Daily 5 : Chapter 4

Well, since I have NO prior knowledge in working with kindergartners, I am going to take this as an opportunity to plan what I will do with my class this fall. So the following answers are my "plan" not based on my actual experiences. 

1)  How far into the school year do you think kinders need to be to be able to begin the process of Read to Self?  What is realistic?  When do you plan to begin implementation? While reading the chapter I keep wondering if this is doable. I think since we will be working on read the pictures and retell the story, we can start early in the year. I am not sure I will be ready to start day 1. I think I need some time to teach classroom rules/expectations. Teach them where supplies are kept, etc... I also want to start doing calendar math the first day and I believe that will take up a large chunk of time. Realistically, I would like to start on Monday of week two. 


2) How will you make sure that each child views him/herself as a reader (whether they are reading words or not)? I will just keep telling them and referring to them as readers. Since I have a kindergarten aged daughter, I think this comes naturally to me! See, I have been practicing, "Oh, my goodness, you are such a great reader! I love the way you told me what was happening in the pictures!" I will also send home a note that first week explaining this to the parents and encourage them to encourage their children! Update: Click here to see an awesome parent note I found on Google Docs. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the original author or pin.


3) What are some ideas you have about "Launching Read to Self" in kindergarten?  How will you go about it and what are some ways to make sure it is "kinder friendly"?  I like the way the sisters explain it in the book. I will use their strategy. I like the part about placing them around the room and making sure to put them in a different spot each time. I am guilty of giving too much independence too quickly so it definitely won' t be natural to me to physically pick a place for them to sit, but that is my plan!


4) How will you/do you build the children's belief that this IS important?  What can we do to encourage the ones who do not value it and create disruptions for others? I think this is where we are lucky as kindergarten teachers. Most kids come to us ready to believe anything we tell them. They have not had enough experiences yet to tell them they are not readers, or reading is not important. If we make it important and fun and we make it seem urgent, I think they will believe in it too. I can also see making an anchor chart where we brainstorm "why people read" We can refer back to this whenever someone is not taking reading seriously. I know there will always be disruptive kids, but perhaps if these children are shown a little extra love/attention/support they will thrive on the structure and choice provided to them in the Daily 5. 


5) How valuable is Checking In and Reviewing with kindergarteners?  How often will you do it?  When will you do it? What are some different ways to "check in"?I think checking in is extremly important with all grades. Students learn very quickly how to "play" the game if they see there is no accountability. We need to show them that we care about what they are doing during this time everyday. I also think this is a perfect time to review expectations and have class meeting to nip things in the bud before they get out of control. This is a perfect time for those teachable moments. Therefor, I plan to check in every day (at least for the first few months). It will probably be at the carpet most days and be very short. Maybe we can come up with some fun ways to check in after we get our feet wet! I am thinking a song or chant like, "my name is Heather, and I chose read to self" clap, clap. You get the idea!


6)What are some problems that can occur during this time (either that you anticipate with your kinders OR that you have experienced)?  How can we be proactive about these issues?  I think the biggest problem will be staying on task (even for 3 minutes) one thing I can do is continue to model, model, model (again, not a strength) and refer back to our anchor lessons. I will stop as soon as a child is off task as to not build the wrong muscle memory. I think making a big deal like class cheers and maybe a song/dance when we meet our goals will help them feel excited and happy to be a part of our "team." When we are team, everyone will work together to see that we are all successful! 
**Sorry, I am feeling all "everything is going to be rosy in my classroom", a sure sign of summer break! Let me try that answer again.**
I still agree with what I posted above. However, perhaps there will be a child or two that does not get to pick which daily 5 they are working on or where they get to sit during this time. Perhaps I will have to choose for them until they have earned my trust back. By picking for them, or having them work at a location away from other students, I can be proactive in keeping the rest of the class on track. 


Thanks to Krissy for hosting this chapter. Click on her button to take you back over there and read more about chapter 4. 








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