Daily 5 Book Study: Chapter 1

Hey all! I'm linking up with some fabulous bloggers for another book study. I'm reading a number of PD books right now, and I have to say that they are pairing together quite nicely! Today, I'm going to be sharing my thoughts about Chapter 1 of The Daily 5, 2nd Edition.

I was introduced to The Daily 5 at my interview for the school where I currently work. The principal mentioned that several teachers had recently read the book and were planning to implement it the next year, so as soon as I left the interview, I raced to the store, purchased the book, and started reading! I absolutely loved the ideas in The Daily 5 and knew that, come fall, I'd be implementing it in my classroom as well.

I'm so glad that I found this book study because I hadn't even realized that the sisters had released a second edition. Even in the first chapter, there is some very exciting stuff!

I love how the sisters begin with that ideal classroom. Due to district reading program changes, I haven't been able to use Daily 5 in my classroom for two years, and let me tell you, as a result, my room has not looked like that perfect classroom they describe. More like the 'before' mental picture they paint. Reading through that reminded me of a time when my classroom really did look and sound like the Daily 5 classroom they talk about. It helped me realize that I need to figure out a way to use the district reading program, but also incorporate as many aspects of Daily 5 as I can!

I love some of the changes that the sisters have made. I love that students are required to do Read to Self and Work on Writing every day. I love that they're going to help me figure out what to do with those barometer students, their term for kids who have more trouble adjusting to the system than others. I also love all the reminders, even in Chapter 1, about CAFE. I'll need to go pull that out soon because it complements Daily 5 so well. In their brief overview of CAFE in Chapter 1, they explained that during Daily 5 rounds, which typically last from 20-30 minutes, small group meetings should still only take 10 minutes or so, which is fabulous news for me since I will have 29 kids in my class next year!

I'm so excited to continue reading and relearning Daily 5 and figuring out how to incorporate it into my class this year!