Daily 5 Chapter 2

I am such a fan of Daily 5.  Now that my room is finally packed up, I think I can fully join into this book club!  


Here are some thoughts on chapter 2:
Chapter goes through the foundational principles of Daily 5-trust, choice, community, sense of urgency, and stamina

TRUST:
I think one of the decisions to be made is the line between what student managed and teacher managed.  What am I willing to allow students to make decisions about so that I free and able to trust that students have learned and are able to be independently on task.  As I think back on the year, I realize that trust doesn't start, all at once, in September.  It is built bit by bit throughout the year, but I have to remember to start small and help students create it.

In my room, at the beginning of the year until about December, students sign up each day for their Daily 5 choices.  Sign up, do the session, return to carpet, review, sign up again, repeat.  When we return from break, we try out just getting started on session 1.  After time is up, I ring a bell and students switch to session 2, with just a few reminders and get started.

CHOICE:
Not being given a choice for a task, often deters me from any kind of motivation to the task.  The same is true for kids.  Structure is so important, but for the structure to work choice holds it together.  Students have choices for how they will use their reading time, as well as what they want to read within that time.  For book changing, I assign small groups a day of the week.  On their day, they can trade out their books.  How do you allow for book choice?

COMMUNITY:
I believe this is the most important influence over a classroom.  Having shared reading experiences allows students to connect using books.    Then they can share books with each other as they learn and make connections with each other.  I love when one of my students finish a book and have to immediately give it to a friend.  (This requires a lot of trust on my part...new books are on book change day...is the book just right for both people....I can let it go in the effort of community.)

One way I can help with the community creating is by using students for posters and anchor charts.

Anchor charts always have the name or initials of the person who contributed their thinking.

Books are as Precious as Baby's 1st Christmas Ornament Chart

Chickadee Schema

Chart of where we read outside of school.

SENSE OF URGENCY:
I think this is the one I struggle with, maybe it is the word urgency.  Urgency makes me think of hurrying or an emergency.  Students should get started with a sense of urgency, but then after that I want them to have a sense of importantcy   (yes I did just make up that word) about reading.  I can't tell them enough times how important reading is, I want to foster that within them, so they realize it is important (and FUN!)  Still thinking about how to go about this.

STAMINA:
This I love.  Kids love the word stamina...they think it is a big people word:-)  Every fall, we have a jog-a-thon fundraiser and we talk about running stamina for the jog-a-thon right along with reading stamina.  It really helps kids have a bridge for making meaning of stamina.  Then we practice.  At my school the 1st grade teachers, also use Daily 5, so they come to me in 2nd with a stamina started, we just have to practice reviewing and using their reading stamina muscles.

For more thoughts on chapter 2 of The Daily 5 check out, Teaching With Style.

Happy Thursday,