Exploring the Daily 5 - Chapter 6

Foundation Lessons

This chapter provides additional information about the foundation lessons needed to implement each of the Daily 5 choices. It is supported by appendices and the content of other chapters and is very practical.

Read-to-Self Foundation Lessons
Much of this has already been covered so this section is very brief. Helping students choose places to sit where they can be successful is given attention here. Since I want the children to be successful, these tips will be valued.

Work-on-Writing Foundation Lessons
In this section I love the part where the authors discuss where children can get ideas to write about. I've often struggled with this, both as a student and as a teacher, so this section gave me some great ideas, as well as an example of how the lesson might come together.

Read-to-Someone Foundation Lessons
Lots of things to teach here, and lots for me to learn. This section highlights how children at different reading levels can work together and help each other. I especially appreciate the lesson on "Coaching or Time" as it models a constructive way for children to help each other without "telling the word".  Teaching children how to choose a partner might seem over the top, but I quickly realised how this lesson (taught in a variety of contexts) will enable every child to feel valued and respected every time they choose a partner or are chosen to be a partner.

Listen-to-Reading Foundation Lessons
This is going to be one of the most challenging Daily 5 for me to implement due to the limited supply of technology in our classrooms. I'm not complaining here, just telling how it is. I currently personally pay for a Reading A-Z & RAZ-Kids license, so I'm part way there, but the only computer in my classroom is my personal one (i.e. not school property). I'm going to think carefully about what to do here. Do I try and acquire an extra computer for students to use? If so, what do I get? Once I have one, where do I put it, and how do I ensure everyone has fair access. The other issue is Internet reliability. Most of the time it's OK, but this is still a developing country and Internet connections aren't always as fast or consistent as you'd hope. Some more thinking to do about this one.

Word-Work Foundation Lessons
This section didn't have a lot of detail, and it's an important area for my mostly ELL students, so I'll be doing some more reading and research on effective ways to build my students vocabulary and spelling ability.

In summary, this chapter was really practical and I now have a clearer understanding of how the foundation lessons are key to making the Daily 5 work well for both students and teacher.

For more of my reflections on "The Daily 5", check out these posts
Chapter 1: That Was Then, This is Now: How the Daily 5 Evolved.
Chapter 2: Our Core Beliefs: The Foundations of the Daily 5
Chapter 3: The 10 Steps to Teaching and Learning Independence
Chapter 4: What do you need to begin?
Chapter 5: Launching Read to Self - The First Daily 5
Chapter 7: When to Launch the Next Daily 5