How to level up your elementary classroom with the Daily 5

Running literacy small groups can be a challenge when students interrupt. Today we are talking about some tips and tricks to level up your classroom with the Daily 5 to help your students become independent during their independent reading time.

Using the Daily 5 during your reading time allows students to be independent and confident

If you’ve been following me for awhile, you know I LOVE the Daily 5. No matter what elementary grade level you teach, daily 5 will help your students become more independent and it’s a great classroom management tool. I’ve used Daily 5 in kindergarten, first grade and plan to continue using it as I move to fifth grade. If you want your students to be more independent during reading centers, you’ll love using the Daily 5. One of the biggest words emphasized in the Daily 5 is: INDEPENDENT. You even write this on your anchor charts when teaching. The goal of Daily 5 is to not only teach independence, but to get to all your reading groups.

Go over Daily 5 routines every day until they are mastered

Independence comes from sticking to the same routines every day. This is one of the things I love about using the Daily 5 routines in my classroom. If you combine Whole Braining Teaching with Daily 5 routines, your students will thrive on the constant repetition. You’ll be blown away by how well your kids know the routines and snap into it. You’ll even notice that on assembly days, students will be thrown off by the lack of routine. My students go over the Daily 5 routines every day and you can grab that same anchor chart here. My best tip is go over Daily 5 expectations EVERY DAY no matter what. The expectations my students use are on this chart!

Explicitly teach each station so students know expectations

You have to explicitly teach every single station so your students know the expectations. Building stamina is so key to skill mastery. Each station needs 15 minutes of sustained stamina before you can move on to the next station. I recommend using a stamina building chart for each station. Kids love seeing progress and it’s so rewarding for them to hit their 15 minute goal. You’ll also want to explicitly teach a new acidity. Word work is one of the stations that gets switched out the most. You want them to be independent and not need help with the activity.

Create an anchor chart so students know when it’s okay to interrupt a reading group lesson

Teach your students when it’s okay to interrupt a guided reading lesson. I go over these expectations every single day. My chart says you can interrupt a lesson if you’re: bleeding, sick or hurt. The best way to learn is by practicing and repetition. When kids come to interrupt you, ask them “Are you bleeding, sick or hurt?” 99% of the time they’ll walk away because they know you’re busy and they know they shouldn’t have interrupted in the first place.

Remember that practice makes perfect and all elementary students need the space to learn routines

I don’t expect students to be perfect, but I do want them to hit around a 95% independence level so I can successfully teach guided reading groups. Going over expectations is key and I’m sure by now you’re ready to implement the daily 5. I also use a chart on the Smart Board to help my students move independently between stations. I talked a lot about how to use this chart in this blog post: 7 Reasons Why Elementary Teachers Should Use The Daily 5. This chart has been life changing for my classroom instead of using the original way Daily 5 prescribes. Even the most emergent reader can be successful with this chart.

The first 10 steps to transform your literacy block

If you’re looking to transform your literacy block to grow more independent learners and finally get to all your reading groups on a daily basis, grab my FREE 10 step guide to walk you through the first 10 steps to transform your classroom.

How to LEVEL UP Your Classroom with Daily 5