Smiling Faces of First Grade!

I took these photos to use for Word Wall Wizard. Students have a picture of themselves on the word wall, and when they meet their goal of reading each of the quarter's sight words, they earn different things (1st Quarter--Wizard's Hat, 2nd Quarter--Decorate their hat, 3rd Quarter--Glitter on their Hat, 4th Quarter--Wizard's Wand). These pictures were too adorable not to share, though, so here's the smiling faces of our first grade class that are displayed on our word wall.

Readers Workshop

For our reading time, we have a whole group comprehension lesson that teaches the students a skill that they can use when they're trying to understand a text. When I am meeting with small groups of students to work on decoding strategies and comprehension, the other students are responsible for doing Read to Self or Read to Someone. The books the students use for those independent reading times are chosen by them. They need to get two books from a leveled book tub on their reading level, and then they get to choose three books that interest them. These types of books might be ones that do not have a certain reading level, but they engage the students' attention and, therefore encourage them to develop a love for reading  by choosing topics they want to learn or read about.

During those independent reading times, students are responsible for reading the whole time, getting started right away, and focusing only on reading, not talking to others. If they choose to Read to Someone, they are held accountable for the same actions listed above. They can choose to do two options of reading to another person. One option is "I Read, You Read." In this type of reading, one student reads a page, and the other student repeats what he or she just read. This helps the students build fluency, and they can learn decoding strategies from one another. The other option for reading to another person is called "Read 2 different books." In this option, both students get to choose a book from their book box, and they take turns reading parts of their books to each other. This also helps students learn decoding strategies from one another, in addition to exposing them to different genres and levels of text. 

Daily 5

What's all this talk about Daily 5?!

I know I have talked a lot about Daily 5, but I haven't given a very good explanation of what that means.  First of all, Daily 5 "is more than a management system or a curriculum framework – it is a structure that will help students develop the daily habits of reading, writing and working with peers that will lead to a lifetime of independent literacy"--that taken right from the words of the experts! (To learn more about Daily 5 click here). In our classroom, students are engaged Daily 5 while I am working with students in small reading groups. We have four rounds of Daily 5 each day; therefore, students are picking 3 or 4 out of the 5 choices of Daily 5 each day.

There are 5 components, or choices, of the Daily 5. The first component that the students learn is Read to Self. In Read to Self, students find a place to sit or lay in the room and read books they have selected from our classroom library. Students are taught to pick books that are a good fit for them. In teaching this, we use the acronym I PICK. See the picture below to learn what each of the letters stands for.

Students are also taught to read a book in 3 ways: 

1. Read the pictures. 

2. Read the words. 

3. Retell the story (if it is a familiar story or one that they have heard before). 

This ensures that the students are engaged in the text and reading--they are paying attention to meaning of the pictures and the print.  When students choose Read to Self, they are expected to get started right away, read to themselves the whole time (each round is about 15 minutes), stay in the one spot they picked, and read silently or whisper read using their reading phones.  Here are a few photos of students engaged in Read to Self. 

Work on Writing is the second component of Daily 5 the students are taught.  In this component, students engage in independent writing about what meets their purpose.  For example, if they want to write a letter to someone, they can choose that type of writing.  If students want to make a card for a friend, they have that option as well.  The primary purpose in Work on Writing is helping students see the importance and purpose in writing--to communicate to others and writing so others can read.  If students see why writing is important and find it useful, they are more engaged in the activity because it is relevant to their every day lives.  The expectations in the classroom are similar to Read to Self: 

• Get started right away
• Writing the whole time
• No talking
• Stay in one spot

I will upload some pictures of Work on Writing soon!

Read to Someone is the third component of Daily 5, and perhaps one of the favorites!  Not only is this very enjoyable for the students, it also is very educational!  Students are given the opportunity to learn from one another through coaching their partners during the reading.  They also check for understanding with one another to make sure they are comprehending what their partners are reading.  Again, the expectations are similar to other components of Daily 5: 

• Get started right away
• Reading the whole time
• Reading quietly
• Stay in one spot
• Check for understanding
• Sit EEKK (elbow to elbow, knee to knee, book in the middle so we both see)

Here are pictures of students engaged in Read to Someone. 

Word Work is the fourth choice in Daily 5.  This component emphasizes spelling words correctly.  During this choice, students create commonly seen words (sight words) using a variety of tools (Play-Doh, pipe cleaners, etc).  During this component, students can also work on puzzles, word searches, and a variety of other resources in making words.  As the year progresses, Word Work materials will change to meet the needs of the students.  The expectations are similar to others, but "using all materials for their purpose (AMP)" is especially emphasized in this component.

Here are some pictures of students building words during Word Work. 

The last component of Daily 5 is Listen to Reading.  During this component, students pick books with audio to listen and follow along while the story is being read to them.  This helps students not only learn new words, but also listen for fluency and reading expression.  The expectations for Listen to Reading include:

• Get started right away
• Listening to reading the whole time
• No talking
• Stay in one spot
• Use all materials for their purpose (AMP)

Pictures of Listen to Reading will be uploaded soon! :)

Daily 5 is an AMAZING literacy program that truly instills a love for reading and writing within the students.  The awesome thing--You can even have your child do it at home!!! Encourage them to pick something they want to do each night--read to someone, write a note, practice spelling words with Play-doh, etc.  They love it, and I'm sure you will too! :) 

--Ms. Brandt

Intro to Our Classroom

This is a little introduction to our classroom that I showed at the orientation at Open House.  Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions on more information to include! :)
Thanks,
Ms. Brandt