the daily 5, Chapter 3

What's the Difference? Key Materials, Concepts, and Routines for Launching the Daily Five


 I'm not sure exactly, because I only ever taught using daily 5, not the traditional centers.


Questions to ponder as given to us by Jana @ Thinking Out Loud

1. Why is a gathering place important? The gathering space is important because it allows teacher and students to be close together. To learn together. The place can help the student and teacher shift between activities and thinking.
2. How did your students progess with picking appropriate books?  What went well?  What had to be changed? As the year went on I did not keep up with book shopping, or giving the students opportunities to pick good-fit books. I have to dedicate time to that this year. It is a must.
3. What rituals and routines do you need to teach for this structure to be successful? In order to be successful I need to teach routines for gathering, going to work, choosing books, and working at each choice.
4. How did you adapt the rituals and routines introduced in this chapter to make them successful for your students? I basically taught the routines like to book described them.
5. What is one statement that stood out above everything in this chapter? I love books. I love being in classrooms with lots of books. I loved my sons 4th grade teacher who had an awesome classroom library. So my favorite statement was on page 35, "Jim Trelease (2001) says that children in classrooms with the most books consistently outperform their peers who are in classrooms with little or no library." This statement reminds me of the power of having books around and encouraging children to read all the time.

What did I love about this chapter? The many practical routines, and materials needed for launching the D5.
**Next year I want to create an awesome gathering place. Last years was ok, but reading about what other teacher's have nearby is making me rethink what materials I want to have handy.
**School had been in session for 1 week last year when I started the daily 5, so reading about filling the book boxes before school was great. I can hardly wait to get back in my classroom and start filling the boxes in anticipation of the young ones that will be coming in August.
**We loved making anchor charts. But I did not keep them up all year. I had them on a ring to pull out as needed, but maybe I need to have a space for them. We made anchor charts (the I chart for independence) for project day and field trip days. I think they really helped us set the tone for whatever work we were about to do.
**I remember practicing soooo much to build our stamina. We celebrated big time when one day we increased our stamina by 5 minutes! WOW what a feeling. It might take more practice and patience this year with first grade. Maybe they will surprise me. In fact, I know they will.
**Modeling both correct behaviors and incorrect behaviors was instrumental in getting my challenging students to stay on task. Loved this. Took this idea to other parts of my day as well.

Hop on over to Mrs. Freshwater's Class and Thinking Out Loud to read what she and others have to say about chapter 3.

For earlier chapters visit:
Chapter 1: Mel D. from Seusstastic Classroom Inspirations
Chapter 2: Mel D. from Seusstastic Classroom Inspriations