Curriculum-+Reading


 * Reading Program - Daily 5 **

During our reading time this year, we will be doing "The Daily Five". The term "The Daily Five" refers to the five choices that the students will be able to choose once the program is up and running (more info. on the 5 choices below). Each school day we will spend around 1 and a half hours working with The Daily Five. First, we will do a whole group lesson on topics including reading strategies, spelling/Vocabulary, grammar, and writing. After our whole group lesson, students will break up into groups and do 2-3 sessions of Daily Five choices. During the group time, I will also be pulling students to work in small focus groups or sometimes individually on reading skills and assessments.


 * __Five Choices __**

1. **Read to Self -** Students will get their book boxes (full of good-fit books of their choice) or choose from our classroom library, find a comfortable spot in the classroom, and will read to themselves. "Children reading to themselves is the first step in Daily Five and is the foundation for creating independent readers and writers. On the surface--like all of the components in Daily Five--Read to Self seems basic and simple. However, we have found that specific teaching techniques can make Read to Self a powerful tool for enhancing all literacy skills." (The Daily 5 p.46)

2. **Read to Someone** - Students will pair up with a partner. They will both get their book boxes, find a comfortable spot in the classroom, and will take turns reading to each other. One student will act as the "reader" and the other student will act as the "Checker" and will re-tell what was read by the "reader" - this skill is called "check for understanding". "Reading with someone helps readers, especially developing readers, become more self-sufficient and less reliant on the teacher for assistance. Research shows that taking turns while reading increases reading involvement, attention, and collaboration." ( The Daily 5 p . 60) Children LOVE to Read to Someone, and why not, they have a friend with them who will listen to them and discuss their reading.

3. **Work on Writing** - Students will write in their Readers Notebook or Writing Journal and reflect about what they have read, write letters to me or peers about their reading experiences, and work on publishing pieces. "The writing component of the Daily Five provides additional support children require to become effective writers. Its purpose is to provide daily writing practice." ( [|The Daily Five]  p. 80 )

4. **Listen to Reading** - Students will sit at a listening center or computer and hear a book read to them while they follow along. Listening to Reading is valuable for developing fluency and vocabulary.

5. **Word Work** - Students will use Words Their Way word sorts discover word patterns at their own individual level. "Creating and maintaining a time during each literacy block to focus on words is critical to developing readers, writers and communicators." ( [|The Daily Five]  p.85 <span style="font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">)

**<span style="color: #0044ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">CAFE ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Our classroom has a **Literacy Café Menu** posted that contains strategies good readers use when reading. In class, we compared our Literacy Café Menu to a menu at a restaurant. We discussed how the food we order at a restaurant depends on the time of day, how hungry we are, and what we like to eat. This compares to our classroom Café menu because as readers we use the strategies we need at the time to help us successfully read and comprehend text.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Café is an acronym that stands for **Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding** vocabulary. These become our goals and the strategies we use to be successful with our goals posted below them. Each child has goals and strategies specific to his/her individual needs and therefore will get the direct instruction needed to move forward and become a successful reader.