Daily Five - Read to Self

Read to self may be the most important literacy learning in first grade.  In the past, my read to self time was DEAR, SSR, silent reading... a time when the kids chose a book, read it, and took an AR (Accelerated Reader) quiz to show they understood it.  This is quite different from the Read to Self described by "The Sisters" in The Daily Five.

I need to spend focused teaching time with the key concepts, materials,and routines to launch Read to Self with both mini-lessons and materials the kids will need.  

One of my big jobs to prepare for this part of Daily Five will be to organize book boxes for each of my students (25 first graders).

The kids will need an individual book box for their books.  It will have 3-8 picture books, magazines, and easy chapter books that I have selected for them to read. 

Here is a pic of the bins I will use.  Now I just need to label them and fill them.

I will post more pictures after I have it set up in my classroom. 


Mini-Lesson: 3 Ways to Read a Book
This lesson honors the kids level of reading development, whatever it may be.  In Daily Five, this lesson addresses the kids' belief that reading only means reading the words. 

What are the 3 ways?
Read the pictures
Read the words
Retell a familiar story

Mini Lesson: Good-fit Books
Using an anchor chart "I Pick" gives 5 ways to help choose a "good fit" book. Some time after this lesson, kids will choose their own books for their book boxes. For kids to grow as readers, they need to spend lots and lots of time reading with the majority of that time with "Good-fit" books.

 Daily Five - Model, practice, model, practice, model, practice,then repeat.

I will definitely need to go slow now to go fast later.  There is so much more in the Read to Self portion of the book.  Once again, get the book and read it, and then read it again. I am certain to keep it nearby as I continue my journey with Daily Five in my first grade class.

How have you used The Daily Five and Read to Self in your classroom?  Challenges, successes?  I would love to hear your thoughts.

~Clara

Daily Five - Reading the book The Daily Five - Part 1

It only seems natural that if you plan to try someone's ideas in your classroom, that first you should read the book.  "The Sisters", Gail Boushey and Joan Moser wrote a book detailing each part of this literacy process.  My first question to myself was, "What is Daily Five?"  I had been reading all over the web, Facebook, and Pinterest about it - Step one - Read the book!

Click here to view more details about the book. The Daily Five

"The Sisters" also have a website with extensive resources to support Daily Five along the journey.  I am considering buying a subscription to access all the wonderful videos and resources but many of them are free and accessible without a membership. 

The official Daily Five website

"The Daily Five is a series of literacy tasks which students complete daily while the teacher meets with small groups or confers with individuals. This book not only explains the philosophy behind the structure, but shows you how to carefully and systematically train your students to participate in each of the components." Quote from The 2 Sisters website. 

I would love to hear from you about your Daily Five journey. Right now I have more questions than answers. 

My next post will be about the first of the Daily Five routines, Read to Self. Those first days of school in first every grade are especially important to establishing routines.

~Clara 

Classroom Freebies: 100+ Behavior Reward Ideas

Each year I struggle with classroom rewards.  It seems I always return to the tickets and treasure box.  Check out this awesome post about using intrinsic and non-gift rewards for student recognition.  I need to try it.  How do you recognize great behavior in your classroom?  I would appreciate your input.


Classroom Freebies: 100+ Behavior Reward Ideas: Tired of the treasure box? Need a list of intrinsic or non-gift type rewards for great student behavior to use as incentives? Yo...

First Week of School Picture Books

What picture books do you like to read the first week of school? These 3 are sure to be in my basket.

First Day Jitters is a favorite. It is sure to get a few laughs and relieve a little anxiety.

Chrysanthemum is sure to be a class favorite.  I love to use the kids names in lots of activities the first days of school and this will be a great addition.

Leo the Late Bloomer is one of my personal favorites.  I try to stress that we are all unique and this book brings that home in a great way.

Check out this fabulous linky to share your picture book favorites for the beginning of school. Thank you to DeAnne for doing this fabulous post as we sort through our books to start getting ready for a new year.

Click here to check it out: 
First Grade and Fabulous: Picture Books-A LInky Party


Clara  @ Teaching 365 - First Grade with Sunflowers and Ladybugs

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