Introducing CAFE and Daily 5

This will be my second year implementing CAFE and my fourth using the D5 Framework.  Here are some of my key tips to get you going:

• Sign up for the sisters "Tip of the Week."  Click here to sign up.  It's on the right hand side.
• Start small and make it managable. 
• Introduce "Read to Self" the first week, and practice Stamina
• Introduce "Read to Someone" if you want and again practice it
• The Sisters maintain that "Read to Someone" is not as important in upper grades as it is in primary.  If it's not something you want to implement, then don't!
• Introduce "Work on Writing" and practice it
• Do these seperate weeks to get comfortable and confident
• Even now, I still use "The Daily 5" book when I'm teaching the procedures.  I use it as a resource and explain to my students that it's part of my tool kit to teach. Plus, I think it's important that students know that I use books and that I don't have answers to everything.

I don't do "Working With Words" or "Listen to Reading" in Fifth Grade.  I do lots of read alouds, and that's what I use as my "Listen to Reading."

If you're comfortable with your management, and want to start implementing CAFE, I suggest following the sisters plan in the appendix of the book.  It starts with 10 strategies.  It gives you a guide on how/when to implement the strategies.  Guess what?  Last year, I only did the first 10!  I didn't really start hitting CAFE under second semester.  Do what's right for you!

Reading Log

After Reading Donalyn Miller's book  The Book Whisperer I decided to do a Reading Log for students to record the books they've read.  Their goal is to read 30 books - in Miller's book her sixth graders are asked to read 40.  I have two copies on a page, and I print them on a full page "Shipping Label."  The students then stick them inside their notebook.

My Reading Pledge

3 poetry anthologies

3 traditional literature

4 realistic fiction

2 historical fiction

2 fantasy

1 science fiction

2 mystery

2 informational

2 biography/autobiography/memoir

9 chapter books (Free choice)

I created a PowerPoint document that explains the genres as "My Reading Pledge."  Then, under it I wrote an example citation:

How to record your books

Title, Author, Genre, Pages, Rating

1.The Last Olympian, By Rick Riordan, Fantasy,  381 pages, 10/10

2.The Billionaire’s Curse, By Richard Newsome, Fantasy, 344 pages, 2/10

 

Finally, I made a tally chart that is printer on a shipping label that fits four to a page.  It looks like this:

Type	Tally
3 Poetry Anthologies
3 Traditional Literature
4 Realistic Fiction
2 Historical Fiction
2 Fantasy
1 Science Fantasy
2 Mystery
2 Informational
2 Biography/ Autobiography/ Memoir
9 Chapter Books  (Free Choice)

Beginning of Year Activities

If you are looking for a beginning of year idea, I found this one of Proteacher called Fifth Day of Fifth Grade.  Students have lots of activities to do with the number five.

Speaking of Proteacher, I found Summer Writing Narrative under this discussion.  Scroll down to find the download.

Welcome!

Hello!  Welcome to my blog.  I hope to post often with ideas and things I've found that work great in a fifth grade classroom.  Stay tuned!