Daily 5 and CAFE

The Daily 5

This is the structure and organization I use to manage my reading block.  Designed by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser, aka The Sisters, The Daily 5 engages students in independent, meaningful literacy learning.  While I am meeting with a small group or working with individuals providing focused, explicit instruction, students are improving their literacy skills at one of the following five rounds:

• Read to Self
• Read to Someone
• Listen to Reading
• Word Work
• Work on Writing

We will spend the first few weeks of school practicing each of the Daily 5.  We'll model appropriate and inappropriate behaviors and create I-charts (independence charts) to help us remember the behaviors good readers use.  Most importantly, we'll spend time building our stamina.  Each student will be able to focus on their Daily 5 round without distractions or off-task behaviors for at least 20 minutes.

                                                                           Read to Self

                                                                    Read to Someone

Listen to Reading

Work on Writing

                                                                          Word Work

CAFE

Also by The Sisters, The CAFE Book outlines specific reading strategies that all proficient readers must use.  CAFE stands for the four areas of reading we will focus on: Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding Vocabulary.

Each morning, students will meet me in our classroom library for three 10-minute mini-lessons on specific reading strategies.  During these meetings, I model how proficient readers use the strategies by reading various picture books and sections from chapter books aloud and "showing" students my thinking.  (I LOVE that I get to use great literature! We share so many wonderful books!) 

I also confer with students individually to listen to their reading and create goals for using specific strategies.  Through the individual conferences, I'm able to assess which strategies each child is using appropriately and which strategies may need more practice.  The ultimate goal is for students to choose appropriate strategies to address each situation they come across while reading and to use the strategies independently.  This takes a lot of practice!