Daily 5: Chapter 4

Can I just first say... I am so pleased to be a part of this book study! We didn't have a lot of interest among teachers in my building but I am just loving this book and this way of teaching reading! This chapter has made me excited for the school year to start, it's all about the getting started!


Day 1: Teaching two ways to Read to Self.
These two ways will be what students are most familiar with, but reading the pictures is probably the focus. Kiddos "read the pictures" from the day they pick up their first book. My one year old daughter already "reads" as she flips through the pages. Teaching kids that this is an okay and important way to read will get them excited about the read to self time. But before letting them free we must model what it is like to read the pictures, then read the words, and then encouraging metacognition discuss our learning.


Introduce the 3rd way of reading: Retelling a Story.
Review the first two ways we learned first. Use the same book from the previous day to demonstrate retelling a story. All three of these will help extend their stamina in reading to self.


*What  I love so much about this book is the dialogue that it is included. Sometimes I am so amazed with student responses I think it must be made up :)


The day we launch the Daily 5,  we would make on I chart (or as I call it a T chart, but the I stands for Independence). Then we brainstorm ideas for what student's roles are during read to self and the teacher's roles.


Modeling Read to Self. So we allow one or two students to model read to self and we discuss while in action using our I chart to guide us. Then let that kiddo dying for attention to demonstrate the inappropriate way, but before he is finished he then has to show the right way.


Okay so we are ready to practice read to self. THREE MINUTES, or as the book states however long until the first student can't sit still any longer. The book mentions choosing student spots the first few time to model distance and possibilities of where to sit.


*A question comes to mind... Do I eventually allow them choose where they sit? or will this turn into a disaster as it often did with my 4th graders? I always let them choose a spot, but then they had to stick to that spot for at least the whole quarter because otherwise they fought over spots.


My favorite, but most challenging part with be sitting down and not managing or even making eye contact. When the three minutes are up we come back and discuss, then engage in another practice. After that practice we are able to review the entire lesson of reading to self. 


Some key points to remember:
*If kiddos are having hard time achieving more stamina we should up the amount of sessions of read to self we practice per day.
*If students ever get off track, MODEL. If you are sick on modeling then you are doing it just enough!
*We want them to be able to read 30-40 minutes by themselves... WOW, all I can say is WOW!