There are countless reasons why I love the Daily 5 and would promote it to anyone and everyone that was looking for something to inspire change and growth. I know the way it has promoted growth and change in myself as well as my young learners and I wish I could bottle it up and share it with every teacher that was interested.
I came out of college with ideas how to teach reading but not many with how to manage all those other learners! My first year, through my district and mentor teacher, I was introduced to a rotation system. For the first few years of teaching I struggled to make that rotation system fit me (it changed more times than I could count) and I hated Friday prep of tubs and all the "stuff" that was going to keep the little ones engaged so I could have my small group time. Keeping the tubs "organized" and children engaged was a nightmare. It was not busy work but it sure did keep me busy. The Daily 5 came along at the perfect time and I will credit my first grade adventures with our meeting because I was jumping into a new (and much bigger) pool so I was ready to try something new and much more willing. I would love to think I would have branched out and left all the old behind if it had not been for the change in grade levels but I really do not know if I would have. I knew understanding new curriculums and a different age of children along with the various levels of learning in first grade just was not going to give me enough time to prep all those tubs.
Here's some perks to the Daily 5:
- It does not cost anything! Well unless you invest in the book...
- It is a framework for creating independent learners
Read to Self is still introduced first but now Work on Writing is introduced next rather than Read to Someone. Read to Someone stresses me out! Shhhh...do not tell the children that! The book really reinforces giving the children choices and with certain classes I have been able to do that more than others. While I absolutely believe in choice I know that I am accountable for my children and if they need boundaries within the framework of the Daily 5 then I give them. I am proud of those moments when I make decisions for these little ones that I have been entrusted with. I had a group of teachers come observe my Daily 5 rotation the week before school was out. They asked several questions trying to understand why I did this or that. Those are the things that look different every year because they are based on the needs of the learners.
I love how the second edition outlines the teaching of foundations of the other 4 elements of Daily 5 while you are practicing Read to Self. I have always done that so it was a nice confirmation for my own teaching decisions. One of the aspects that really sold me on the framework four years ago was that it aligned with a school wide discipline program my school had been using called Responsive Classroom. You can read more about it here. Responsive Classroom focuses on teaching children what you want them to know about routines and structures. You assume they know nothing. In the first edition of the Daily 5, I thought it did a wonderful job of walking through how to introduce components of the Daily 5, ideas for lessons, etc. The second edition follows along in that it does this but it also emphasizes the establishment of a classroom community, rules, routines that are essential to children being independent. Children cannot begin to be independent if things are continually changing or they do not know what to expect. I love this... "Our deep-rooted trust in children's ability to learn the necessary skills of independence through explicit instruction and guided practice is what allows us to teach them again and trust them again. We look at these children and say to ourselves, "They are not being mischievous or malevolent; they need more instructional support and time to build stamina." It is so true and a nice reminder.
I have heard many people say they have read the Daily 5 and tried implementing or say they are just not sure if they are ready to try. It is work, especially in the beginning. August and September are hard months of a kindergarten teacher buried in beginning of the year assessment, getting to know children, and teaching routines. I start Daily 5 on day one with the 3 minute Read to Self increments. It requires dedication and trust that it those small moments of stamina building will lead to growth and gains. It is still exciting to share with a teacher that understands the work that goes into the early days of Daily 5 that your class lasted for 6 minutes. 6 minutes is an eternity in length of time at the beginning of the year in Kindergarten.
I read the second edition because I brought home my first edition to reread and then I stumbled across the second edition at Barnes and Noble. I read the book every summer. I am always reflecting about the previous year and how to make it meaningful to a group of learners that I have not met yet. I will blog about the other chapters as the summer progresses and I think through what that means for the Daily 5 in Room 29 for next year.
Do you implement the Daily 5? What is your favorite of the five? Which one is the hardest for you to introduce or manage?
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