Tried it Tuesday- Putting Daily 5 Together

It's time for Tried it Tuesday!  I'm linking up with Fourth Grade Flipper to fill you in on something I tried this week.  

As you know, I am using The Daily 5 to manage my literacy block this year.  It took us over a month to build the habits and behaviors needed for independent reading and writing.  I have been really reluctant to put it all together and give students a choice in what independent work they get to do.  I was also a little slow in putting together reading groups and a reading groups schedule.  Now that I have groups and a schedule done, I decided to mesh the Daily 5 together!

Here is my new Daily 5 Check-In board.  After each "round" of group work (for me) or independent work (for kiddos), we meet on the carpet to "check-in" and see how it went.  We talk about who showed "model behavior", and also share about what they read or wrote about.

On the left, I have my list of reading groups (sorted by color).  Below it is my schedule for the week.  I see each group twice.  But, my lowest group I see every day, and my highest group I see once a week.

Each student has a magnet with their name on it.  When we check in, I first move the students who will be working with me.  The other students tell me where they want to go and I move their magnet for them (eventually, they will move their magnets on their own).  Their choices are: Read to Self, Buddy Read, Word Work, or Work on Writing.  Listening Center is currently closed for repairs.

I'm not crazy about how this board looks (it's just painter's tape and white board marker), but so far, it is functioning well.  I eventually want to make a cute title and picture for each choice.  For now, what I have will work.

The kids were super great about making a fast choice and getting started with their work right away!  AND, when I was working with students, I didn't have to micro-manage from my table!  Everyone was focused and working quietly around the room!  Daily 5 at it's finest!  :)

Tried blending the Daily 5 together… worked!  

Side note:  It is currently snowing here in the Twin Cities… We are forecasted to get 4-7 inches.  Welcome, winter weather!  I missed you so much…

What did you try in your classroom this week?

Until next time,

-Miss Woodward

Five For Friday!

I can't believe it's Friday already!  I look forward to Fridays, just so I can update you by linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday!

This week, I had a lot of exciting things going on, so I am going to switch it up a little bit by doing my Five for Friday in a "Top 5" style.

Here we go... my Top 5 for the week!

5. NWEA Testing

Each fall and spring, our students take the NWEA test in Reading and Math.  Our school's authorizer wants to see 125% growth from the fall test to the spring test.  I  have lots of feelings about standardized testing (as I'm sure many of you do, too), so I won't get into that in this post.  But, for two days, my classroom was transformed into a mobile computer lab "perfect" for testing.  Poor kiddos.

4. Fall Weather

Fall in Minnesota can go two ways:  We can either have an extended summer with relatively hot weather through September/ October, or we can fast forward to winter by way of a giant snowstorm, completely missing the comfortable fall weather.

This year, early September was miserably HOT, but now it has cooled down into the perfect fall weather.  The mornings and evenings are cool, and the daytime is warm and sunny.  After testing yesterday, I took my students outside for a little extra recess.  The weather has been beautiful, and I'm loving it!

3. Buddy Reading- Coaching

This week during Buddy Reading, we discussed "Coaching" our buddy if they get to a word they do not know.

When a buddy gets to a word they do not know, students need to do three things:

- Silently count to three in their head.

- Ask their buddy, "Do you need time, or help?"

- If their buddy says "time", they just have to wait.  If they say "help", they need to help their buddy chose a strategy that will help them figure the word out.

We talked about how coaching is not TELLING your buddy the word.  It is HELPING them decode it.  We also talked about how if our buddy says "time", we wait, but it would be a good idea to think of a strategy, in case our buddy changes their mind and does want help.

It was SO fun to watch!  Success!

These buddies hard at work Coaching.  Highlight of the week (#3.5), it was picture day, and the girl on the right INSISTED she wear that hot pink headband with the lovely fake hair... At least she smiled big for her picture!

2. LOVING My Team

Yep... I said it.  I love my team!  Last night, we went out for dinner and had a great time chatting (and NOT about school, are you as surprised as I am?!).

Me, Ms. Eichhorn, and Ms. Tarah-  3rd Grade ROCKS!  :)

1. Mr. Wolf's Birthday!

Today is Mr. Wolf's birthday!  We are going out to dinner tonight to celebrate.  Love this guy!  :)

What did you do in your classroom this week?

Until next time,

-Miss Woodward

Tried it Tuesday- Choosing Buddies for Reading

Hello everyone!  Today I am linking up with Fourth Grade Flipper for Tried it Tuesday!

Since I introduced Buddy Reading, Ms. Meredith and I have been choosing buddies for the students.  We decided to do it that way so we are setting them up for success with Buddy Reading.  Well, yesterday, we decided to let them try choosing their own.  However, it did require some set-up.

First, we talked about how disruptive it would be if we all got up at once and said, "I NEED A BUDDY!"  So we talked about a more calm way to signal that we needed a buddy.  As if it were rehearsed, one little guy said, "Well, we could raise our hands to signal..."  I said, "YES!  That's a great idea!"  So I wrote it on our chart.

How to Choose a Buddy

- Raise your hand to signal that you need a buddy

Then, I showed them how to make eye contact with someone in the circle.  They can only choose a buddy that they made eye contact with.  I added that to our chart.

How to Choose a Buddy

-Raise your hand to signal that you need a buddy

-Make eye contact

-Move across the circle and ask, "Do you want to be my buddy?"

We decided that we always answer, "Yes!", unless you already have a buddy.  Then you say, "No, thank you.  I already have a buddy."

It was also important for them to understand that their buddy might not always be their closest friend.  On our chart, we decided that a buddy should be someone we can be successful readers with.

So, after we discussed and modeled, we tried it!  

1) We signaled that we needed a buddy.

2) We made eye contact with someone and asked, "Will you be my buddy?"

3) We chose a way we would buddy read (Read 2 books, Check for Understanding, or I read, You read).

4) We chose a successful, comfortable spot.

5) We started right away, and read the whole time.

They actually did pretty well for choosing their buddy for the first time!  We Buddy Read for about five  minutes, and then I brought them back to check-in.  I asked them:

-Who felt like they chose a successful buddy?

-Who felt like they couldn't read successfully with their buddy, and are going to try a new buddy this time?

-Did someone choose a successful spot?  Where was it?

-Did someone choose a spot where they were not successful?  Where can you try next time?

We practiced three times, each time choosing a new partner.  

Choosing a buddy- Tried it... Success!

What did you try this week?

Until next time,

-Miss Woodward

Daily 5 Anchor Charts

I have been using the Daily 5 this year, and so far I am loving it!  My students are loving it, too!  Some of them have even told me that they actually like reading!  :)

If you are unfamiliar with the Daily 5, it is a system that helps manage your literacy block.  Students spend the first month building habits for working independently on reading and writing.  That way, when you are conferencing with students and working with small groups, the other students know exactly what is expected of them, and they can work independently without interrupting your group time.

Setting up the Daily 5 takes about a month.  We are about halfway through the setup, and have introduced Read to Self, Work on Writing, and Buddy Reading (Read to Someone).  We still need to introduce Word Work and Listen to Reading.

As we introduce each new component of the Daily 5, we make a chart as a class, to help us remember behaviors for each component.  The charts tell what the students' job is to do, and what my job as a teacher is to do.

Here are some of my anchor charts.  If you have any questions about them, please ask!  This is my first year doing Daily 5, but I can share my experiences and how I've made it work for my group of kids!

Here are the behavior expectations for Read to Self.  We discuss these expectations before we practice, and also afterwards, to see if we met the expectations or if we can try harder next time.

We also talked about ways we can read a book.  We can read the pictures, read the words, or retell the story using the words and pictures.

I really want my kids to focus on choosing "Good Fit Books" this year.  For example, last week in the library, one of my students insisted on checking out Twilight, because she had seen the movie.  I understand the connection, but that is definitely not a good fit book for a 3rd grader.  To choose a "Good Fit Book", we use "I Pick"

I- I choose a book

P- Purpose (Why do I want to read it?)

I- Interest (Does it interest me?)

C- Comprehend (Do I understand what I read?)

K- Know (I know most of the words.)

These are some of the strategy cards the kids can refer to while they read.  At the beginning of the year, I used a read-aloud to model each strategy.  After practicing Read to Self, I check in with students to see if anyone used a strategy while they read.

After we had a good start with Read to Self, we started Work on Writing.  I gave each student a notebook, and during Work on Writing, their job is to write about whatever they want.  We brainstormed a list of topics, and I sent them on their way.  Now, each day when we check-in, I give them the option of continuing what they started yesterday, or starting something new.

Now on to their favorite (and the most challenging to build stamina for)- Buddy Reading!

For Buddy Reading, students have to sit EEKK (Elbow to Elbow, Knee to Knee).  There are three ways to Buddy Read:

Read 2 Different Books

Check for Understanding

I Read, You Read

(I can go into more detail with these in a later post.  I introduced each one individually, and gave the students a day to practice each one.  On the fourth day, I gave them a choice of which way they'd like to read with their buddy.  It didn't go so well... so we started from the beginning and practiced each one individually before I let them try choosing again.)

My front whiteboard is where I keep all of my anchor charts.  Once we start using Daily 5 independently, I will move these charts to free up my whiteboard space.  But for now, this is like Daily 5 Headquarters.

I am hoping to put together a "Daily 5 Starter Kit" to help teachers who are new to the Daily 5 get started with all of the setup.  Would anyone else find that helpful?  If you have any questions about my anchor charts, please let me know!

Until next time,

-Miss Woodward

Five For Friday!

Greetings!  It's finally Friday Saturday!  I always love a weekend to refresh myself before another fun week at school.  I'm linking up again with Doodle Bugs Teaching for their weekly Five For Friday.  Here's what happened this week in Miss Woodward's class!

1.  New followers
I recently linked up with I {Heart} Recess for her link party "Budding Blog".  It's for new(er) blogs with less than 200 followers.  You tell readers a little bit about your blog, and hopefully gain more views and followers.  I am happy to say that through that one post, I gained five new followers, and eight new comments!  I'm so excited!  (Hey, new followers!)

2.  Buddy Reading
We started the "Read to Someone" part of the Daily 5 this week.  I decided to call it "Buddy Reading" and my kids LOVED it!  Our ELL teacher is in my room during that time to help out, so she paired the kids up, and I chose a spot for them.  While they were reading, I couldn't help but have an ear-to-ear grin on my face because it was such a successful moment!

3.  Target Clearance Section

Stopped by Target today.  You know how it goes:  you go in for one item, and think to yourself, "Oh, I'll just take a walk through this section..." and an hour later you're leaving with a cart full of things you (thought) didn't need.  I went to where the school supplies were, and of course, it was already filled with Halloween stuff.  BUT, there were some school supplies on clearance.  Here's what I scored:

Packs of lined paper for $0.57 each, packs of skinny markers for $0.57 each, small silver pails (perfect for organizing!) for $1.00 each, and.....

These cool Dry Erase Crayons for $1.98!  I've used these before, and they are pretty neat!  You use them on white boards, but they don't wipe off as easily as markers.  They are perfect for messages/notes that you don't want kids to "accidentally" erase.  To erase, you just use the cloth provided, or an old cloth.  It just takes a teeny bit of extra wiping.

4.  New Student Bags

Last year, I think I gained four new students throughout the year.  And it's always the days when you are busiest in the morning and the office lets you know, "Hey, you have a new student today!"  .........    I hate that.  SO... to ease some of the tension of last-minute new students, I decided to prepare myself.  I saw this post on Pinterest about new student bags, so I tried it out.

In a gallon-sized baggie, I put everything I'll need for a new student.  I made two of these to use through the year.  They only took a few minutes to pull together!

I put in folders and notebooks with blank labels (for the students' name), and my welcome letters.

I also put in the spelling dictionary my students have, a star for their name on the hallway display, a candle for the birthday board, a binder clip for their mailbox tag, a few blank labels, and a birthday certificate/sticker.  There were a few things that wouldn't fit in the bag (like a book bin and math binder), so I put a sticky note in the bag to remind me to pull those things out when the new student arrives.

5.  Team Bonding

After school on Friday, I went out for dinner and drinks with the other 3rd grade teachers.  We added another 3rd grade class this year, and it's been really fun to get to know our new team-mate!

Me, Ms. Tarah (our new 3rd grade teacher!), and Ms. Meredith, our ELL teacher.

Ms. Meredith, our ELL teacher, and Ms. Eichhorn, another 3rd grade teacher.

How was your week?  I'd love to hear about it!

Until next time,

-Miss Woodward