New Books

Recently I have heard from a few of the teachers in my building that they are really into The Daily Five.  It is not a reading curriculum, rather a structure for teaching reading that eliminates a lot of the discipline efforts and assists in creating more independent learners/readers. 

Here is the synopsis from amazon.com:

"Do you love teaching but feel exhausted from the energy you expend cajoling, disciplining, and directing students on a daily basis? If so, you'll want to meet “The Sisters”, Gail Boushey and Joan Moser. Based on literacy learning and motivation research, they created a structure called The Daily Five which has been practiced and refined in their own classrooms for ten years, and shared with thousands of teachers throughout the United States. The Daily Five is a series of literacy tasks (reading to self, reading with someone, writing, word work, and listening to reading) which students complete daily while the teacher meets with small groups or confers with individuals.

This book not only explains the philosophy behind the structure, but shows you how to carefully and systematically train your students to participate in each of the five components.

Explicit modeling practice, reflecting and refining take place during the launching phase, preparing the foundation for a year of meaningful content instruction tailored to meet the needs of each child.

The Daily Five is more than a management system or a curriculum framework; it is a structure that will help students develop the habits that lead to a lifetime of independent literacy."

I decided to order this book from amazon and it was bundled with another book for only 27.74. The Daily Five by itself was 24.95 on Borders.com. I have come to find that even though I really like Borders, amazon truly has the best prices. Anyway, I decided to go for the bundle since I will have lots of free time for reading in a matter of weeks. 

One of my favorite memories from childhood is going to the bookstore with my mom and getting new books for summer vacation. I still get a thrill when I get a new book!

I am always interested in new ways of thinking and teaching. Summer break is always a great time to recharge and get a fresh perspective on kids, teaching, and learning.  I especially like books that offer strategies, ideas that can be implemented amongst an adopted curriculum like we have at my school.