Read to Self - The Daily Five

Happy Friday! :)
There are so many ways to modify The Daily Five in your classroom! Many of you have commented that you are required to follow a reading program or basal. We use Harcourt Storytown's phonics progression and resources, but we have the freedom to change and add to it. I think D5 can be done with those programs. You could use your reading program during your mini lessons and use center activities, decodable, and leveled texts in D5 stations.

Now, let's chat about Read to Self! This is the first independent activity introduced in D5.

All of the introductory D5 lessons follow the same format:
Step 1 - Brainstorm what Read to Self should look like and sound like
Step 2 - Make an anchor chart (students will read quietly...teachers will work with students)
Step 3 - Discuss where materials are stored and how to use them
Step 4 - Discuss where to sit in the room (add to anchor chart)
Step 5 - Have students model the correct AND incorrect ways to get materials, where to sit, how to clean up). This is SUCH an important and powerful step!)
Step 6 - Add a few minutes to stamina each day

We discuss that Read to Self should sound like whisper voices and quiet reading and look like students staying in one spot and reading the whole time.
We talk about how Read to Self should NOT sound like shouting or singing and should NOT look like students moving around the room and looking out the window, etc.

Students then model the correct way to get materials, where to sit, and how to clean up. It is also so important to have students (who may have an issue doing this correctly in the future) model the WRONG way to Read to Self. It is so powerful for the kiddos to SEE the correct and incorrect procedures.

The first day, students will Read to Self for about 1- 2 minutes. Every day, add 1 to 2 minutes to their stamina. It is amazing how quickly they will be reading for 15 - 20 minutes at a time! :)

During Read to Self, my students can choose a pillow or bean bag from the reading corner, and read quietly from their Bag of Books. Students choose books for their Bag of Books every Monday. They choose 4 books on their independent reading level, and they choose 1 interest book (Magic School Bus, National Geographic magazine, etc.) to add to their bag. I ordered the Store More Medium Clearview Book Pouches from Really Good Stuff a few years ago and LOVE them! They are a little pricey, but they LAST! I have used mine for 3 years and they still look almost brand new! They come in neon or primary colors!

At the beginning of the year, I include a Blend and Digraph chart in their Bag of Books. Kinder friends, you could add an Alphabet Chart. You could also incorporate poetry or big books into this station.

Next post...all about Work on Writing! :)