Daily 5 Information

DAILY 5 CHOICE DESCRIPTIONS:

Read to Self

 

When students Read to Self, students read good-fit books independently from their book baskets. Students take their book box and find a cozy reading spot around the room. Leveled readers from the A - Z reading series are read during this time. All books are carefully monitored by Mrs. Beaudin to ensure they are indeed a good-fit for students.

Why do we do this? The best way to become a better reader is to practice, practice, practice each day! Read to Self helps us become better readers and it is fun!

Read to Someone

 

When students choose Read to Someone, partners take their book baskets and read just-right books to read together. Partners are taught to sit "EEKK" style when partner reading (elbow to elbow, knee to knee). Students make decisions together about where they want to read, what they want to read (same book or different books), and how they want to read (echo or choral). Students are carefully taught to CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING when partner reading. This helps us improve our comprehension. While one student reads, the other student listens carefully and then "checks for understanding". The listener retells what he/she heard by saying: "I heard you say (who & what)." This holds the listener accountable. Students are also carefully taught how to be good reading coaches and to assist partners when they come to an unknown word or when comprehension may break down.

Why do we do this? Reading with a partner is fun and helps us become more fluent readers. It also helps us improve our reading comprehension.
 

 

Listen to Reading

When students choose Listen to Reading, they can either listen to stories on the computer or books on CD. Our classroom is very fortunate to have three computers with internet access, three CD players and a variety of books on CD. In addition, students are read to once each week by Mrs. Brownie, Mrs. Vanderburgh in the library, twice per month by our guest readers for the Walking Toward Literacy Project and daily by me. It exposes us to a variety of genre, too!

Why do we do this? Listening to readers and books on tape is fun and helps us to become more fluent readers. 

Word Work

When students choose Word Work, they explore and work with our weekly spelling and vocabulary words. They have a list of Word Work activities to choose from. Examples: Rainbow spell the words, flash cards, stamp them with alphabet stamps, print them on white boards and chalk boards etc.

Why do we do this? Work work allows us to learn about words, to expand our vocabularies, and to become better spellers! Our writing is important to us and correct spelling allows our readers to have a better understanding and appreciation of our writing.

Writing  Work

 

Work on writing is a time for children to practice the skills we are learning during our writing lessons. It could be free choice journal writing, letter writing to our buddies, or writing about a story we have read or heard.

Why do we do this? Just like with reading, the key to becoming a successful writer is to practice.  The more you do it, the better you become!

 

 

 

Guided Reading

Students work with the teacher to read with a group at a level that is just right for them.

Why do we do this? Students need to spend time reading at a level that is just right for them and doing this in a group gives them a chance to help each other out.  It also allows the teacher to work with more than one student at a time.