I just finished reading The Daily 5: Second Edition by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser (2014) in preparation for my new job as an elementary school literacy coach. The two sisters, as they refer to themselves, have been sharing their strategies with the rest of the world for awhile. Their latest edition is a book worth reading, though, if you are an elementary school teacher who is familiar with their work but wants to hone your skills. For teachers who are unfamiliar with the daily 5 framework, it is a must read.
This is the daily 5 in a nutshell: read to self, work on writing, listen to reading, word work and read to someone. Each of those is just what it sounds like too. It is not a curriculum, but rather a way to manage that time of day when students are working on reading and writing so that all students can engage in meaningful, independent skill building while the teacher confers with students individually. Students are taught to read books, write and improve their vocabulary during self directed sessions, building their stamina throughout the year.
I am not going to summarize the whole book right here and now, but I will list ten reasons it grabbed and held my attention as I began to investigate what quality ELA instruction, especially at the elementary school level, looks like. Here they are:
1) The daily 5 structure teaches routine and procedures so that students can learn to become independent.
2) The book is replete with references to the most prominent experts and latest research.
3) The structure engages students in meaningful, authentic reading and writing.
4) The book addresses the ever important issue of stamina and how to build it in students.
5) It addresses the latest research about the connection between time spent reading and reading scores and proposes a simple way to increase the number of minutes students spend reading each day.
6) It provides sample lessons and tips for getting started.
7) It addresses what to do with students who struggle to become independent and offers helpful tips.
8) It responds to high frequency concerns the sisters have heard as they've travelled around visiting other teachers.
9) It makes suggestions for how to differentiate.
10) It frees up teachers' time so that they are engaged in meaningful instruction rather then tedious work.
Check back in a couple days for a collection of freebies to help you get started using the daily 5!!
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