One of my most favorite parts of the day is Daily Five. This is an hour block of time in the morning where the kiddos move around the room doing various literacy based activities. When I first came to Kennedy our Principal told me that the whole school was going to do Daily Five, so I needed to read the book and figure out how it would work in a kindergarten room. That first year was a learning experience, but all of the kindergarten teachers and staff really saw how beneficial this type of structure worked. Here's the breakdown...
There are five (Daily Five) stations; read to self, read to someone, listen to reading, word work, work on writing. We focus on one station a week in the beginning and create an anchor chart. The big idea is that the kiddos are INDEPENDENT and they have CHOICE! We practice and practice and practice, until they have built up the stamina to be on their own. Then, hopefully, they are on task and I don't have to remind them too much of what they are supposed to be doing.
- Read to Self: Reading a book one of three ways; read the pictures, read the words, retell the story.
- Read to Someone: Sitting in EEKK position (elbow, elbow, knee, knee) and reading a book one of three ways to eachother.
- Listen to Reading: Listening to a book on the computer, on an iPad, on a CD.
- Word Work: Working on high frequency words and alphabet practice.
- Work on Writing: Writing in a journal, completing a prompt, or working on a story from earlier in the day.
You might be thinking..."How do kindergarteners do all of this???" I will tell you, they do it and they love it. It is a process in the beginning and we take small steps, but by mid-year we are cruising and getting so much done during this hour. Also, perhaps the most important aspect of this time is that I work with small groups while everyone is rotating and focused. It gives me time to really work on the skills that those kiddos need.
Here are some photos of the kindergarteners doing some word work this week.
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| Name puzzles |
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| Letter tile matching |
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| Uppercase magnet letter matching |
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| Letter clips on a wheel |
