Strategies Galore- Thank goodness for the CAFE

You would have thought that I gave the kids the best news in the world this morning.  Sounds of joy filled the room as I told the kids we would have time for one more rotation of The Daily 5.  If you didn't hear my words, you would have thought I gave them extra recess or a special snack.  But no, they were that excited at the possibility to do more work, to learn something new, to gain more knowledge.  It can't get better than that.  As the Daily 5 continues to be a success, it is time to start teaching these young sponges the strategies that they will need to become better readers and writers.  If we don't teach children how to help themselves during reading, then the goal is not to make sure they become independent readers.  These reading strategies are not innate.  They must be taught and practiced so as the children progress in reading, they are able to take care of their own learning by problem solving.  They will have this tool belt of strategies and they will use the strategies that work best for them.  In order to get to that place, they need to have an abundant of time to practice each one!  That is what the CAFE Menu is all about. To quote The Sisters, Jane Moser and Gail Boushey, from their website, "Assessing young readers involves more than determining a reading level and moving them onto the next. We developed the CAFE™ Menu to help students understand and master different strategies used by successful readers. "

So far I have introduced three strategies from the CAFE menu.  For those of you who don't know, CAFE stands for C= comprehension, A= accuracy, F= fluency, and E= expanding vocabulary.
This is what my CAFE wall looks like.

So far I have introduced two accuracy strategies and one comprehension strategy.  For accuracy we have talked about and practiced Abundance Easy Reading, which is self explanatory.  We have also practiced Flip The Vowel.  With this strategy the kids need to notice when something does not make sense.  For example, a child may sound out the word /find/ with the short vowel for the i.  They would realize that didn't make sense, so they should flip the vowel sound and try sounding it out with the long vowel sound.  This is a strategy the children use often.  While you are reading with the children and you prompt them with "flip the vowel", they will know just what to do!  As for the comprehension strategy we have learned and practiced, it is called Check For Understanding.  This is where they stop in the middle of reading and ask themselves if they understand what is going on.  They ask the 5 W's questions and if they are able to answer them they may keep reading, but if they don't know what is happening, they must back up and re-read.  We review each strategy daily and as soon as I am done with my Developmental Reading Assessments, I will conduct 1:1 reading conferences so that each child may choose a reading goal. I can't wait to get started with that!

To say I am happy with The Daily 5 and The C.A.F.E is an understatement.  What is better than the children's outward excitement to learn!

Let's try this again

Try this one...

Daily 5 Student Check in Form

Daily 5 Check-in (th/fri)

Daily 5 Student Check-In Forms

Here is a one of my Daily 5 student checklists.  Click on each link.  ENJOY!
sorry.. still learning about how to add a google doc to my blog.. it will be up shortly!

The Daily 5 Has Changed My Life...

It is only fitting that my first real post is going to be all about the Daily 5.  The Daily 5 was created by The Two Sisters; Gail Boushey and Joan Moser.  "The Daily 5 is more than a management system or a curriculum framework - it is a structure that helps students develop the daily habits of reading, writing, and working independently that will lead to a lifetime of literacy independence."  Since I have started structuring my classroom using the Daily 5 (about 2 1/2 years ago), I can't believe I ever structured it a different way. We are all reluctant of change.  If something works, why reinvent the wheel?  Well, what if something works better?  When I finally decided to take the plunge and dive into the Daily 5, I soon realized I was going to have to give up a lot of control in the classroom.  The day the children began to take charge of their own learning was the day I became a Daily 5 believer!  Before I continue, this control did not shift over night, not even over 4 months.  I have been tweaking and changing things for almost 2 years.  Hard work pays off.  This is the first year where I can actually say I am at a great place in my teaching and I truly believe I have created an optimal learning environment. I always give credit where credit is due and I am so glad that the Sister's system works.  So thank you Sisters.  The work you do continues to make me a better teacher! I have created many documents over the years that all coincide with the Daily 5.  I will be posting these documents here for all that are interested.  I believe that sharing and collaborating is the key to great teaching! I have benefited greatly from so many teachers out there who were willing to share their great ideas.  I am here to pay it forward! Stay tuned for more about the Daily 5.