CAFE Strategies 6-5-4-3: The Strategies to Start With If You Are Not Sure Where to Start
Don't we all secretly desire a perfect scope and sequence to teaching that would ensure all our children become proficient readers? Well if it was out there, we know that everyone would be using it already! The real world of teaching will never be that tidy. Our children come with a variety of strengths and weaknesses and need instruction that is specifically tailored to their development. The CAFE Menu is simply a resource which empowers us to determine and facilitate explicit and timely instruction. Following the CAFE Menu in a prescribed order is probably the least effective way to meet the needs of our students. However, if you are new to the CAFÉ Menu or just need a bit of support with where to begin, we keep this rule of thumb in mind; 6-5-4-3. If you know our work, we have always said 4-4-3-3 but with revising our CAFE Menu, we also took a closer look at the order of these strategies. If a child is working on comprehension and we aren't sure which strategy to start with, we pick one of the first six strategies under Comprehension. If Accuracy is their goal and we are wondering where to begin, we start with one of the first five. If we need guidance regarding Fluency or Vocabulary goals, we simply select one of the first four or three. Once the strategy is identified, we teach and monitor frequently to assess its appropriateness for the child. We find some of the hardest work we do is getting started with a goal and strategy for a child. Once we get into the day to day work with them, understand them more and reflect on our teaching, the subsequent strategies reveal themselves quite naturally. Focusing on a child's specific needs honors where they are as a learner and provides instruction more meaningfully than an exact scope and sequence ever could. The CAFE Menu 6-5-4-3
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