Foundation Lessons - A Daily 5 Book Study

Guys.  I am so far behind with everything I'm doing lately!  I have been home from the Katmai for a week now.  The first day out was spent in Seward.  It's a cute little town worthy of a visit if you're ever up this way.  Mile 0 of the Iditarod race.  The next two days were spent cleaning up and drying out all of our camping supplies.  Then two days were spent getting the boyfriend ready to go to sheep camp.  He left yesterday morning, and I just slept.  All day.  It was nice.  Haha!

Then there's today.  I've got to get into my classroom before Thursday.  I can go pick up my keys tomorrow afternoon, so I decided to take care of all of my last-day-of-summer plans (i.e., cleaning my apartment for the last time until winter break) today.

Also on today's to do list...

Catching up on this blog!

I told myself when I started it again this summer that I was going to be better.  I was doing so well there for a while, then July happened!  Hopefully I do actually keep it up throughout the year.

I want to talk to you today about the foundation lessons that The Sisters mention.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I love the updates to this edition of the book!  The critical foundation lessons are outlined for your in this chapter.  Brilliant!  For those questioning which lessons you should start with, The Sisters have already laid it out.  In my classroom, I have found that I need more to implement a successful workshop, so I have about three full weeks' worth of "foundation" lessons. (You can see what I mean [here].)  I will share those lessons once I finish writing the plans.  However, The Sisters have provided a great place to start!

Read to Self

By this time, you've already taught Three Ways to Read a Book and I PICK Good-Fit Books.  The last foundation lesson for Read to Self is Choose a Successful Spot.

Some teachers spend the first few days placing students around the room (like The Sisters), while others allow students to choose their own spots right away.  Personally, I prefer placing the students around the room first.  Rather than placing them one-at-a-time, I call groups of four or five students to sit in an area.  This way, I can show them rather than tell them where the appropriate places to sit might be.  After a few rounds of this (sometimes after two or three days), we are ready to talk about how they can choose their own successful working areas.

Work on Writing

You have already taught what to do when we don't know how to spell a word.  From there, the foundation lessons include setting up the notebook and choosing what to write about.

This is where I often find myself digressing from The Sisters' book.  I use a writer's workshop model in my classroom so, where I do allow my students to choose Work on Writing during our D5 rotations, I have a separate series of lessons for writing instruction that I do at a different time during the day.  I'll have to write about that one of these days.  There are TONS of resources out there for how to begin a writer's workshop and how to teach writing.  As much as I do appreciate the work The Sisters put into describing their adapted workshop model, I personally prefer some of those other professionals' opinions on writing instruction and how to get started.  Do your own reading and form your own opinions, though.  The Daily 5 book is a good starting place if you haven't ironed out your own research and plans yet.

Read to Someone

This is where I sometimes get a little overwhelmed.  There is a lot to address here for Read to Someone to run successfully.  So far, you've taught none of these things, and it's a lengthy list.  EEKK is quite possibly my second favorite lesson to teach (the I PICK lesson being my favorite).  Then you'll address voice levels (which I've already done in my classroom because it's a school expectation to do that on the first day of school), check for understanding (a CAFE lesson), how partners read (and I have a book for that.. I'll have to dig it out), how to get started, coaching or time, and how to choose a partner.  See?  A long list!  It's overwhelming just thinking about it!  However, it'll be fine once you get started.

Listening to Reading

Your lessons here will depend greatly on your available resources for this choice.  I have two CD players, three computers, and four iPads in my classroom.  You may have more, fewer, or different resources.  You will need to teach the expectations for using those resources.  Foundation lessons include setting up and cleaning up the technology, listening and following along, and managing fairness and equitable use given the limited number of devices.

That last one isn't usually a problem for my students since they are obligated to make each choice twice during the week.  If they have already chosen Listening to Reading on Monday and Tuesday, they must give other students a chance to have a turn.  Again, your procedures and expectations will greatly depend on your resources.

Word Work

Foundation lessons for Word Work include setting up and cleaning up materials, choosing materials and words to use, and choosing a successful spot.  I am still working on this area of D5 myself.  I made lots of notes while reading, and I have lots of ideas.  I just need to get into my classroom to see about making it happen.

***

After reading this chapter, I did find myself wondering about The Sisters' viewpoints on using reader's notebooks.  They cite Aimee Buckner in the use of writer's notebooks (you can read my blog about that [here]).  Aimee Buckner also wrote a book that I haven't read about reader's notebooks.  I'll get around to reading it soon.  Keeping a notebook is a little more challenging in First Grade, but I think they can do it!  I'll have to think a little harder about it and see how I can make it work.  I'm hesitant about merging the two, but perhaps they could write about their reading in their writer's notebooks too?  I don't know.  We'll see.

The school year is starting for me soon.  If you've already begun, I hope you had a great first day/week!  If you're starting soon, I wish you well on your first day!  Let me know how it goes!

A few photos from our camping trip:

my boyfriend and me in the plane flying over the Inlet on our way to the Katmai Preserve

He takes me to the best places!

the crew and our ride

Upon returning from the Katmai, I had a photo book made with Shutterfly.  I'm sort of excited about it, but it's not scheduled to arrive until next week!

Launching Read to Self - Book Study

Welcome to Chapter 5, Launching Read to Self - The First Daily 5!  I'm back with the book study led by Brenda over a Primary Inspired as we walk through The Daily 5.

First, let me tell you, I am so tired!  I spent the last week down in Louisiana for my niece's birthday.

My sister and me at Spirits on Bourbon & House (the bartender) and me

As soon as I got out of the airport, my sister, her husband, and I hit up Bourbon Street.  This place, Spirits on Bourbon, was on that show Bar Rescue.  I don't watch it, but I'm totally claiming to have been somewhere and met people who are famous! ;)  If you go there, the best drinks are the Resurrection and the Barber Beer.  I can say that because I tried them all! Haha!

My nephew, Dylan, my niece, Leila, and me at the Baton Rouge Zoo

The real reason for my trip was my Little Bit there in the middle.  Her birthday was last weekend.  I'll be headed back in the winter for the other one.  

So I spent the whole week going to sleep at about 2am (because that's only 11pm in Alaska) and waking up between 5:30 and 7:00 each morning (because I was, after all, there for the kids not the sleep).  I am surprised I lasted the week!  On top of that, it was so hot!  At least it wasn't raining.

Anyway.  Back to this book.

I have heard many teachers say that they got a little overwhelmed by the ideas presented in the launch.  "Do you really do all of that on the first day of school?"  "My literacy block isn't long enough to get all of those lessons in!"  "How do I do this with my basal series?"  There were several other questions, but I don't remember them and they didn't all have to do with the start-up.  I'll give my input, but keep in mind that I'm just a teacher, not an expert in D5 by any means.

The Sisters discuss what their first day of school looks like.  They give the students time to choose books to fill their book boxes, they teach the Three Ways to Read a Book lessons (both of them), they go through the 10 Steps to Teaching Independence, they teach the I PICK Good-Fit Books lesson, they teach the Underline Words You Can't Spell lesson (Work on Writing foundation lesson), the Check for Understanding lesson (Read to Someone foundation lesson from CAFE strategies), and the Set Up and Clean Up Materials lesson (foundation lessons from Listen to Reading and Work Work).

Holy mother of I-don't-have-time-for-that!!  The good news:  You don't have to do everything exactly like The Sisters.  We can't all be at that level of rock star status right away, and that's okay.  I personally, don't teach any of that on the first day of school.  Instead, I focus on a few other things required by my school, like the emergency drills (because we always have a fire drill and an earthquake drill on the second or third day) and setting the rules and expectations for class - not to mention a few fun "getting to know you" and community building activities as well as dealing with supplies and such.  I get started with D5 on the second day of school.

My instruction on the first day of school includes no lessons from D5.  Instead, my lessons pertain to the following:

• Introduce the meeting place
• Signal for coming to the meeting place
• Meeting place behaviors
• How to do a turn-and-talk
• Book care
• Handling a book box

All of that seems pretty common sense, right?  Well, I forget every year that my students coming to me are not the students that left me in May.  I get so upset because I feel hopeless.  These kids can't do anything that I'm asking, let alone do it quickly!  So I leave these lessons for the first day of school because I know they need them.  If I get a quick group, we can move on to some of the lessons that I had planned for day two, but I always start with those.  My second day includes:

• Three ways to read a book (part 1)
• Read to self iChart (this includes creating a rubric for guidelines for behavior)
• Listening behavior

If we have time, I continue with:

• Three ways to read a book (part 2)
• Review meeting spot behaviors
• Review iChart, add behaviors
• Respectful manners and language
• What readers read
• Active listening
• Patience and polite words
• I PICK good-fit books
• Practice turn-and-talk
• Work with book boxes
• Book box choices (review I PICK lesson)
• ... 

I obviously don't have time for all of those lessons on the second day of school, but I do them over the course of the first week in that order.  Some classes move faster than others, but I find that all of my classes have needed all of the "common sense" lessons in order to be successful.  My reader's workshop launch usually happens over the course of the first three or four weeks of school because I also have to fit in the content lessons.  I have about 49 lessons in my launch.  Once I get my plans in a more user-friendly format, I'll share.  Right now, it barely makes sense to me.  (I feel like the kids when they are writing... I ask them to read their stories to me, and it's just a bunch of letters... "Umm... I don't actually know what I wrote.  I need more time." Haha!!)

As for the D5 book, I have been making notes on how to best accomplish some of the tasks.  For example, The Sisters have the kids choose some books on the first day.  For the first week in my district, K/1 students come one-at-a-time for Fall benchmark assessment appointments while grades 2+ have already begun class.  I think that, while I'm going over the results of the assessment with the parents at the end of the appointment, I'll have the kid choose books.  Then it'll be ready to go for the first day of school.

As for the book choice, I was wondering about leveling my books.  However, I'm not going to because my con list has always included the fact that books aren't leveled at the book store or public library.  After reading The Sisters' story about Pedro, it's settled.  No leveling the books!  (I teach a lot of ELL students, and I know this will be a concern for them in even our school library.)

For the record, I absolutely LOVE the I PICK lesson.  I do it every year.  It really drives the point home, especially when I have the kids put on each other's shoes!  Lyndsey over at A Year of Many Firsts has a cute "Make It a Good Fit" activity that I've never used because it seems time consuming, but it might be good for a station later or a reinforcement activity on another day.  I don't know.  I'll think about it.  The activity is in her The Daily Five {Free Classroom Resources} pack.

My only question is the K - know the words.  What do you do with the kid that thinks he knows the words?  You know the one... He invents words based on the first letter and just moves on without checking to make sure the word makes sense.  He's just calling words rather than reading for meaning.  He takes the book anyway.  How do you help him stop and pay attention to the whole word rather than making a best guess?

I have decided to make classroom library a choice for D5 stations, though.  Once they choose their book, they can transition to Read to Self.  I'll have to figure out how to make it work so everyone has the opportunity to go once a week.  Maybe two kids for each round?  I don't know.  Another thing to think about.

So back to those questions I mentioned before...

     "Do you really do all of that on the first day of school?"

Like I said before... I don't, but it's whatever you feel comfortable with.

     "My literacy block isn't long enough to get all those lessons in!"

Again, stick to what makes you comfortable.  The best part about teaching is that we are all learning as much as our students every day!  It will work out, honest!  Just follow the sequence as best you can; you don't have to try to cram everything in.

     "How do I do this with my basal series?"

This takes some practice - and probably your grade level team.  You go through the lessons in your basal to find the most important pieces.  Sift through all of the "cute" and the "fun" and the games and the activities, and ask yourself "What am I being expected to actually teach?  What do the students need to learn?"  Teach that in your focus lessons.  Once you get the workshop up and running, you will have plenty of time to teach content.

All that's left to say is that you need to make sure to watch out for the negativity:

This is taking too much of my instructional time!

It does take time... In the beginning!  Once your students are completely independent (which could take anywhere from two weeks to two months depending on your group), you will have so much time for instruction!!

(Haha!! It made me think of this...)

If you have a blog, leave me a comment with your link so I can find out what you think about this chapter.  If you don't, leave me a comment anyway!  I'm looking forward to learning from you!

Did you miss anything?

What do I need to get started? Daily 5 Book Study

I'm once again joining up with Brenda over at Primary Inspired to talk about what you need to get started with the Daily 5.

I have to admit that getting started with the Daily 5 was a whole lot easier than I thought it would be. Mostly because I hardly had to actually do anything all that much differently from what I was already doing!  Here's what you need:

Quiet Signal

I have always used the same attention signal for this that I use for everything else, but you don't have to.  I am a stickler for my attention signal being all of three things:  visual, audible, and portable.  If it's not, I can't use it everywhere and I can't make sure to get everyone's attention.  I use a simple "Give Me Five" where the students see my hand going up and they hear me begin counting "1-2-3-4-5."  As the students hear me, they join in.  Students put their hands in the air and pick up counting wherever I am.  This makes it easy for me because I don't have to yell use a loud voice.  The kids that don't hear or see me can hear and see their neighbors.  I can use it anywhere as long as I have at least one hand.  It's always a keeper for me.  However, I've been playing with the idea of using something more fun like chimes (which is what The Sisters use).  I don't know, though.  I don't like that it doesn't meet my three requirements for an attention signal.  But I could give the job to a kid... Things to think about.

Chart Rack or Interactive Whiteboard

I use a chart stand.  I use the SMARTboard for some things, but I find that I can do more with instruction on the chart stand while the whiteboard is more used in my classroom for independent or guided practice activities.

Tools, Not Toys

I'm having trouble with this whole idea.  It's just a personal problem, not an issue with the use of scaffolding (which is what this is).  I am just personally struggling with the idea that other students will begin to act up in order to get the "toys" that they see other students using during this time.  It will take some serious training in the beginning to address this.  A few lessons on "fair is not always equal" should cover it.  Like I said, it's me.

But some things you will need in your tool boxes:

• timers - sand timers would work well because they are silent (maybe a stopwatch for older kids)
• small fidget toys - I plan to talk to my OT/PT to see what she can let me borrow
• Legos or some other small toys
• pattern blocks
• hexifix cubes

Book Boxes

Kids are going to need a place to store the books that they will be reading!  I've heard teachers that use plastic bins from Dollar Tree or tote bags or magazine boxes from IKEA.  I don't have those stores where I am.  I do, however, have a Post Office.  I use Priority Mail flat rate boxes.  I put them together and cut them in half.  They are a little bigger than the magazine boxes, and they don't cost anything more than about a half hour of my time.  I'll post pictures of this later, as I won't be able to get into my classroom until August and I don't really need 24 book boxes in my teeny, tiny apartment for the next month.

A Gathering Place and Focus Lessons

Please don't overlook this if you teach older grades.  When I taught fourth grade, my students still loved to come to the meeting place.  I usually let them bring their chairs so they weren't sitting on the floor, but this concept is important in all grade levels for several reasons:

• students are more engaged because they can participate in lessons that include accountable talk,
• behaviors are minimized because of the proximity, and
• distractions are limited because the students aren't playing in their desks.

It's all win-win in my book!  Even with the older kids.

The only issue is that you will need a space large enough for all of your students.  This would be the carpet area in our primary classrooms.  In my fourth grade class, I taught the students how to move their furniture to the perimeter of the classroom to make space.

Remember to make your focus lessons short, sweet, and to the point.  Remember the brain research... keep the focus lessons to 5-10 minutes, depending on the age group.

i-Charts

Do you remember the i-Charts you created when you were working to build independence?  You'll need to have a place to post those in the classroom.  I post mine above the bulletin boards that I use for my CAFE, VOICES, and GNOMe menus.  It is necessary for reference later when you need to go back to the expectations.  There are a lot of ways to reduce "wall clutter" with other anchor charts, but these charts are critical to teaching and maintaining those expectations.  They should be up all year.  I know.  It's hard, but you'll be thankful you left them up when you can easily reference the charts.

Classroom Design

You don't really need a special classroom or an elaborate layout to make Daily 5 work for you.  You need some space for your gathering place, you'll need places for students to read and write independently, you'll need space to store your materials for your focus lessons and the like... Otherwise, your current classroom design is probably great!  Personally, I plan to make at least one big change in my classroom design... I plan to get rid of about half of my desks.  Stay tuned to see how that fiasco little piece of brilliant works out of me, or even if I actually go through with it.

Keep in mind that you will need to have space for the kids to do the work for the Daily 5, and that space isn't all desks and chairs.  When was the last time you sat in a rigid chair at a desk to read for pleasure?  Probably when you were in elementary school, right?  If we're trying to encourage reading for pleasure, we should provide students with pleasurable reading places.  Small rugs, fun chairs, bean bags, pillows, etc.  Let the kids lie down, sit at a desk if they want to, hang from the ceiling (just kidding about that last one), as long as they are reading!

When I get into my classroom in August, I'll post about the status of my classroom design.  We'll see if I am actually brave enough to move away from a class set of desks or if I'm just all talk at this point.  

So, how do you feel about getting started?  Overwhelmed?  Hopefully not.  If you have questions or concerns, let me know.  I want to help you get your reading block up and running!  You won't regret it!  

If you haven't gone over to see Brenda, head on over.  She's got a Daily 5 Starter Pack giveaway going on.  Don't forget to link up with your blog if you haven't.  If you don't have a blog, leave a comment anyway!  I'd love to hear from you!  If you missed the earlier posts, use the pictures at the bottom of the page to navigate through.

What I'm reading..

I'm pretty sure everyone is finally on summer vacation!  It is much deserved!  Woohoo!! School is through!!  Teachers, if you haven't yet, go outside, get a sunburn (or be like me and smell like a Coppertone everyday!), laze around, grab a book that has nothing to do with your job, spend time with your families... Do something that isn't work related!  I spent my first weekend of summer vacation out with my friends and my second weekend (Memorial Day) camping with my friends and boyfriend.  Cooper Lake is beautiful, right? :)

My dogs sometimes like camping, too.  Haha!!  (The black one is afraid of water.  What kind of lab is afraid of water? Geez! Only my dogs... Haha!)

So after some much needed "me" time, I came home, showered off all of the camping grime, and picked up a book.  My boyfriend suggested Born to Run.  One of his friends gifted it to him, and he enjoyed it.  He knew that I was a runner for a long time, so he thought I'd like it.  I have to be honest, I didn't at first.  I couldn't really get into the storyline.  But then, I don't know what happened... It took me like 856 years to get through the first chapter, but once I did, that was it.  Even with the enormous to-do list I had, I finished the book within two days.  If you have a passion, or even just a small curiosity, about marathon running, this is a good book.  I don't run marathons.  I'll do a 5k here and there.  The last one I did was the Mud Factor Obstacle Course.

But I'm no marathoner... or so I thought.  This book will tell you why you're actually a marathoner, why you're wearing the wrong shoes, why you're having pain in your ankles and knees, why you can't seem to get farther than you did the last time you ran.  I won't tell my boyfriend, but it was pretty good. ;)

Professional texts that I've read so far this summer include The Read-Aloud Handbook (more like a skim because I read it two summers ago), The Writing Thief (which you can read about [here] and [here]), The CAFE Book, which is of course the supplement to The Daily 5 (which you can start reading about [here]), Introducing Reader's Workshop:  Supporting Our Youngest Readers, and Conscious Discipline which I attended a training for during the four days after Memorial Day.

I definitely recommend all of them, but if you have to choose just one, please choose The Read-Aloud Handbook.  Then share it with other teachers everyone you know!  I buy a copy for everyone that I know that is having a baby, educator or not.  It wasn't written for education; it was written about education!

As some of you are aware, I'm currently in another round of grad school.  I'm working on a Graduate Certificate for Teaching English as a Second Language.  (I haven't decided yet if I'm going to turn this into another Masters program... I only need the grad cert for the state to give me the endorsement on my teaching license, and do I really need another Masters degree?  Probably not. Haha!)

Anyway.  The assignment that I'm working on has me reading these two books:  The Literature Review:  Six Steps to Success and Living the Questions:  A Guide for Teacher Researchers.  I don't know if either are any good.  I'm sure they would be extremely useful if you're also trying to complete an action research project.  But that's what I'm reading now.

As for my reading plans for once this literature review and research design are complete... Well, I've got some pretty lofty goals.  These are the books that I want to read (plus several more on my bookshelf next to my chair), but I know that I won't be able to read them all.  I don't know what to start with, though... I guess I've got until I finish my homework to decide.  :)

What's on your summer reading list?

Conferring Notebook for Reading and Writing

Okay, so I found a little motivation tonight...  I gave the whole Conferring Notebook a facelift!

The first one is the old notebook (which is still available in my TPT Store for only $3 for a limited time... the price will go up by the end of this week).  The second one is the new notebook.  I forgot how much work it was to create the notebook!  I had to start from scratch with the new one because the first one was made on a computer that I no longer have and couldn't recover any of my files.  But it's finished now!  Whew!!

I have to admit that I'm still sort of in love with Option 1, the green one.  Not because I like the notebook any better, but the colors that I used just sort of speak to me. Haha!

On the other hand, Option 2 with the kids makes me happy for all different reasons.  I like that it's school-themed, I like that it's simple, and I like that I can have it and it doesn't matter what color my room is!  I also like the cute font on that one!  ;)

Anyway.  I need someone to go through the update (Option 2) with a fine-toothed comb.  It's late, and I just finished it.  I want to put it in my TPT Store, but I need to make sure that everything is there and everything is spelled correctly.

If you'd like to volunteer, I need three people to commit to the following:

• provide constructive feedback (you won't hurt my feelings if you tell me it's terrible - honest!),
• tell me what else you would like to see in it (what would help you more),
• make sure that what I said would be there is actually there,
• check my spelling, and
• make sure my explanation of the contents is sensible.

If you can do all of that before Tuesday, June 23, please let me know.  I will take the first three people that make the commitment.  Please make sure to leave me your email address!

UPDATE:  This file has gone out to four volunteers for revisions.  If you would like to be considered for future help, you may comment.  However, the revision process is already underway.  Thank you for your willingness to help.

UPDATE:  This file has been put into my TPT Store and can be purchased [here].  I appreciate all of the feedback and can't wait to get this printed to use it in my own classroom this year!