Seating Options

Thoughtful seating options have the power to make our classrooms work more efficiently and productively. As we take a look at this week's FAQ, seating in our classrooms can make our break children's independence and success during the school day. We have all had time in our room this fall with our students. It is the opportune time to ask ourselves, "Is the room arrangement working for this group of children? Is it working for me? Is the space fostering their independence or impeding it? Do I need to take a look at a different arrangement now that the kids are here and we are able to see if it is working or not?" This week's tip takes a look at seating options for classroom space.

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FAQ: Does my room arrangement affect the success of The Daily 5?

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Two weeks ago we began our series on The Literacy Cafe Menu with an article describing how we introduce the Cafe Menu to our students with a whole group lesson on Check for Understanding. Last week we added to the Ready Reference guide for Check for Understanding and included a video which debriefs the Check for Understanding lesson.

We'll build on that this week by posting a video in which two students apply Check for Understanding during Read to Someone. We are also posting our second whole group lesson from the Cafe Menu - Cross Checking.

We will continue to build this series weekly, with hopes of giving you a comprehensive look at and understanding of The Literacy Cafe Menu. If you missed a previous portion or want another look, just go to Tip of the Week Archives located on the left hand side of each page of The Daily Cafe site!

Check for Understanding, How Students Apply the Strategy

Check for Understanding is the workhorse of comprehension strategies. It is the one we consistently use, either consciously or unconsciously throughout our lives. It is so critical to comprehension that we teach it and revisit it during whole group and small group instruction, as well as during individual conferences. One of the places we encourage children to use this strategy is while they are Reading to Someone. In this video clip, Peter and Brian demonstrate the application of the Check for Understanding strategy during partner reading.

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Introducing Cross-Checking

We always introduce the Cafe' Menu with the comprehension strategy, Check for Understanding. After that, we like to present a lesson on Accuracy, Fluency, or Expanding Vocabulary strategy, so the menu of strategies for children begins to fill out evenly. The order you choose to teach strategies will vary from year to year with the age and needs of your students, but we've found "Cross-Checking" to be a critical strategy that we use even into adulthood. Because it is such an important strategy, we consistently teach it next as the second strategy when introducing the Café Menu.

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What Sets Daily 5 Apart...

Daily 5 is more than just five tasks. It is a system to teach all students the behaviors of independence and a structure to manage a literacy block. There are distinct and unique features to the Daily 5 which set it apart from other systems or structures we have used in our classrooms. The form we created expresses these unique features. We use these ideas when speaking with principals, colleagues and even parents as we inform them of Daily 5.

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Until next week!