Our friend Sharon recently asked this question when we did a workshop at her school. It caused us to step back and think, "Yes, what issues come to the forefront when implementing Daily 5 and Cafe?" Top challenges that came to mind might be the same ones you've thought about:

Time...carving out time for an effective literacy block can be a challenge, but we can create time for things we value.

Slowing down...we don't let the pressures of what we have to accomplish set the pace, but instead slow down at the beginning so we can go faster as the year goes on.

Materials...how might we utilize our resources and perhaps even think differently about their potential uses?

Instruction: How can we fit more instruction in? By conferring. Instead of simply meeting with a number of guided reading groups a day, we spend a few minutes conferring after guided reading groups are released.

Thoughtfully meeting challenges head on will lead to rewarding and fruitful literacy growth.