout the week during Daily 5! Well, that's what a week of Daily 5 in our classroom looks like (in a nutshell). For my fellow Daily 5 friends, I uploaded my Daily 5 Tracking Sheet to TpT, for FREE! You can download it here or by clicking the picture below.
Email after email, I hear “How do you do word work? I want to expose my students to lots of different words but that’s a lot of prep. I do want to spend hours each week trading out words!” To this, I say – “PREACH!” So, I’m stopping by with a picture-heavy post all about...
Today was the first day that we did our Daily 5 stations in class and I am so pleased with how it went! I am currently using 5 stations (rea...
Print and laminate these cute, chevron rotation cards for the Daily 5 and let your students sign up for their weekly activities using a pocket chart. Cards for Read to Self, Read to Someone, Listen to Reading, Word Work, Work on Writing, and Work with the Teacher with rotation headers in 2 cute styles. Find my matching classroom posters here for a complete look: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pastel-Chevron-Daily-5-Classroom-Posters-688263 Polka dot also available: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Polka-Dot-Daily-5-Rotation-Cards-649627 Disclaimer: This Daily 5 resource is an unofficial adaptation of the Daily 5 by Gail Boushey & Joan Moser. This is not endorsed by the 2 Sisters.
I know a lot of you have used my Daily 5 Anchor Charts Freebie on TpT and I wanted to create new charts that go with my new Chevron collecti...
>>DAILY 5 CHOICE BOARD<< *Print each week for your students to color in the centers they have visited! Great for tracking Daily 5 Centers. *Laminate so they can reuse the choice card each week! INCLUDES: Classic Daily 5 Centers: -Read to Self -Read with a Friend -Work on Writing -Word Work -Listen to Reading *Another sheet with a 6th Tech Center (if you/your school uses: Stride, MobyMax, or some online game program you incorporate)
Hey Friends! I have been SO impressed with the comments left on these posts- thank you so much! The winner from the last post is... ...
Thank you for your interest in this product! Included you will find a visual display for you and your students to see where they are going for each Daily 5 Rotation! I hope you find this useful in your classroom! Enjoy and please remember that feedback is always appreciated! :)
Here is a quick and easy way to keep track of which Daily 5 stations your kids visit each day and even how often you pull students for small group all in one easy location! Stations include: Read to Self Read to Someone Listen to Reading Work on Writing Word Work Teacher (for guided reading) The Daily 5 and CAFÉ are trademark and copy written content of Educational Design, LLC dba The 2 Sisters. Educational Design, LLC dba The 2 Sisters does not authorize or endorse these materials.
This item was created for students to hold any Daily 5 work in one place. It contains the cover, labels, a checklist, and a rubric for students to evaluate themselves. Enjoy! If you purchase my item, please leave feedback as I love hearing what others think of my products. Also, feel free to follow my blog: The Teacher's Backpack
This is an adorable Daily 5 "mini" set. Perfect for small wall spaces. I hope you find this resource useful! 9/23/13: As requested...updated with addition of "Work with Teacher" and "Work on Computer" :) Disclaimer: The Daily 5 and CAFÉ are trademark and copy written content of Educational Design, LLC dba The 2 Sisters. Educational Design, LLC dba The 2 Sisters does not authorize or endorse these materials.
