*** Update: I have started to reread Daily 5 and have b
een thinking about what I do and how it is going to work for me next year. Click here for my first post on thoughts about chapter 2 and next year, as well as a few printables!
I realized that I have not put together any posts on D5. It's funny because it is such a part of my classroom and I have done several staff developments on it. I guess it has just become such a part of my regular practice that I don't think about it as much as other subject areas.
I find that I love many of the Sisters' techniques.
- Balance of Activities: I love the idea of dedicating my center time to literacy and not having as many paper-based activities to do. Again, my dislike of correcting papers is showing itself. The reduction in prep work is also wonderful. I am still trying to balance choice of activities and accountability. It's a work in progress...
- Short lessons: I have shortened up my lessons quite a bit and get right to my point. Shared reading lessons are important, but when I am teaching a skills lesson, I make it short and transparent.
- Student Choice: I love the idea of giving students choice. In general, my students have a choice over what they put in their "Just Right" reading boxes and what they listen to. I did not use buddy reading as frequently last year, but they were able to choose reading partners on Fridays. Some parts of word work were a routine, but the students had a choice of games. They also had a choice in how they practiced their spelling words. I gave them much more freedom last year with writing, but found they like more guidance in the form of a topic or prompt. I played with choice in which "center" they were doing. This varied throughout the year. Sometimes I rotated groups, sometimes there was controlled choice, and sometimes the kids chose. I found that the kids were more productive when I assigned them centers and when I asked them, they said the liked having a schedule.
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