| | |

Daily 5 2nd Edition Chapters 5 and 6 or “Make it your own and make it work!

By
Before I start this chapter review, I need to preface it with the fact that Daily 5 has been successful in my classroom mainly because I have been able to adapt it to my kindergarten students and their needs and behaviors.  You can’t be afraid to do the same.  Just because something doesn’t work, don’t ditch the whole philosophy!  It’s just like what we know about differentiated instruction . . .

 

Assess, instruction, adjust! 
 
Each year that you do it, you will find that you accomplish more and adjust differently to incorporate more and more of the basic premises of D5.  These chapters are a prime example.  I have adjusted the basic premise of D5 set forth by the sisters in the book and made it my own.  That’s what you’ll find on this post today.   
 
Chapter 5:  Launching Read To Self-The First Daily 5 and Chapter 6: Foundation Lessons
With Daily 5, you always launch Read To Self first.  Personally I try, if it is at all possible, to start as quickly as possible, because if you know anything about establishing (or breaking a habit) it takes at least 21 days.  So with that in mind, we get started on day two of school and practice a couple of times a day, everyday until my kinders build their stamina to 15-20 minutes as our goal.   I don’t muddy the waters too much.  In first several of days of school, launch ‘read to self,’ setting up ‘word work stations’ and introducing ‘listen to reading’ are my main goals.  

 

 
While the sisters lay out a practical guide for several days of Daily 5 in the book with step by step details.  It is a great resource to reference but,  in my opinion, it’s just not completely practical for my kindergarten class to follow without making adjustments. I need the order and the timing to go a bit differently if my kids are going be successful.  For instance, in these chapters, the sisters have foundation lessons for Read to Someone and CAFE strategies.  I don’t even introduce Read to Someone until several months into the year, because I need to know that my students can first read to self and move amongst the other Daily 5 stations successfully.  So I don’t teach those lessons in the first day like ‘the sisters’ do.  I also don’t teach Work on Writing the same way they do.  It’s too much information for my kinders all at once.  I need to assess, instruct and adjust as I go along.   Slow and steady wins the race.
 
On the first days of school, they are just not, as a whole, capable of spending that much time on foundation lessons and Daily 5 for a 90 minute ELA block. So for the first one to two weeks, I break lessons up and practice throughout the day.  Make them short and sweet  (they shouldn’t last more than 10 minutes TOPS) and don’t skimp on practice and review.  The great thing about teaching these foundation lessons is that they each follow the ’10 Steps To Independence structure. And remember to give your students plenty of ‘brain breaks’ after sitting for your lesson.   After about the first 2 or 3 lessons, you’ll have it down pat.  




 So here’s an idea of what I try to accomplish in what order the first few days of Daily 5: 

 
DAY ONE 
Because I really believe kinds need lots of practice just learning to sit, stand, walk down the hall, make a lunch choice and build community during that first day of school, there is only one thing I do regarding Daily 5 on the first day of school.  
  • Students get acquainted with their book boxes as they arrive. I’ve preloaded the boxes with a variety of picture books and easily readers based on the interest inventory I sent and received back from their parents.  What?  You don’t have an interest inventory?  You need one.  I’ve revamped the below one a little bit from two years ago to make it editable.  So why don’t you go ahead, grab it and use it if you can.   Remember, one of the easiest ways you can differentiate is through interest so this is a no brainer.  You can be differentiating from day one (make sure you point it out to your administrators when they walk through.  They will be oh-so impressed!  I promise!

 

 

 
 
DAY TWO  The following lessons will be presented throughout the second day.  I don’t try and do them consecutively because my students lose interest to quickly at this time in the year.  If I space it out throughout the day, I have much better success.  Just remember to follow those 10 steps.  (You can actually get the break down step by step for each foundation lesson in the Appendix Section of The Daily 5 2nd Edition book!  It’s awesome)
D
D
L

Lesson 1

  • Foundation Lesson  The sisters suggest starting with ‘Three ways to Read a Book,”  but in my kindergarten class, I start with: “How to manage and care for your book boxes and books.”  (7-10 minutes)
  •  
 

I feel like if I don’t model this and let them practice, I end up with book boxes banged and played like a drum and books with ripped pages and  covers.  But if I model and let them practice, then I have far fewer destroyed books and book boxes being played like a drum.  It’s kindergarten after all.  They need to see it and practice it.  In the same Daily 5 fashion, have a student model the appropriate ways to handle their book boxes and ask your ‘what did you notice . . .?” questions.

  • Brain Break/Movement: (5-10 minutes) Time for a kinesthetic break.  Select a getting to know you activity or great game.  At the beginning of the year I like to play ‘hot potato’ with a beach ball and make the kiddos say the alphabet, saying the next consecutive letter as they hit the ball.

Lesson 2

 
 
  • Foundation Lesson:  Word Work: Setting up and Cleaning up Materials (7-10 Minutes) My goal the first several days of Word Work is to get my students into good habits in regards to how to handle materials during Word Work.  This foundation lesson focus not so much on a specific Word Work station, but stations and materials in general.  Follow the 10 Steps to Independence and set up your I-Chart.   For today I focus on:
    • Setting up and cleaning up materials


As soon as you are finished with the lesson, I give them a chance to explore the materials. 

 
The best way to explain how I do this,  is to see it in action. If you read my post: Getting them from HERE to THERE.  You will see exactly how I set up the first two weeks of my Word Work stations.    Just click on the schedule below to take you there.  You can get copies of my first two weeks of word work and how they’re organized.

 
(The sisters also include Choosing Materials and Words To Use here, but I will not introduce that until I know that my students are familiar with the first two focus areas and can transition successfully.)

Lesson 3  

  • Foundation Lesson: 3 Ways to Read A Book (7-10Minutes) With kinders, I only start by teaching them how to “read the pictures.”  Pick a fun and engaging picture book. Again you will need to model how ‘read the pictures’ looks.  Use a lot of ‘I notice that . . ‘ and ‘ ‘ . . . I wonder  . . .’ verbalization about the book.  
  • Time for another break.  You can either give them music, movement or play a kinesthetic game.  I realize that this a great deal of starting and stopping but your little guys need this.  After 7-10 minutes of a lesson, you are going to start losing them. (Get a copy of 3 Ways to Read a Book by clicking on the picture below.)
 
Lesson 4
 
 
  • Foundation Lesson:  Read To Self:  Read the Whole Time and Stay In One Spot  Remember the 10 steps to Independence in order to accomplish this. (7-10)
  • Quickly place your students around the room.
  • Practice building stamina (you might only make it 1-2 minutes).  Remember to stay out of the way and stop as soon as you see stamina being loss. 
  • Return students to carpet to reflect and check-in.  (The sisters suggest filling in the stamina chart at this point, but I don’t start that until I can introduce it the next day when I do a lesson on ‘building an urgency for reading.’ 
  • This will probably get you through the first day. You can separate the lessons out between other activities through out the day.  
 
DAY THREE

Lesson 1
  • Review:  Read to Self I-chart and talk abut Building Stamina (add it to the chart). Spend time talking about ‘why we need to practice reading.’  Introduce the word ‘stamina’ to your class.  This is a big word for kindergarten.  I like to talk about building muscles and how it takes a lot of time and practice.  You can’t just go out a lift a great big barbell.  You have to work yourself up to it.  Reading is the same way.  Introduce your stamina chart to your class and talk about how we will be tracking our stamina everyday.  This becomes an important class activity.  Students love to see how long they read.  In my own class, I tell them that when they reach their goal, we will have a ‘stamina party’ because we will have reached our goal.  If you would like to see more on my ‘stamina party’ from last year, just click the picture below.
  • Practice building stamina, check-in

 

Lesson 2

 
 
  • Review Word Work: Set up and Cleaning up Materials I-Chart.  Introduce next Word Work Expectation:  How to Use Materials and build your I-Chart (7-10 minutes)
    • Practice and explore word work stations
    • Reflect and check-in
    • Do this three times so that students are traveling and exploring three different stations and coming back, reflecting and checking in in-between each time.

Lesson 3

  • Foundation Lesson:  Review  ‘Read The Pictures and Introduce ‘Read the Words‘ and add to the How To Read A Book-Chart.  Model.  (No more than 10 minutes) 
  • Seat students around the room and practice building stamina, stay out of the way, bring back for check in after stamina seems to be broken.  Record your minutes on your stamina chart.
Lesson 4
  • Foundation Lesson:  How to read a book:  Retell (Model and add this strategy to your How To Read A Book chart-No more than 7-10 minutes) 
  • Brain Break (3-5 minutes)
  • Review Read To Self I-Chart 
  • Seat students around the room
  • Practice and build stamina
  • Stay out of the way
  • Check in and record stamina

DAY FOUR  

 
Lesson 1
  • Foundation Lesson:  Review ‘Read To Self” I-Chart and add the last two behaviors that are necessary for success:  Get started right away and work quietly.  (7-10 minutes)
  • Model what this does and doesn’t look like
  • Review Three Ways to Read a Book
  • Seat students
  • Practice building stamina
  • Stay out of the way
  • Check in, record and reflect 
  • Brain break 
Lesson 2
  • Foundation Lesson:  Review Word Work I-Chart  and introduce how to use any new materials (This may seem redundant, but I find that in those first several weeks the more we review this, the smoother they rest of the year goes.) Go through the 10 steps towards building independence. (5 minutes)
  • Practice word work
  • Check in
  • Do it three times
 
Lesson 3
 
  • Foundation Lesson:  Introduce Listen to Reading and Set up I-Chart.  Focus on the first two areas for Listen to Reading:  Setting up and cleaning up equipment and Using the materials.  Make sure you are following the 10 Steps. (7-10 minutes)
  • Brain Break
Lesson 4
  • Review Read to Self-I-Chart and Behaviors
  • Practice building stamina
  • Check in, record stamina and reflect
DAY 5
 
Lesson 1
  • Foundation Lesson:  Read to Self:  Choosing a successful place to read Build your I-Chart and expectations following the 10 steps to independence. (7-10 minutes)
  • Brain Break
  • Review Read To Self I-Chart and Expectations
  • Practice stamina, check-in, record and reflect
Lesson 2
  • Review Word Work-I Chart and introduce any new materials (5 minutes)
  • Practice, check-in, record and reflect (3 times at 5-7 minutes each)
 

Lesson 3

 

  • Foundation Lesson:  Listen to Reading:  Review first two expectations and add Listening and following along to the I-Chart (7-10 minutes)
  • Brain Break
  • Review Read to Self I-Chart
  • Practice, check-in, record and reflect
I know, I know . . . you thinking WHAT? How am I suppose to remember all this right? Here’s the deal.  Take a look at the simplified schedule below and then to know exactly how each foundation should go, refer to the Appendix in the back of the book.  After the first couple, you will be able to do it in your sleep.  I promise!
 
I know you probably are asking . . . but what about I-Pick books?  What about CAFE?  What about your daily schedule?  This is such a large post, and there is just so much to it. I really just need to break down those other pieces separately.  I will be having some additional post between now and next week to answer some questions especially about my daily schedule and such.   So make sure you check back.  Until then, make sure you check out the other posts below for more ideas.
 
 

 
 

Share This:

Marsha Moffit McGuire

Short little bio goes here. Short, sweet, and lets visitors know about your experience, expertise, etc.