Daily 5 Thoughts.....Part 2

I am thoroughly enjoying my little Daily 5 study that I am doing.  I can't wait to implement it next year!  Today as I read I took a few notes.  Here are some things that stuck out to me. 

1.) Volume of voices is definitely something that makes me nervous about Daily 5.  I personally do not concentrate very well when there is a lot of noise, so I like it to be very quiet while I teach guided reading.  However, it all goes back to modeling appropriate behavior.  The sisters mention making a point throughout the whole year to make sure that their voices are never the loudest in the room even when they are teaching.  I admit, I have never really paid a lot of attention to the volume of my voice while I am teaching guided reading groups.  Of course I try not to be loud, but I certainly haven't thought of the volume of my voice being the model for the class.   I will be paying attention to that next year.

2.) I can tell that the MOST difficult thing for me is going to be not rushing the process.  I know I will think, "These kids can read for longer than 3 minutes, we are going to read for longer than that today!" I will have to remind myself many times to follow the lessons exactly as they are.

3. ) Listen to Reading really stresses me out.  Mostly because there are always problems with the tape player, cd player, headphones, etc.  I like the idea of putting headphones on the supply list, but I am usually doing good to get paper and pencils, I'm not confident that I would get parents to send in headphones.  What are some of your solutions/management tips for listen to reading? What are your favorite websites that read out loud to kids?

 Thank you so much for your advice on my last post.  Keep it coming! 

The Daily 5....I need your help!!

I know that we have all heard of The Daily 5.  It is growing to be so popular among primary grades teachers. I have dabbled in it for several years now. I had not read the book by "The Sisters", but I had read a lot about it on blogs, and heard about it at some of the professional learning sessions provided by my district.   However, I have always been a bit intimidated by it, so I have only tried the parts that I was comfortable with.  I have decided that next year I am going to take the plunge and fully commit to the program.  That means that this summer I am reading the book.  I am also reading The Café Book.

I know that you train the students on Read to Self first....adding a minute or two each day until they reach the desired length of independent reading time. Now, this happens to be the part of Daily 5 that I have dabbled in and feel comfortable with.  I always train my students to read to self which takes a few weeks. Then, reality sets in. It is almost September!!  I have to complete DRAs( the reading assessment used by my district), because they are usually due sometime at the beginning of September.  I also start feeling the pressure to start Guided Reading groups because we are required to report a reading level each month from a running record.  Well, I won't have a running record score if I don't start guided reading.  AHHH...I am feeling stressed just thinking about it!! So we move on...I start guided reading, we get in a routine, and I never teach the other components of The Daily 5. 

So, I need advice from all of you experienced Daily 5 users.  How long does it usually take to train students on ALL components? How do you balance training students on all components with the demands that come with the beginning of the year?  What tips do you have for me????

HUGE Blog-a Versary Giveaway!

Hey guys!!  I hope everyone is having a great summer!  I certainly am:)  I am enjoying sleeping late and staying up late too! I am also hoping to use the summer to catch up on blogging, and creating some new products for TPT!!  

I wanted to let you guys know about something super exciting coming up!  Christina Bainbridge is having a giveaway to celebrate her 2 year blog-a-versary!   There are TONS of goodies in this giveaway!  There have been over 100 items donated to this giveaway including products from TpT and even some gift certificates!!  I am so excited to be participating in this giveaway!  Make sure to hop over to Christina's  blog to get all the details!  It starts on Monday, and you definitely don't want to miss it:)