TEN TRIED AND TRUE TIPS FOR THE DAILY 5

1.  Laminate Anchor Charts~Create anchor charts with the students.  Record their ideas.  Afterwards, neatly rewrite charts and fancy them up as desired.  Laminate the final chart and hang in the classroom.  Next year, create anchor charts with your new students, but instead of rewriting the chart for display puposes, pull out the laminated chart from the previous year (it will have similar information) and hang it.

2.  Check for Understanding Strategy~The Sisters suggest using checkmarks cut from wood, with the strategy written on them.  Instead, use precut rectangular pieces of foam.  Use a permanent marker to record "Check for Understanding" on one side and "Who?" and "What?" on the reverse side.  These foam pieces can be purchased from craft stores.  They are extremely durable and inexpensive.


3.  Listen to Reading~Use classroom computers as a Listen to Reading station.  There are many great websites where students can listen to stories on-line.  Some of my favorites are http://www.starfall.com/ and http://www.storylineonline.net/.

4.  Creat a Reading Bag~A bag or tote with pockets works best.  The tote would include the following items: 

• Dry Erase Board
• Dry Erase Markers
• Pensieve
• Leveled Books
• Sticky Notes
• Pencils
• Word Cards/Letter Cards

5.  Repertoire of Mentor Texts~Locate a number of menor texts in advance.  Use these during your minilessons or focus lessons.  Short texts are best because you can finsih the entire text within the time frame of your focus lesson and the students are able to focus on the strategy being taught.

6.  Book Baskets~Be creative when looking for appropriate book boxes or book baskets.  Many teachers use book boxes which can be a little costly.  A good substitue is a book basket.  Baskets can be purchased at the Dollar Store and they come in a variety of colors.

7.  Strategy Board~Instead of writing the student's name on a sticky note and placing the note next to the strategy the student is working on, use a photo of the student instead.  At the beginning of the school year take head shots of each child.  Place the child's picture on the strategy board next to the strategy he/she is working on.

8.  Keep Track of Read-Alouds~Keep a record of all books that are read aloud to your students.  Keep this list posted somewhere in the classroom.  Update the list daily/weekly (this could be a classroom job.)  Record the book title, author, and genre.  Poster board works well, but I prefer a scroll.  Make one by stapling papers together and rolling up and unrolling as you add books to your list.  At the end of the school year you can revisit some of the favorites from the list.

9.  Utilize Technology~If you have a Smart Board, you can use some of the smart tools to create an electronic version of the Daily 5 check-in.  Students move their icons/pictures/symbols to indicate their Daily 5 choice.

10.  Be Resourceful~There are a lot of great resources available that will complement what you're doing with the Daily 5.  Two of my favorite teacher resources are Growing Readers-Units of Study in the Primary Classroom by Kathy Collins, and Words Their Way-Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction (Pearson-Merrrill/Prentice Hall).  Read what others have to say on the subject and make it your own.

http://www.amazon.com/Words-Their-Way-Vocabulary-Instruction/dp/0137035101/ref=dp_ob_title_bk