Daily 5 Resources

Next Wednesday, September 5 is our first day of school.  My deadline for setting up my room is noon on Tuesday when we have our Back to School Event.

I am doing what I usually do when I begin something new: collecting resources.  Here are some links to some blog posts about using the Daily 5 in an intermediate classroom.

Free Daily 5 Resources for your classroom

Daily 5 in Upper Intermediate Classrooms -- read the comments

Links to Online Book Studies

Online Book Study -- We Read, We Blog, We Teach

If you have other links to resources, please include them in the comments.  Thank you.

Update: Ms. Chrissy B from Buzzing with Ms. B suggested this website http://k-5literacyconnections.weebly.com/daily-5.html



Long Shot by Mike Lupica

My husband saw this book on the coffee table as part of my personal summer reading.  "Mike Lupica, where have I heard that name before?"

Mike Lupica is a sports writer who now writes sports fiction for the 9-12-year-old group.  Although the main character is in high school, I found the content appropriate for the fourth, fifth, and sixth grade boys I teach.  Succeeding in sports is crucial to the outcome of the book, but developing character traits is even more important. Here is a free printable character sketch where students collect evidence that a character has a particular trait.

For an explanation of my rating scale, click here.
Find me at Goodreads.

I Changed My Mind

Last week I attended a district professional development day.  Different teachers in our district signed up to give the sessions and I enjoyed hearing from people in the classroom using the materials I am required to use.

I realized that I have had some misconceptions when I thought about the Daily 5 and CAFE:

• I thought it was more appropriate for the primary grades
• I thought it was a canned program that wouldn't allow for the creativity I like to bring to my teaching.

After listening to some teachers who are successfully implementing this program in their classrooms, I realized that I was wrong on both counts.  I have ordered the books and I will keep you posted on the results.

I would love to hear from other teachers who teach fourth, fifth or sixth grade who are successfully using these programs. 

Quote of the Week -- August 26, 2012

 

At the Beach

Imagine that you are on the coast of the Pacific Ocean.  You see something come in on the tide that you didn't expect to see on the beach.  Write a short news article explaining:

• What it is
• Where it came from
• When it landed in the Pacific Ocean
• Who is with you when you find it
• What happens next

(This writing prompt was inspired by the Japanese dock that washed up on the Oregon Coast after the tsunami.)

Amulet: The Stonekeeper – Kazu Kibuishi

This graphic novel adventure series is typical of the cartoons I see targeted for my age group.  Father dies tragically.  Mother is missing.  The children have to battle unusual creatures on their own. They are given powers they don't completely understand.

I was first introduced to this series three years ago when one of my fifth grade non-readers started carrying around the first book.  He borrowed it from his learning support teacher and pulled it out for independent reading. Now that I know how few words there are in this story, I wonder why it took him so long to "read" it.

I don't mind having students read graphic novels during independent reading time.  Graphic novels give my struggling readers support, but they look more mature than picture books.  This book has some elements  of story that I can use in my independent reading conferences.  I won't let them have a steady diet of this type of book.  I just know better how I can use this tool to encourage real reading.

Free printable story board to encourage students to write their own graphic novel.

To find out more about my rating scale, click here.
Find me at Goodreads.

The Desk Fairy

Someone emailed me asking about the Desk Fairy Privileges I have included in my free Privileges and Coupons packet.  I will elaborate here.

When I am having students organize their supplies, I draw a picture of their desk and label what I want them to keep in each compartment.  When I was a beginning teacher, I would schedule a time to clean out desks about once a month.  I found this time got out of control. 

Now I award students who keep their desks neat with privileges and they can cash these in like they would any other privileges.  I make sure students who are not as naturally organized have help.  I can reward improvement not just perfection.

For more information about Privileges and Coupons see my previous blog post.