Why Daily 5?

Quote from Regie Routman ~The typical teacher has children doing a lot of "stuff",  How is what I am having children doing creating readers and writers?

This quote has given me a lot to think about over the years, as I work to rid my classroom of stuff.  Hence, I have used  The Daily 5 for about five years.  (maybe more).  What I love the most about this practice is it is one of the most authentic practices in my classroom.  In our class, we tease about the ten ways to become a better reader, and we put up each finger one by one as we say, "read, read, read..."   The kids laugh each and every time we chant this.   If I say I value reading, and we don't practice authentic reading and only do worksheets, kids don't get to value reading either.  I have to give them plenty of time to practice...but I also have to give them plenty of time to succeed so they fall in love with the magic of reading.

The most important part about the book is that these ladies help you map out how to introduce each section of the Daily 5, play by play: Read to Self, Read to a Buddy, Work on Writing, Word Work and Listening.  Each of these processes enhances reading and writing in a big way.  I recommend that you take their advice and do this process slowly.  If you rush to implement a strategy too quickly, the kids may practice it wrong, and you either lose value of this precious reading time or stamina.

Another reason I am a fan of the Daily 5, is that it provides me time to work with kids.  In conjunction with The Café, another book written by the sisters, students are actively engaged in what good readers do to improve their own comprehension and accuracy.  But that is another topic I will take up at another time.

Recently I had someone ask me how I set up book boxes for independent reading.  Here's what I do.  I teach the kids how to find a good fit book (also in the Daily 5 book.)  The Sisters have a perfect lesson about that using shoes that fit perfectly.  You should check it out!  Then, I find 10-15 books at that child's level.  In addition, I add Weekly Readers, and other level appropriate magazines, and guided reading books we have covered that week.  Their box is full...and rarely, does a child have a chance to say I have nothing to read!

This year, I am going to try and introduce readers that are tied to our reading themes and change the books out more often to avoid books becoming stale or engaged readers become engaged chatters.  :)

I am sure I will revisit this lovely topic, but I wanted to get the Whys into your hands while you still have some reading time left this summer.  It's worth your time, and it actually creates time for the teacher.  Let me know what you think!

Have a fabulous weekend,
Marie Wallace

 

Why Collaborate?

The beauty of collaboration has long been a love of mine.  I've been asked to explain:  "Why collaboration?" to people who are truly working to understand and embrace that our school district is
creating collaboration time for us.

This past week in a math class, it was never more evident to me that we "need" each other in this new world.  We had the advantage of many grade levels, admins, reading teachers, Special Ed teachers and even some music teachers.  The wealth of knowledge in that room was amazing to me as we re-remembered how we once did math, and how that now relates to the many ideas of Common Core.  I love watching brains in action!

Though your district may not be able to create this time for you, let me tell you what us die hard collaborators do.   One of my friends, Annie, has me come over as she is getting her classroom ready for the next day.  When I'm in the room, she says she is able to get things done, while dually purposing her time, collaborating on ideas that have worked that week for her and building on those. We always ask ourselves, "Where do we go next?" 

Another group of friends at another school, always meets on a particular day.  On these days, there are between 3 and 5 teachers.  Each of these ladies has their own forte' of knowledge and input.  When we are done, each subject area is covered, and copies are made for the team.  In the end, there is a lot less work, and a more efficient way of making plans.  There's always a plethora of ideas, and there's a balance and consistency.   I love it!

I am so excited about collaboration, that I want to try to dedicate two days a month, or more to ways we can collaborate globally, even in the areas of technology.  Can't wait to hear your take and learn about you and all the things that work for you.

In honor of this first collaboration post, here are my newfound math friends.  We call ourselves the wingnuts.  We got along so well in math class, everyone thought we were all from the same school!  Yet another blessing of collaboration.

Back row:  Jenny - Music, Sue - 3rd grade, me - 1st, first row: Christy- kindergarten, Diane - grades 1-12 and admin, and lovely Rita- Reading Specialist.
These gals all embraced math in their fields and gave us new ideas to take back to our classrooms.

Now, YOU KNOW WHY!
Happy trails,
Marie -

Treasure Boxes - End of the Year Storage

This year, I'm committed to doing more writing.  I love writing, and I really love collaborating with other teachers.  I remember blogging back in about 2007, and how much fun it was collaborating and supporting fellow artists.  Cheers to you and all that you do for our kids.

 Now on to a year end post...When I taught kindergarten, we painstakingly made wonderful scrapbooks for each child.  While I enjoyed making them, and each kindergarten parent seemed to treasure them, it took an enormous amount of time to keep up for between 45 and 50 students.   Weekends in the month of May were spent trying to “catch up,” because it’s hard to keep up in the last few months of school when focusing on year end academics/testing.   Finally,  from wanting to spend more time with my family, especially on Memorial Weekend, I came up with this idea:  Treasure Boxes. 

I collect an art piece or two and a writing sample for each month of the year in a separate file for each child.   About three weeks before school is out, I send a letter home telling parents to be “on the lookout” for a box their child might want to decorate and keep their treasures.  This box can be as simple or as ornate as you want.  The only parameter is that it has to fit papers that are at least 9x12” as that is the size of most of our art projects.

The added bonus is that families get a more accurate picture of their first graders' abilities and gains as a learner.  Imagine looking at your child's beginning of the year's writing as a pile of letters, and then seeing your child write a persuasive letter at the end!  Or, imagine seeing a year's worth of self portraits side by side to see their development as an artist.  Sounds like an informal portfolio to me.  May this idea help save you some time and give your parents a better portrait of their child's first grade year!

 Here are some pictures of some of a couple of them that are simple & easy to make:

This one is made from a simple shirt box, spray painted and glued on jewels.  Katelynn adores this box and thinks it’s extra special…mom said she didn’t have much time to work on the project, and this is what she was able to create at the last minute.  Perfect for busy moms!

Grace made one from a simple plastic box for more long term, skinny storage, using stickers to cshow off her name and her favorite things!  I’ve seen people use a cake container from Walmart as well.  What matters most is that the kids love them.  And let me tell you, if they have a hand in decorating it, they’re more likely to be invested in it’s worth.  This easily fits under a bed or on a small closet shelf.

Lastly, some families just bring the boxes and decide that decorating a box during the summer gives their kids one little craft project for the summer!

ENJOY!   Marie

Grace made one from a simple plastic box for more long term, skinny storage, using stickers to create show off her name and her favorite things!  I’ve seen people use a cake container from Walmart as well.  What matters most is that the kids love them.  And let me tell you, if they have a hand in decorating it, they’re more likely to be invested in it’s worth.  This easily fits under a bed or on a small closet shelf.