Daily 5- Work on Writing {lots of ideas!}

Hey everyone!

I'm back to talk about

In case you are just finding me, you can read about the other posts here:

Read to Self

Read to Someone

Listening to Reading

Before I start, I have to share the winner from my Erin Condren Giveaway
(I am SO excited for her!!)

Congrats Shannan!!
I have already sent you an email! :)

Thank you again to all of you who commented on the last post- there were some GREAT insights into Read to Someone!  I got the feeling that it is definitely not the favorite!  Don't be afraid!  I remember the year I started Daily 5 and we had just spent 6 weeks working on stamina.  When I pulled my first reading group and let my kids spread their wings~ it was a great feeling.  I learned I had to trust that they were doing the right thing- and guess what?  They were!!
If you teach them- they can do it! :)

A question about CAFE was also brought up- I plan to spend a bit more time with that one in my last D5 post.  Stay tuned.

Oh, and the winner from the last post is:

Congrats!!  You didn't leave your email so please comment here and leave it so you can pick out your prize!!

OK... on to Work on Writing!!

My students all get a journal... I add colorful card stock to the front and back to make it look ooohhh so cool :)

Can you tell I made this journal cover a zillion years ago before all the cutesy fonts and graphics?! :)

The inside of the journal... nothing special. At the start of the year we use paper with the dotted lines and there must be a space for a picture.

The journals are kept in a writing folder in their desk.  

I also have a writing table area that has other supplies they might need.

My mini-lessons at the beginning of Work on Writing stamina building are about two things-

1. what to write about

2. what to do if you are STUCK and don't know what to do.

(kids always have plenty to write about and never say, "I don't know what to write about" --- said no teacher ever! ;)

I always start with the underlining lesson.  If you read The Daily 5 book it talks about telling the kids to just put a line under a word they are not exactly sure of the spelling.  I can't tell you what a blessing that simple little trick is!  I then don't have 24 little ones constantly asking me about spelling.  It is a fab tool for the kids!

Next, I have created picture prompt cards to help give students some ideas on writing.  

If you look at the far right of her desk she has a picture prompt card.  I made these a million years ago by just using clip art in Word (or print shop), printed, glued to construction paper, and laminated.  They are a BIG hit!  This is probably my 10th year using the SAME cards!!

Bag of prompt cards!  I just put them in a gift bag and they sit on my writing table waiting for a customer!

A sampling of what the cards look like

Just a side note about the cards- I tell the kids to either write about the picture (more of an expository paragraph telling about the topic) OR make up a story about the picture.  They can usually do either one of those.  ALSO, so that you don't have kids getting up to constantly change their cards OR standing there digging through the whole bag, I say you have two picks and that is it.  So if the first pick is not your favorite you can pick one more time and then you get what you get.

(and you don't throw a fit :)

Another item I can't live without is my student dictionaries.  They are AMAZING (and FREE!!)  We use them during word wall~the kids highlight the words of the week as I introduce them (what kid doesn't love using a highlighter!)  And then we use them during Work on Writing time to look up words and add new words!

Here one student is helping another student find a word in his dictionary.

So easy to print and assemble!

Here is a closer look at the inside.

There is even a page (on left) of writing ideas!

I know... you are saying ... where do you get the dictionary?? :)  Well... they are from Barbara Gurian! Find it HERE  Its pretty amazing and you really can't find anything better!! (believe me, I've looked!)

I've taught with and without dictionaries and I have to say that having it leaves the kids less stressed about spelling.  I do have to mention that these particular dictionaries are best for second grade and up 

(they would be way to difficult for first grade).

Something I tried for the first time this past year was class journals.  I found these from Stephany Dillon on TpT.  You can check it out by clicking {here} 

I wish these would have been more popular with the kids!  I love this idea and I will try them again.

Not to throw a product at you

(but I'm going to anyway- ha!)

I also use Writing Wheels during Work on Writing.

I created these beauties this past year and my kids went gaga over them!

They look like this:

They help the children with the creative writing process by providing a character, an action, and a setting.  Then they can fill in the rest!  PLUS it builds good sentence structure (for the little guys!)  The best part.. sometimes you can make the sentences silly!  What kid doesn't love silly!!  My son and I had a blast making all kinds of sentences... he loved the one... 

"A dinosaur built a snowman on the Moon!"  hehehe...

(how fun would that one be to illustrate!)

Click above to check it out! :)

And if ALL of the above was not enough "choices" for writing ideas...

I also give them this paper:

click to get

They can fill in more ideas in each box.  I love this paper and the kids now have PLENTY to write about!!!  

(which makes one happy teacher!)

So, what if they have their topic (because of all the handy tools above) but now they are stuck.  What then?

Weeeelllll......

I also introduce this AWESOME idea that was floating around the blogosphere last summer.  If you look carefully at this picture, the girl is holding a light bulb.

If the student has "writer's block" I tell them to take a light bulb moment.  Target had light bulbs (last summer!!) and I put them into a basket like this:

 I was skeptical at first because I wasn't sure my second graders could handle this... that maybe they would think the bulbs were a toy.  I WAS WRONG!  They took it totally seriously and an amazing thing happened.  They got up.. got a light bulb... sat for a minute... put it back and started writing again.  WOWSERS!!!  It was a beautiful thing.  If you want to read more about this... click {here}

This did work very well all year.  The only problem is that the light bulbs eventually fell apart :(  I have no idea if I can repair them or not.  Someone DID mentioned that TARGET had light bulb note pads in their dollar spot THIS SUMMER... how fun would that be??  They could be laminated and used that way!!  (see ya- i'm going to Target!)

Last share....

I try to add all kinds of mini lessons into my writing time or before our Daily 5 time but I was struggling with how to run that time.

I was thrilled when I found this book:  No More "I'm Done!" by Jennifer Jacobson  (did you know she is also the author of the Andy Shane books?).

In the No More "I'm Done!" book there are tons of amazing writing mini-lesson ideas.  She also ties many of the lessons to literature which I love to do!  The book is so "readable" with many great user-friendly ideas.  The one thing that I do now (because of this book) is a "Quiet 10" time.  I start my writing time with a short 5-8 minute mini-lesson.  We then start Quiet 10 which is 10 minutes of silent plan/or beginning to write time (their writing is usually based on the mini lesson).  I tell the kids that this is brainstorming time and this CAN include pictures (sometimes those that have trouble writing 'cold turkey' should be aloud to draw first... this will get their creative juices flowing).  Oh~ and I write TOO!  During my Quite 10 I always play some soft music and set my timer.  My FAVORITE, FAVORITE music is:         

Soft Piano Music- my students beg for it! :)



This is a MUST for every classroom!

Once the 10 minutes are up we continue to write but it is AMAZING how that first 10 minutes of complete concentration sets the tone for the rest of the writing time.  We then usually continue to write for about 10 more minutes and I do some writing conferences.  I ALWAYS end with some share time.  This is a must!  Some love to share and others can gain ideas.  I found myself REALLY enjoying my writing time based on this simple writing model!

So to clarify, sometimes I start my Quiet 10 before a class round of Work on Writing.  Other times I do a separate writing block that includes a Quiet 10 time.  

Hopefully that makes sense!

And that's it!  I hope you gained an idea or two to help with your Work on Writing time! :)

Like before, I will be picking a winner from the people who leave a comment below.  I'd love to hear about your writing time!!
Please include your email! :)

Daily 5- Read to Someone (LOTS of freebies!)

Yay- I'm back for the third post on Daily 5! 

Today I'll talk about

If you want to read about Listening to Reading click {HERE}

If you want to read about Read to Self click {HERE}

I had the BEST comments left on my Read to Self post!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!  The winner for that post was:

Ms. Siefker!!

You didn't leave your email so please respond here with your email so you can pick out your prize!

**Make sure you read all the way to the bottom again!**

Some great ideas/questions came up in the comments that I wanted to share with all of you..

1. the interesting words collector-

I have a different one but I whipped up one for you guys if you want it- I have the kids keep this in their box at all times and they fill it in when they find an interesting word.  I also have the kids do this while they Read to Someone!

click above to get this!

2. For the Daily 5 newbies!!

 HERE is a link to a wonderful resource to help you map out your lessons.  It also includes CAFE too (I REALLY recommend reading that book- and jump into both!)  It was posted by a wonderful teacher on Proteacher.

3.  A good point was brought up about the misconception of "Daily 5."

Some think it is 5 rounds of 5 choices.  Actually it is what you make it to be- I shoot for 3 rounds (of 5 choices), but some days I only do 2.  It is so flexible- that is the nice thing about it.  Plus you can have your entire class do a round and you don't have to worry about having "centers" ready to go.  For example, I can say "we are all going to do Read to Self now."  I loooove that!

OK, so on with the R to S goods...

"Read to Someone" is the kids favorite choice, but let's face it- it's not a favorite of the teachers.

If you find that you are dreading "Read to Someone" then you need to build more stamina. Go back to my last post and download those stamina graphs- stat!

Modeling and anchor charts will be so important with this one.  Kids can get silly and they want to talk.  It will be crucial to teach them the correct behaviors so they know the expectation during this time.

Here are some things that I like to use...

First- how to find a partner.

This is a biggie!

It will be important to model this for the kids because as you know- not all kids want to be partners.  If the expectation is set from the start, you will not have any problems-
 I promise!!

I use this poster: 

(I didn't create it, but I LOVE it!!)

click to get this

Second, "EEKK!!"

 Show, practice, repeat, success!

I made a cute poster for you!

This is a FACEBOOK fan freebie!  You will need to go to my Facebook page and find the purple box.

sitting EEKK :)

Third, I get asked a lot about how to solve the "I will pick my best friend... every time" syndrome.

I created something called...

Clock Partners!

Yes, I know there are other clock partner ideas out there but I love to use it for Daily 5!

It looks like this:

I teach the kids how to write their partner's name starting with the number one spot.  Then continue to add names around the clock with each new partner.  The beautiful thing is once they have added the same name twice, they are not to have that partner again until they get a new clock.  I find that this helps the children find new friends to read with!

You can get a copy of the clock at my Facebook fan freebie page also!

Fourth, what do the kids DO when they Read to Someone?

This is from Sharing Kindergarten!

I have found that 3 things work best-

1. Have two copies of the same book for the kids to read together.  One will read while the other will read along with their book.
This works great with the basal or copies of poetry!

These girls have the same book

2. Each child will choose a book to read from their book box (must be a good fit book).  They will take turns reading their book.  Yes, this means there are two different books.  However, it ensures that the child is reading at their level.  I tell the kids it is their moment to show off their fluency and SHINE!

He is reading the book he picked out.  She has her book(s) waiting.  They are at different levels but it is OK!

3.  The kids find a matching color on their boxes (see how I level books here) and pick out a book of that color to read together.  This will then be a good fit for both children.

This is a good fit book for both the kids!


Finally, it is important to teach the children how to be patient while their friend is reading.  The 2 Sisters talk about coaching or time.  I love this!  You can go HERE and grab a cute sheet to print from Cruising in Second Grade with Mrs. Farber.  


Or, I have used THIS bookmark in the past.  It is a nice tool for the kids when they are trying to help their friend.
 I got the bookmark somewhere in the blogosphere so I thank that person for their hard work!


Phew! You made it! :)  I hope you were able to pick up some helpful tips or items to print!  I want to encourage you to leave a comment or question here. 
(I will choose a winner to pick a product again!).  
Your comments help guide my posts and others can learn from you too!  Comment about what you do for Read to Someone or respond to anything mentioned here! 

 I LOVE to hear from you!!!

If you haven't yet, don't forget to enter my Erin Condren Giveaway!!  {HERE}

Thanks so much for reading!

Daily 5- Read to Self {lots of freebies!}

Hey everyone!  I'm excited to be back for the second part of my Daily 5 review.

If you want to read about Listening to Reading click {here}.

And before I forget... if you haven't entered my Erin Condren giveaway.... you can do so ... {here}!

Read to Self is the most important of the 5 Daily 5 choices.  Why?  Because this will be the one that the students do most often.  It will be one that you can do any time and you will want to spend the most time building their stamina.

Before you even start, you will want to organize your classroom library.  I decided to level mine by F&P level as well as by genre. 

Here is a quick sampling of how I do it...

I first labeled all my books with a sticker color. This matches a F&P letter level.  I used  Scholastic's Book Wizard to do this.

Then I sorted my books by subject or genre.  I made labels to put on the front of my baskets. 
HERE are some labels I made- they are NOT fancy as I made them a few years ago before I knew about cute fonts :)  I also found a bunch more somewhere on the Internet.

 I had two very helpful parents number ALL my baskets (I have over 40).  You can see the number of my "Bears" basket is 29.

This is on the inside cover of the book.

  This is a crucial step if you want your books to return to the right basket!  I spend a LOT of time "training" the kids on how to find books and put them back. :)

The kids have their own book box to store their books..

These were from IKEA.  
This year I decided to get the ones from Target dollar spot~ they have super cute ones this year!

from Target!

I have the kids go "book shopping" once a week.  They are to choose 5 "good fit" books (according to their sticker/F&P level) and 3 "look books."  The look books are the sticker colors that are not a good fit ...yet.  It is so fun for the kids to move from a book being a look book to a good fit- they get so excited!

To help me introduce the idea of what is a "good fit" I use this AMAZING PowerPoint from a teacher in South Carolina (thanks for sharing!).  I love how it compares books to shoes!

click to get it!


In the boxes (besides the books) the kids have a check mark to help them check for understanding.  I LOVE this one from the fab Christina Bainbridge.

Also in the boxes are:
~poems (to build fluency)
~interesting word chart
~spiral for word work
~folder
~whisper phone


Just as a side note- the kids get their book boxes ALL DAY LONG- not just during Daily 5.  Whenever they finish something the first thing that comes out of my mouth is- "go get your book box."  By about October it is just a natural thing for them to get up and get their box.  Having those good fit books all ready to go in their box is a beautiful thing. :)

Make sure that you have plenty of spots for your kids to get cozy for read to self.  My class loves our reading corner- this is our quiet area and I set that expectation right from the start.

That couch was mine growing up!!!

  Our PTA purchased these rug circles that the kids use throughout the room (from Really Good Stuff).

 I can't tell you how important it is to take the time to build their "stamina."  I use graphs to chart our progress and the kids like to beat their last time.  I use these graphs from Jessica Meacham (stop by her store!) THANK YOU Jessica... they are a life saver!  It's ok to start off with a very little time!  I've charted 30 seconds before!  The kids will then see their progress.  I always set our goal for 15 independent minutes.

 I also really believe in the "modeling" good and bad behaviors.  It is fun for the kids and they really respond to seeing it visually.

Anchor charts are a MUST!  Take the time to talk about their expected behaviors during this time.  I write mine on giant post-it chart paper and then just plop it on the wall for review.  I then put up a smaller version when we have it down.

Yikes- sorry for the fuzzy picture!

Man, sorry for the GIGANTIC post!  I hope you were able to grab something useful or see/read something helpful.

And... if you made it all the way to the bottom- leave a comment with something related to "Read to Self" (what you do or something from this post)!  I'd love to hear from you!

Have a great day!