Daily 5 Book Study Grades 1-3 {Chapter 1}

On pages 4-6, the authors present two different pictures of their classrooms. In thinking about and reflecting on your own practice, how would you characterize your literacy block? Does it look more like the first or second scenario, or is it somewhere in between? How will you change it?  During this past year my literacy block has grown and is continuing to grow as I read this book.  This past school year I had a large class with numerouse behavior and academic problems, so I felt like I was spending my entire teaching blog keeping children on task which was taking away time from the students I was instructing.  At this point my students were not engaged in what they were doing.  So in October with the help of my reading coach we begin to implement the Daily 5 Literacy Block as described in "The Sisters" book The Daily 5:  Fostering Literacy Indpendence in the Elementary Grades.  By the end of the year my students had a purpose.  My students were on task, engaged and our behavior imporved greatly.   However, the students often didn't get a choice.  I didn't give the students enough freedom to make their own choices.

The typical teacher is very busy having students do lots of different activities. How is what you are having students do now in your classroom creating quality readers and writers? I think my most successful area of implemeentation was with creating quality readers. I struggled with the writing.  This must improve next year.

What sets the Daily 5 structure apart from what you are doing in your classroom? By the end of the year my students increased their stamina and could work independently.

However,  There are many areas in which I need to improve in my classroom.  I hope that next year my reading blog will be even better than before.

Chapter 1 was hosted by Mel D. from Seusstastic Classroom Inspirations and Nicole from
Teaching With Style.