September 29th to October 3rd

Fall is Here

We now have a regular library time, every Day 5.  This week Day 5 falls on Tuesday.  Please be sure that library books are sent to school on Tuesday for book exchange.  

  THE DAILY FIVE

     My goal is to introduce classroom routines and structures in a way that removes all of the guesswork from the children and allows them to concentrate fully on learning. In reading, the classroom structure I use is called “Daily Five”. Soon your child will be talking about “The Daily Five” at home. I would like to explain to you what The Daily Five is and what you should expect to see at home.

     The Daily Five teaches independence and gives children the skills needed to create a lifetime love of reading and writing. It consists of five tasks that are introduced individually. When introduced to each task, the children discuss what it looks like, sounds like, and feels like to engage in the task independently. Then, the children work on building their stamina until they are successful at being independent while doing that task.

The five tasks include:

1. Read to self

2. Read to someone

3. Listen to reading

4. Writing about reading

5. Word work

    

  When all five tasks have been introduced and the children are fully engaged in reading and writing activities, I am able to work with small groups and meet with children one on one.

      This structure is effective, the results are amazing, and the children really look forward to Daily Five time. Ask your child about Daily Five and see what he/she has to say. I anticipate your child will tell you about the class stamina, how we are working towards independence, and maybe you will even hear about some of the fantastic things your child has written, read, or listened to during our structured reading time. J

We are working on Read to Self.  We begin with 3 minutes.  Each day we practice in order to build our stamina.  Our goal is 20 minutes. 

  

At home you can help us build our stamina by setting aside a time for Read to Self.  Set a timer for 5 minutes.  Each member of the family reads a book quietly.  Gradually increase the time. 

Stayed tuned for how we are doing with our stamina and for more information about the other components of The Daily Five.

Grade 1

Each week we study words that go onto our Word Wall.  Word Wall words are common words that the students need to learn to read.  The students are then expected to spell these words correctly in their writing as they are on display in the classroom.

Our words for this week are:

my 

play 

friend 

 like

 come

Grade 2

Grade 2 students have their own word wall and are expected to use the word wall when writing.  I have attached a copy of the Grade 2 word wall.  Please be sure that your child is able to read the words and use it as a reference when writing at home.