Daily 5 Chapter 4

Chapter 4 on Daily 5 was all about Read to Self.  I talked a little about children picking their books and what they should be reading here.

I like the idea of building stamina on reading to yourself. However, I teach  4th graders, so I feel that 3 minutes is too small a time to start with. Maybe 5 minutes? I also get why the Sisters want to add minutes each day, but I was also thinking (again, applied to the older grades) that maybe we could build stamina 2 or 3 times a day.

You know, start in the morning, teach Math, build more stamina, have lunch, build stamina. That way, the students can keep trying to top their time that day. We could also start with the middle time the next day. I think it would be a faster way of getting the students to the expectations, but again, it depends on the grade level and make-up of the class. Thoughts?

I also think that their should be a response piece in the older grades. Whether it be a creative piece, a letter to the teacher, filling out a Graphic Organizer, or just conferencing with the teacher, I feel that the older kids should be a little more responsible for their reading. This will also cut down on the 'pretending to read and turn pages, since I think my teacher won't notice' .                

Those are my thoughts on Chapter 4!

Smiles and Sunshine,
Kaitlyn