FAQ: My kids are very independent and have lots of stamina the first two rounds of Daily 5™, but then they seem to fall apart. What should I do?
A: Our initial vision, as we began to develop the Daily 5™, was a lovely and calm morning, where a neat little package of evenly distributed rounds made up the ebb and flow of our literacy block. While high expectations lead to greater achievement, they can also lead to dismay and disappointment when they aren't met. That's what happened when our children entered the picture. We'd be surprised and sometimes even frustrated, just like you, when after two completely successful rounds, suddenly the behaviors became bumpy and less independent. It was at a high school cross country meet that we witnessed young runners giving the first mile their all. They were focused, their energy was high, and their pace was even and strong. The leaders were still going strong in mile two, but the pack had begun to spread a little, and by mile three a few near the back had already given everything they had and were struggling to make it to the finish line. It was a bit of an "aha" for us, and we took what we learned back into the classroom the next day. Like the race, we knew that our whole class had the stamina, energy and focus to sustain independent behaviors for a 25 to 30 minutes stretch on the first round. The second and third rounds might have to be shorter, but if we understood this from the get-go, we were able to intentionally plan for small groups and individual conferences accordingly. By using our student's behavior as the barometer instead of the clock, we were able to achieve the lovely ebb and flow we originally sought, even if the rounds weren't evenly distributed. By following their lead, each round became a successful round.
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