The Daily 5A Guide For Parents

What is the Daily 5?• A way of structuring reading instruction

so that every student is engaged in meaningful literacy tasks.

• Students receive whole group instruction and then are given independent practice time to read and write while the teacher provides focused instruction to individuals and small groups.

What is the Daily 5?

• When it is up and running, students are engaged in the following activities:– Read to Self– Work on Writing– Read to Someone– Word Work– Listen to Reading

What Does it Look Like Each Day?

• We will have three sessions each day of a mini-lesson followed by choice time where students choose one of the five tasks and work independently while the teacher meets with individuals and small groups.

Mini-Lessons• Only 8-10 minutes in length• Explicit instruction in the areas of:

– Phonemic awareness– Phonics– Sight words– Comprehension– Writing Strategies

Read to Self• Teach students the three ways to read

a book:– Read the pictures– Retell a story you already know– Read the words

• Combination of books kids choose themselves and books at their reading level.

Work on Writing• We have a separate Writing time,

but during Daily 5, students have total choice on the format of their writing.

• They work on writing in their journals and may illustrate once they’ve written the designated amount.

Read to Someone• Students love having the chance

to share a book with a friend.• We practice how to help a friend

who is stuck on a word and how to ask questions about the books we are reading.

Word Work

• Practice spelling words in a variety of hands-on ways including:– Magnetic Letters– White Boards– Wikki Stix– Rainbow words

Listening to Reading• Students have the option of listening

to a story on CD and following along in the book or listening to a story on the computer.

• Why do we do this? Listening to books on tape is fun and helps us to become more fluent readers. It exposes us to a variety of genre, too!

Beginning the Daily 5• In order to teach students the

independence needed for this program, the first few weeks are spent on building reading and writing stamina, learning the behaviors of Daily 5, creating a sense of urgency, and fostering a classroom community.

Building Stamina• Much like exercising our bodies,

students can not be expected to independently read or write for 20-30 minutes right away.

• We begin with just 2 minutes a day, so everyone can be successful and work up from there.

• We chart our progress, and kids are excited to see their stamina grow.

Learning Behaviors of Daily 5

• Class brainstorms desirable activities for each part of Daily 5 – these are posted and referred to frequently.

• Students model correct behaviors and in-correct behaviors.

• Students check in each day and reflect on their learning behaviors.

Creating a Sense of Urgency

• We all want to know why we have to do something, and no one wants to hear “because you have to”.

• We explain the importance of each of the task and often refer to the value of practicing reading and writing.

• Establishes motivation and on-task behavior.

Fostering Community• Begins with getting to know each other

and valuing each person’s contributions.

• Helps students hold each other accountable for behaviors, learning, effort, and kindness.

• We celebrate each individual’s accomplishments.

Benefits of Daily 5• Children cannot become better readers and

develop a love for reading without having time to actually read and write.

• Providing choice is highly motivational and puts kids in charge of their learning.

• Students have lots of individualized time with the teacher and help develop their own goals to work on independently.

• Provides structure, short intervals of repeated practice, and time to explore – exactly what children this age need!