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

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

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. 

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.)

• 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.  

• 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

• 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.