More from Daily 5!

I have heard some people say that the structure of Daily 5 doesn't allow for direct instruction.  This opinion has always interested me- especially because I am leaving tomorrow for a workshop with Anita Archer (the master of explicit instruction).  I can see the benefits of direct, explicit instruction and I can see the benefit of giving students the time to practice reading.  Gail and Joan actually addressed this concern during the workshop and I was so glad that they did!

The typical structure of Daily 5 could look like:

7-10 minute lesson (direct instruction)
20-30 minute rotation
7- 10 minute lesson (direct instruction)
20-30 minute rotation
7-10 minute lesson (direct instruction)
20-30 minute rotation
7-10 minute lesson (direct instruction)

That is 4 separate times throughout the day where the teacher is directly instructing students on reading strategies.  In other words, 20% of the day is direct instruction while 80% of the day students are practicing reading.  For me, this makes sense.  Have you heard of the 10,000 hour rule?  This idea comes from Malcolm Gladwell and his book Outliers.  Basically, it means that experts become experts because they practice more than other people.  Specifically, "experts" practice a skill for around 10,000 hours.  Don't we want our kiddos to become expert readers?  I know that my students don't always have opportunities to read at home.  Their house might not be a safe place, they might not have access to books or they might be moving from place to place each night and can't keep track of books.  If I want to close the achievement gap and I want my students to be able to have the same opportunities as any other child their age, then I need to give them the time to practice at school!

My plan for the upcoming school year is to implement the structure of Daily 5 during my 90 minute reading block.  We do ability group our students (which I know is a "no-no" according to the sisters) and that has worked for my team and I in the past.  During my block I will hold 4 7-minute mini lessons and 3 20-minute Daily 5 rotations.  The students don't have to do each option every day.  In fact, read to self and work on writing will be 2 required rotations each day.  The third rotation will be their choice.  They will also be able to choose which order they complete their rotations.

Okay, now on to thinking how I am going to integrate the content areas into my literacy block...

See you in a week! Wish me luck with Anita Archer! :)

Daily 5 Conference

I survived the last day of school!  All of my kiddos are deeply into their second day of summer vacation and I just wrapped up the Daily 5 and Cafe training that I was fortunate enough to attend.  You might not believe that I get to go to so many conferences.  I know that not everyone is as lucky as me, but look- that's me in the scarf (in June- I live in the pnw) with my teammates and the sisters!

The workshop was DELIGHTFUL.  The sisters have such a wonderful rapport and presence that I can honestly say I was engaged 90% of the time (which isn't true for many workshops I've attended).  I have been a newbie on the daily 5/ cafe train and was so excited to learn from the masters and they didn't disappoint! In fact, I learned so much that I will probably stretch out all of the information into manageable chunks over multiple posts...the sisters taught me that!

My first reflection and "a-ha" of the workshop was on engagement and motivation.  The sisters highly recommended this book: In a Reading State of Mind by Fisher, Frey, Lapp

From their research they noted that students are motivated to read when:

• They have access to a wide range of materials
• We (as teachers) trust them enough to choose what they want to read
• They are given ample opportunities to engage in sustained reading
• They are allowed to socially interact with others about the text
• Classroom incentives reflect the value and importance of reading

Well, duh!  As I was sitting there listening to this I couldn't help but think about my own experience with reading especially in regards to the social interaction.  I obviously crave that social interaction otherwise I wouldn't be writing this blog!  How do you cultivate that love of reading if you don't allow your kiddos to talk with each other about books!  I have seen a couple of different ways to do this and I recently pinned an adorable book recommendation chart on Pinterest.  I am thinking about making our book recommendations a little bigger this year and I am curious to know what y'all think! 

My students in the past have written their own blogs.  I use the host site at www.weebly.com and it is free to use and you can sign up students for their own account while you still have administrative access over it.  In the past, I would give them a topic to write about and they would go to the computer and write about it.  Their friends could go to their site and leave comments as well as parents or other family members who knew the web address.  I am thinking that next year I will have the kiddos add a book recommendation page on to their blog.  They can write a review of the book they are reading.  Family and friends can read it and leave comments.  I was also thinking that just like many of us do- the students can leave comments on friends blogs telling them to check out a book review they just wrote because they know their friend will love it.

My wheels are spinning! I learned so much.  If you have the opportunity to check out the 2 Sisters, I highly recommend it!