A daily routine for reading and writing…

So… what is “The Daily 5” thing all about?  First of all, The Daily 5 will become a big part of your day.  It will allow you to do meaningful work independently.  The Daily 5 includes: Read-to-Self, Read-to-Someone, Listen-to-Reading, Writing, and Word Work (you will learn more about those a bit later). Now let’s dig more into The Daily 5…

The Daily 5 will help establish… …A sense of trust …A freedom for choice …A sense of community …A sense of urgency …Stamina …Routines for Independence

A Sense of TRUST …  In terms of The Daily 5, meaningful learning will require mutual trust and respect between the teacher and you, the student.  Each of you is valuable and unique and worthy of respect and caring.  It is trust that will allow you to become independent learners.  It is trust that will allow the teacher to focus energy on teaching, not managing behaviors.

 We all know and realize that we need and love structure and routine. These are very much needed in the classroom.  In terms of The Daily 5, you will have a choice in your learning. You will ask yourself questions such as “What are my goals in reading and writing?”, “What will I do first?”, “Whom will I choose to work with?”, “What will I accomplish?”, and “What was I working on yesterday that I want to continue today?”.  Purpose + Choice= MOTIVATION!  It is choice that will motivate you and put you in charge of your own learning! A Freedom for Choice …

 What we experience together will weave the tapestry that will create an environment of learning and caring.  A sense of community provides everyone with ownership to hold others accountable for behaviors, effort, learning, order, and kindness.  In terms of The Daily 5, everyone rejoices in each other’s progress. If a classmate is disrupting others during work time, the community will join together to encourage, support, and hold the person accountable for his or her learning behavior. A Sense of Community…

 In terms of The Daily 5, creating urgency in the classroom establishes a community where every moment of learning is important.  There is a reason “why” you do certain tasks, and you will be taught “why” you do things. An example of “why” is something like this. “Why do we read?” Well… research says that reading each day is the best way to become a better reader- it’s as simple as that!  When a person understands the reason for a task, it motivates that person to persevere. A Sense of Urgency…

 In terms of The Daily 5, you will need to build up stamina in order to be successful readers and writers. Just think of the process as a runner training for a marathon.  If you don’t have the stamina to read for thirty minutes, you will not be successful. In fact, you may even become frustrated and lose motivation to succeed.  Therefore, it is important that you are taught how to be successful at each of the five key components of The Daily 5. Stamina…

 In terms of The Daily 5, once you understand what is expected of you, have practiced strategies, and have built up your stamina, it is time to “show-off” your independence!  To be successful with The Daily 5, it is important that you show that you can make decisions on your own and monitor yourself regarding your own progress.  By showing independence, you will allow your teacher to work with students in small groups (in other words, it’s your chance to show your teacher that you can learn on your own!). Routines for Independence…

Other Daily 5 Essentials Establishing a Gathering Place Finding “Good-Fit” Books Book Boxes Anchor Charts Signals & Check-in Repeated Practice

Establishing a Gathering Place… Think-Pair-Share Believe it or not, you are never too old to sit on the floor and learn. A gathering place is an open space large enough for the whole class to come together. Where might be the best place for this in our room?  Now, let’s test out our gathering place…  How should you sit? What should be some guidelines to follow to make sure learning takes place?

Finding Good-Fit Books… Think-Pair-Share How do you know a book is the right book for you? How do you know the book isn’t too difficult for you?  One of the most important things to do to become a better reader is to read “good-fit” books.  You should look for a “good-fit” book in five ways using the acronym, “I PICK”.

I PICK Ianswers the question… “What book should I choose?” Finding a book that is a great fit for you will give you the best opportunity for success!

P answers the question… “What is my purpose for wanting to read the book?” You should have a purpose when choosing a good-fit book. Is the purpose for research? Or, are you simply reading for some fun? I PICK Ruby Holler Because of Winn Dixie Sharks Civil War

Ianswers the question… “What sort of book am I interested in reading?” Do you want a book like the one you just finished? Do you want a mystery? Or are you more interested in learning about sports? Whatever the book, make sure it is of interest to you. I PICK

C answers the question… “Do I comprehend the book that I chose?” Whatever book you choose, make sure that you can comprehend it. If you find yourself asking a lot of questions and things are sort of confusing, then maybe the book isn’t a good-fit book. I PICK

K answers the question… “Do I know the words?” Whatever book you choose, make sure that you can understand the words. You should know most of the words that you read. If you don’t, then the book is not a good-fit book. I PICK

What does “genre” mean? A genre is a “type” of literature. For example the realistic fiction genre contains books about events that could happen today with realistic people as the main characters. Think-Pair-Share What are some other types of genres that you know?

Different Genres in Literature… Take a look around the room and find the classroom library or take a walk down the hall to the school one. What kind of books do you see? How are the books separated? Are they separated by genres?

Historical Fiction  Historical Fiction stories are about a certain time period in the past. The setting is described in detail, the characters are believable, and there is a main problem that the characters must overcome. The main clue is that some of the characters in the story were not “real” people and did not actually exist.  Examples: Little House books, The Sign of the Beaver, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Al Capone Does My Shirts…

Mystery  Mysteries are stories that have something to solve. There are usually clues that people uncover that lead to the answer to the mystery.  Examples are: The 39 Clues Series, Sherlock Holmes, Encyclopedia Brown, The Hardy Boys

Horror/Suspense  Horror or suspense stories often contain objects or creatures that are not real (ghosts, talking toys, …) that are used to scare the reader.  Examples are: Goosebumps, Fear Street, The Old Willis Place

Fantasy  Fantasy stories are created by altering one or more characteristics of reality.  Entire new worlds may be created or characters may have extraordinary experiences in the real world. Characters may be extra large or extremely tiny (Gulliver’s Travels).  Other Examples: Preposterous Characters and Situations James and the Giant Peach Talking Animals Stuart Little Living Toys Winnie the Pooh Strange and Curious Worlds The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Time Warps When You Reach Me

Realistic Fiction  Realistic Fiction contains everything in a realistic story and is consistent with the lives of real people in our world.  The events in the story could have happened. The characters and the setting seem real, and the plot focuses on everyday problems and personal relationships.  Examples: Hatchet, Dear Mr. Henshaw, Frindle

Science Fiction  The science fiction genre deals with probable events, is usually set in another world, and is concerned with technological advances.  Themes are the struggle between good and evil, the hope for one peaceful world, and the brotherhood of man, space adventure, space flight, and space vehicles are included in many science fiction books.  Examples: Star Wars, Star Trek, Animorphs, Deltora Quest

Fairytales  Fairytales are full of magic--giants, witches, magical tablecloths, beans, and sticks--all sorts of magic.  These are set in a fantasy land, involve upper class characters-- princes, princesses, kings, and queens, and frequently rely on the pattern of three.  The conflict portrayed is generally life and death. At the end the fortunes of the lowly, childlike, good protagonist and the adult- like, evil, antagonist are usually. Castles, journeys, mysteries, huts, woods, rivers, bridges, a talking or otherwise helpful animal frequently appear.  Examples of traditional fairytales are: Cinderella, Snow White, Jack and the Beanstalk.

Myths  Myths are stories about gods and are sacred stories, which supply "models for human behavior" and "give meaning and value to life“.  Western civilization has been strongly shaped by Greek, Roman, Norse, Celtic, and Judeo-Christian mythologies. Today we also possess African, Asian, and Native American mythologies, which attempt to explain the creation, divinity, religion, human nature, features of the natural world, and death.  Example: Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Non Fiction  Non-fiction books contain factual information about a person, place, event, animal, and/or thing.  Some examples of nonfiction are: biographies, autobiographies, and information books about certain topics.  Examples: Dinosaurs, Volcanoes

Biography  Biographies tell the story of an individual’s life. The book is written by another person.  The books discuss the person’s life and achievements. All the facts in the book are accurate and true.  Examples: Young Abigail Adams, Eleanor Roosevelt, George Washington…

Autobiography  Autobiographies are stories that are written by someone about his/her own life.  An example is: Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio by Peg Kehret

Setting up “Book Boxes”…  Now that you’ve decided on a few “good-fit” books, you should put these books in a place where you can easily access them.  Your teacher will show you where to put your books…

Creating Anchor Charts  As we learn each component of The Daily 5, we will come together and make an anchor chart (or “I” chart for “Independence”).  On each chart, you will be asked to come up with learning behaviors and expectations for you and your teacher.  Now, let’s see who can model these behavior…

Signals and Check-in  Your teacher will have a signal to get your attention.  Maybe it’s a yell, a bell, or a siren. Whatever it is, you should adhere to the signal. Let’s try it…  To be self-reflective, you will be asked to give a thumbs-up or a thumbs-sideways in regards to how you did.

~Muscle Memory~ Repeated Practice  Don’t be surprised if we go over and over and over some of the expectations for the components of The Daily 5.  The reason we do this is to train your muscles to do the right thing.  To be successful, we’ll follow 10 steps to muscle memory…

~Muscle Memory~ 10 Steps 1. Identify what is to be taught. 2. Set a purpose and a sense of urgency 3. Brainstorm behaviors using “I” chart. 4. Model the most desirable behaviors. 5. Model the least desirable behaviors. 6. Everyone model and build stamina (3 minutes). 7. Independent work (teacher stays out of the way). 8. Quiet signal to come back to group. 9. Group check-in (How did you do?). 10. Repeat steps 1-9.

Read to self Read to someone Listen to reading Work on writing Word work

Scene One: Read to Self  Being able to read to yourself is the foundation of The Daily 5.  The “launching” of read to self is based on the gradual release of responsibility- eventually, you will be able to do this independently the right way! Steps to Take 1. Let’s find our gathering place. 2. Discuss the three ways to read a book:  Read the words  Read and talk to yourself about the pictures  Retell a previously read book 3. Model read to self, practice read to self, talk about read to self… 4. Fill-out the “I” chart on read to self. 5.Build your stamina. Model, practice, talk, and repeat…

Scene Two: Read to Someone  Being able to read to someone will help you become less reliant on the teacher for assistance.  Reading to someone will allow you to share your thinking and learning with a friend.  Like all of the components of The Daily 5, the “launching” of read to someone is based on the gradual release of responsibility- eventually, you will be able to do this independently the right way! Steps to Take 1. If you’re not there already, let’s find our gathering place. 2. Think-Pair-Share: “Why do you suppose that reading to someone everyday is so important? 3. Model and practice EEKK (elbows to elbows, knees to knees). 4. Brainstorm “I” chart on read to someone. 5.Build your stamina. Model, practice, talk, and repeat…

Scene Three: Listen to Reading  Listening to reading is another way to develop fluency and vocabulary.  Listening to reading will allow you to relax and listen to a good story and learn new strategies.  Like all of the components of The Daily 5, listening to reading is based on the gradual release of responsibility- eventually, you will be able to do this independently the right way! Steps to Take 1. If you’re not there already, let’s find our gathering place. 2. Think-Pair-Share: “There are several ways to listen to reading. What are some ways to listen to reading?” 3. Brainstorm “I” chart on listen to reading. 4.Build your stamina. Model, practice, talk, and repeat…

Scene Four: Work on Writing  Work on writing will allow you time to spend on writing that really matters to you: Persuasive writing Letters to a friend Reports on topics of interest Poetry Other  Like all of the components of The Daily 5, writing is based on the gradual release of responsibility- eventually, you will be able to do this independently the right way! Steps to Take 1. If you’re not there already, let’s find our gathering place. 2. Think-Pair-Share: “Why do you think it is important to write everyday?” 3. Brainstorm “I” chart on work on writing. 4.Build your stamina. Model, practice, talk, and repeat…

Scene Five: Word Work (Words Their Way)  Having time during a reading block to focus on words is critical to your development as a reader, writer, and communicator.  With word work, you will work on: Experimenting with spelling patterns Memorizing high-frequency words Generalizing spelling patterns Adding to your knowledge and curiosity pf unique and interesting words  Like all of the components of The Daily 5, word work is based on the gradual release of responsibility- eventually, you will be able to do this independently the right way! Steps to Take 1. If you’re not there already, let’s find our gathering place. 2. Think-Pair-Share: “Do you know any spelling patterns?” 3. Brainstorm “I” chart on word work. 4.Build your stamina. Model, practice, talk, and repeat…

Bibliography  Boushey, Gail and Moser, Joan. The Daily 5: Fostering Literacy Independence in the Elementary Grades. Stenhouse Publishers. Portland, Maine  "The Daily 5 and CAFE 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."