Writing

The Daily 5 program includes writing as one of the 5 activities kid should do daily to become better readers.  Last year, my students had the choice of writing center, where they could write freely and use writing materials in the classroom.  They could add to morning journals or begin new pieces.

This year, we are using the new Common Core Units of Study by Lucy Calkins school-wide for our writing instruction.  This includes a writer's workshop nearly every day.

Since the whole class gets significant writing time most days, I am not including writing in Daily 5.  I am working with such a limited time frame each day, it seemed redundant to have more writing when I could keep kids focused on word work or reading activities.

Overall, my students are doing well with Daily 5 and enjoy the time they have to work independently.  Their current selections are:

• Read to Self
• Read to Someone
• Word Work
• Listen to Reading
• Computer/iPad (I am doing a pilot for an iPad app, so my classroom now has 4 iPads in addition to two desktop computers)

Rather than small group reading, I am currently giving DRA assessments during my class' Daily 5 time.  Once I have their new reading levels, I will create new reading groups based on their needs and start working with them once again.