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Annotated Archives

Here you will find a description of every article, video, audio, and resource guide posted at The Daily Cafe.

FAQ - The computers in my classroom take up so much space. How do you position them to maximize space?
This is a dilemma that requires some thought. We first examine our choices based on the outlets which are available. This video takes us inside Ann Anderson's 5/6 classroom and shows how she has pla . . .
Another Method to Facilitate Choosing a Partner - Part II (VIDEO)
We explicitly teach how to choose a partner so students can quickly form partnerships in reading, writing, math, science, recess, etc. We usually rely on the "raise your hand" method as explained in . . .
Tip of the Week September 3, 2010
A Year of Learning Did you begin the year with mandated training/meetings? Many of you have written that you were thrilled to be back at school, yet found the workshop days prior to . . .
Parent Involvement and Parent Partnership, Actions Parents Can Take
There was a time when we had more parent helpers than we knew what to do with, but that is no longer the case in our community. Are you finding the same to be true where you are? Yet . . .
Daily 5™ - Adding Choice and Checking In (ARTICLE and VIDEO)
After Read to Self and Work on Writing have both been launched, we often feel a bit like we are standing on top of a mountain, admiring a view of great beauty. Students are actually reading and writin . . .
Launching Math Daily 5™ with the First of Five Launching Charts (ARTICLE and DOWNLOAD)
This will be the first of 5 Launching Charts for introducing Math Daily 5™ to our students. Notice the connection to The Dai . . .
FAQ - Do you have some more ideas on supporting our barometer children or those students who break stamina first?
by Trish Prentice Yes, every year we have a Barometer Billy or Barbie or Byron or Bonita. They try to talk to their friends during Read to Self. They make balls out of Wiki Sticks during Word Wo . . .
Design - Add Just the Right Seating for a Long and Narrow Classroom (VIDEO)
This long narrow classroom limited the seating options, but two narrow tables, anchored by a small cupboard at each end, helped provide the variety the teacher was looking for. script type="te . . .
Parent Letter Introducing CAFE and Parent Pipeline
Allison's back at school a few days before us and has already thought through communication with her parents about her reading instruction this year. She wants to inform her parents that she is usin . . .
FAQ - How might I keep track of the books that are read during our reading aloud when I have no more wall space?
by Trish Prentice I love the idea of keeping a list of the books we read as a class for the entire year! Seeing photos of other classrooms unrolling a huge list at the end of the year is inspiring. . . .
Choosing a Partner for Partner Reading - Part 1 (Video)
This video introduces another way for students to hook up with a partner for Read to Someone. Regular playing cards do the matching after check-in is completed, removing the partiality and popularity . . .
Design - Creative Displays for Magazines and Books (VIDEO)
Here is a peek into another portion of Ron's room! He really believes in offering students a variety of reading materials, and always finds unique ways to store and present them in an inviting way. This is no exception. Watch the clip to see the ingenious way he's incorporated magazines into the classroom for his students reading pleasure. . . .
Building Community with a Plant for each Child
Building a classroom community takes center stage as we start each year. The students in our care look to us for activities, stories and events that will bring about that magical feeling of being par . . .
Reading Aloud (Website)
We are passionate about the power of reading aloud to children of all ages. We've also been fans of Mem Fox for years. What a delight to find this on her website..... If you struggle with how to . . .
Daily 5 - Using the 5 Senses to Define behaviors (Video)
Sometimes students begin the year with a sense of urgency and motivation to build stamina, only to let it wain as the year progresses and nears it's end. It was precisely this that moved Rachel Andre . . .
A Creative Bookshelf, Book Trunk (VIDEO)
We all want books in our rooms that our students will browse, explore and "fall into". Ron, a 5/6 grade teacher at Gail's school uses an old traveling trunk as a book shelf, filling it neatly full of . . .
Parent Pipeline ~ Use Main Idea and Supporting Details to Determine Importance
Written by: Allison Behne Recognizing the main idea in a text is a necessary component to reading comprehension. If a reader is unable to identify the main idea of a selection, they will m . . .
Parent Letter Explaining Daily 5 Translated into Spanish
We recently had the pleasure of meeting Patricia Bejarano, a third grade teacher on the Spanish Side of Dual Language from Nebraska. She translated a few of our documents into Spanish. If you are lo . . .
Tip of the Week August 20, 2010
Conferring Calendars for Pensieve Notebooks Written by: Allison Behne It is usually this time of year when we begin to prepare for our upcoming group of students. In do . . .
FAQ - Do you know teachers who are looping with Daily 5 and what is different about Daily 5 the second year with the same students?
Cindy looped with her second graders up to third. She noticed how smoothly the Daily 5 routines started, since the behaviors and stamina were already in place. One of the challenges of third grade i . . .
Math - Exploring Number Order (Video)
Number sense is the foundation of our mathematical system. In this simple activity, Edguardo practices putting numbers in order, using the sand timer to check his progress. This could be a daily num . . .
Introducing Daily 5™ - Parent Letter (Download)
Written by Allison Behne
Research shows that children do better in school when their parents are involved in the school and communicate regularly with the teacher. There are many ways parents can become involved and it is ou . . .
CAFE - Keys to Starting the CAFE Board
Our friend Trish has been reflecting on her CAFE menu. She synthesized her thinking down to 4 important "keys" to remember when designing a Cafe menu. You may want to be her colleague as you read he . . .
FAQ - Do you have other resources for teaching comprehension?
We spent last week in Wisconsin with teachers from Green Bay to Janesville and places in between. It is a beautiful part of our country, with rolling cornfields outlined by soybeans and oa . . .
Tech Tips for Teachers (Website)
The use of technology is one of the most powerful ways to engage students in learning and demonstrating what they've learned. However, so many of us grew up without technology that we feel a little i . . .
Design - Bookshelf using Encyclopedias (VIDEO)
here is a sacredness to books that prohibits us from ever throwing them away. But what do we do with texts that are so out of date that they've lost their value as anything but dust collectors and paper weights? Jenny, a teacher at Gail's school, asked her grandfather to turn some prehistoric encyclopedias into a unique bookshelf. We were so excited by this idea that we just had to share it with you! Maybe you can convince the handyman (or woman) in your life to make one for you! . . .
Tip of the Week August 13, 2010
One of our summer goals has been to go back through each page on our site and do a little summer cleaning. In doing so we found this early article. After rereading it, we thought this would be pe . . .
Design - Personalizing Book Boxes
When building reading stamina our first thought is...our students need many books, at the ready, allowing them to stay in one spot while building stamina. For our beginning readers thi . . .
CAFE - Conferring with a Student Reading an Ill Fitting Book (VIDEO)
There is a delicate discussion we tiptoe around when conferring with a student who is reading a book that is too hard. Your mind races, thinking, "Do I say something? Do I let her just struggle and . . .
Tip of the Week August 6, 2010
New Teacher Shower The Back to School sales are in full force. Children are starting to emerge from long summer days tanned and taller. These are the sure signs of our favorite tim . . .
CAFE - Shortcuts, Short Hand, Short Notes
by Trish Prentice As I look back to reflect on the successes and challenges of this past year in Daily 5™ and CAFÉ™, I don't have to ponder very long to discover what's on top of . . .
Parent Pipeline ~ Use text features (titles, headings, captions, graphic features)
Written by: Allison Behne When reading non-fiction books, many students flip through them quickly and feel they have a good understanding of the text. However, a reader must use text features . . .
Creating a 3D Pop-Up Book (Website)
ZooBurst is a digital storytelling tool that is designed to let you easily create your own customized virtual pop-up book. It is pretty amazing! Watch the demo to see what we mean, then explore the s . . .
FAQ - The sticky notes keep falling off the CAFE board. Any other ideas for students declaring their goals?
Well, the quick and easy fix is to use the Super Sticky Post-it Notes that are available. They have better sticking power. However, you might like this fun idea which comes from Angel Graham Deberti . . .
Q: I'm having a hard time finding what I want when I need it. Can't you reorganize the website now that you have so much content?
A: There are more ways to organize the website than we can count. Instead of reorganizing it, which could potentially make it more confusing for everyone, we've been working behind the scenes . . .
CAFE - NEW Books Added to the CAFE Menu
We are frequently asked for a list of books to go with the strategies, so we've added that support piece for teachers right here on the website. We'd like to caution you to consider these as possibil . . .
Math - Using the Board to Differentiate (Video)
In this video, Joan describes a simple management strategy for guiding student choices in order to meet their diverse individual needs. It's easy, inexpensive and really works. script typ . . .
Tip of the Week July 30, 2010
Lori vs. Stick Shift by Lori Sabo If my life were a TV show, I'd like it to be an uplifting and inspiring series entitled something like, "Life with Lori". Truth is, it more closely . . .
Book Boxes, Coaching Cards, and Book Marks (VIDEO)
We were completely blown away by Carlene Bickford from Waterville, Maine and her book totes. Not only are they sturdy, but we discovered treasures tucked inside. Carlene has included coaching cards . . .
Daily 5 and Cafe Launch - Part 3 (ARTICLE)
A Note from Joan and Gail ("The Sisters"): We are working on a new book about launching the school year, with much of the writing to be completed this fall and winter. As we work, we'll be sharin . . .
Daily 5 - Pick a Partner Debrief (VIDEO)
In this video, Natalie and Joan converse about how things are going with the Read to Someone portion of the Daily Five. Natalie shares what is going well, as well as the things that need some fine tu . . .
Website: Recording Virtual Stories

A Story Before Bed was created to enable parents and grandparents to virtually read books to their children and grandchildren, even when they can't be physically present. However, we see delightful applications for teachers and volunteers and its use in the classroom as well. . . .

FAQ: Are you going to create a Writing Cafe Menu?
We aren't. The reason being, we don't feel a need to recreate the wheel. We both use the Developing Writer's Assessment (DWA) with our students. We love this... . . .
Daily 5 and Cafe Launch - Part 2 (ARTICLE)
A Note from Joan and Gail ("The Sisters"): We are working on a new book about launching the school year, with much of the writing to be completed this fall and winter. As we work, we'll be sharin . . .
Tip of the Week July 23, 2010
A mentor knows how to stretch without insulting, affirm without flattering, release without abandoning us - Charles R. Swindoll Learning from Omar Have you ever tried . . .
Revisiting Professional Books
Ahhh, summertime; catching up with friends, doing a bit of gardening and of course time to devour the pile of books by our bedside and review the list of 'want to reads' jotted on the sticky notes in . . .
Daily 5 - Picking a Partner- Whole Group Lesson (VIDEO)
Choosing a partner is a very sophisticated strategy. We used to just say, "Pick a Partner and get to work." Moments later we'd be wondering why they were not being successful. Arguments had ensued, . . .
What should I read next? (Website)
Don't you find finishing a great book to be bittersweet? We love the journeys we take with characters. Closing the cover on them for the last time sometimes feels like a friendship is ending. When . . .
Panning Across a Class Doing Daily 5 (Video)
Want to see the I chart in live 3-D action with intermediate students? It gives us goosebumps every time we are in a classroom where children are independent and completely immersed in reading and wr . . .
FAQ - I love the Eye Lighters you gave me at the Daily 5 conference! I want enough for my whole class. Please tell me where I can get more.
We love them too! For those of you who wonder what an Eye Lighter is, it's a 6" long transparent plastic bookmark. It's designed to underline the sentence a child is reading, while not masking the l . . .
Math - Video
Plus or Minus is a great game for students who have beginning number sense and are developing addition and subtraction skills. It's also a great way to use checker or chess boards that no longer have . . .
Tip of the Week July 16, 2010
Revisiting Professional Books Ahhh, summertime; catching up with friends, doing a bit of gardening and of course time to devour the pile of books by our bedside and review the list of 'wa . . .
CAFE Debrief Intermediate Gail and Joan (Video)
There is tremendous value in using The Literacy Cafe™ school wide. As students get older and have experience and a high comfort level with the strategies, teachers have the ability to layer st . . .
CAFE - Using Three Strategies at One Time, Lesson Debrief (VIDEO)
We enjoyed watching Janet work with a group of 3rd and 4th grade students. We especially appreciated how she wove three Literacy Café Menu™ strategies together as she taught. In thi . . .
Math - Nine Holes, Strategy Game (VIDEO)
Nine Holes (also known as Tapatan) is a strategy game, similar to Tic Tac Toe. The object is to get three markers in a row, either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Each player has three play . . .
Tip of the Week July 9, 2010
The Silver Bullet The past few months, we have had the privilege and honor of speaking with teachers from all over the world. We appreciate their enthusiastic response to our work, their . . .
Goal Setting with Older, Advanced Readers (Video)
In this video, Gail confers with Landon, a 6th grade student, who is an advanced reader. The point of this conference is to help Landon set his first goals of the school year and begin using his own . . .
Parent Pipeline -Make a Picture or Mental Image
Written by: Allison Behne Teaching students to form pictures in their mind improves comprehension and thinking skills. We do this most effectively through direct modeling and student prac . . .
CAFE - Using Three Strategies at One Time (VIDEO)
In this video Janet models 3 strategies in combination. Author's purpose and Text Features help deepen comprehension, and paying close attention to pictures helps expand vocabulary. The story she has . . .
Math - The Value of Exploration (Video)
It can be tempting to think that allowing time for students to explore math manipulatives will lead to play rather than real learning, but exploration is essential to learning. You'll see what we mea . . .
Tip of the Week July 2, 2010
Lesson From the Hairdresser by Lori Sabo I love reconnecting with friends in summer. Over a steaming hot cup of Starbucks we catch up on each other's personal lives and inspire one ano . . .
FAQ - Do your daily focus lessons connect to each other somehow?
Not necessarily. Our primary students are beginning readers and need instruction on all of the CAFE strategies, so it can be difficult to make the lessons connect. We usually deliver a Comprehension . . .
Parent Pipeline ~ Voracious Reading
By: Allison Behne Have you ever read a book that you just couldn't put down? Maybe you have an author that you enjoy more than others. How many of you have a series that you eagerly anticipate t . . .
Book Boxes - Video
Book boxes are a wonderful tool for students, allowing them the flexibility to choose anywhere to sit in the room and have their books right at hand. But what goes in a book box? How many books? . . .
Design - Clever Clipboards
By Trish Prentice Using a clipboard while recording student check-in choices is easy. Sometimes, finding the clipboard is not so easy. I will admit, there are times when I'v . . .
Poetry Pathways - Website
Ahhhh, Poetry! We have experienced turning more students into passionate writers through poetry than any other genre. This site has a wealth of resources organized by grade level. You'll find poems . . .
Tip of the Week June 25, 2010
Being Present I recently visited my very busy and dear friend Heidi, who is a full time instructional coach, wife to a wonderful man and mom to two young children. Last time I was in her . . .
Books We've Read
Starting on the first day of school, with the very first read aloud, Martha Chiles and Carrie Allen recorded each and every book they read to their first grade students. As the chart grew, more paper . . .
Design Your Own Pensieve
If you haven't discovered Zazzle yet, it is a fantastic website from Avery that allows you to import your own pictures and text to create one of a kind notebooks. Many of us discovered Zazzle last ye . . .
FAQ - Are the CAFE Menu strategies in order of importance?
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 a . . .
Math - Poison, A Strategy Game (VIDEO)
Poison is a great strategy game that even kindergarten students can master. These two students in Joan's kindergarten class are at the beginning stages of the game, exploring how to win. As they gain . . .
CAFE - Improving Pace and Fluency (Video)
In this video, Kelly reviews Chloe's reading goal of fluency and the strategy Back Up and Reread. Watch what happens to Chloe's pace when Kelly asks her to go back and reread to make the reading sm . . .
Voracious Reading with Library Lion (Book)
by Trish Prentice I hope you have this book too. I picked this story because it illustrates the meaning of voracious reading. The lion in the story can't get enough of the library and the stories . . .
CAFE - Nudging a Students to Articulate Strengths and Goals
In this video Gail and Cindy are meeting with Bobby, a third grader whom Cindy has worked with for a year and a half (Cindy looped up to third grade with her students). Bobby identifies comprehension . . .
Parent Pipeline~ Use Pictures, Illustrations, and Diagrams
Written by: Allison Behne The strategy of using pictures, illustrations, and diagrams to gain meaning of text is a commonly used strategy. Readers use picture clues to determine if what th . . .
Starting the Year with Self Portraits - Website
We love the fresh start of a new school year. While launching Daily 5 and CAFE are a priority, we are also deeply interested in building a sense of community in those early weeks. One of the first a . . .
Tip of the Week June 18, 2010
Looking Back Before Looking Ahead - The Survey We had the joy of presenting one of our workshops in beautiful San Antonio, Texas last week. One of the highlights of all the traveling we . . .
Design-Painting
Regina Saul, a dual language teacher In Evanston Illinois shared her summer projects which involved 2 kinds of paint we hadn't even heard of before, magnetic and whiteboard. Whiteboard . . .
CAFE - What is The Transitional CAFE Menu and where do I find it?
By Trish Prentice Do you have any "in between" students? The original CAFE menu is a bit too advanced for them, but the emergent menu isn't quite right either. "Tweeners" have many of the skills fr . . .
Video - Christie and Connor
In this video Christie confers with Connor, one of the 4th grade boys in her class. He begins by summarizing the chapter he just read in Hoot, by Carl Hiaasen. Christie asks questions to clarify some . . .
CAFE - Setting a Goal with Connor a Sixth Grader (Video)
Though this conference takes place in September, it isn't too different from a goal setting conference that would take place anytime throughout the year. After stating that he is able to read quickly, . . .
Tip of the Week June 11, 2010
Looking Back Before Looking Ahead Schools all over the country are preparing to break for summer. Teachers are inputting final marks on report cards. It seems, for us anyway, that refle . . .
FAQ-What other activities and materials are available during Daily 5™?
This question was asked of us this week while in our Daily Five™ Kindergarten Workshop in San Antonio, Texas. School Supply Catalogs and Teacher Supply Stores can be a vast temptatio . . .
Summer Reading Loss (Website)
Donalyn Miller is a 6th grade language arts teacher in Texas. Her passion for books is contagious not only among her students, but her colleagues, Twitter followers, and blog readers as well. As her . . .
Parent Pipeline ~ Use Prior Knowledge to Connect with Text
By: Allison Behne Can you remember the last lesson you taught where your students were all eagerly raising their hands, excited to participate? As a teacher, it is always a good feeling to . . .
Design-Reorganizing Teacher Supplies in the Whole Group Meeting Area-Part 2 (Video)
In this second video of a two part series, we continue to rethink, reorganize and redistribute supplies in Christine's whole group meeting area. Sometimes even subtle changes can have a big impact on . . .
Make a Picture or Mental Image - Mouse Mess (Lesson and Book)
Trish Prentice writes, "I would like to be this mouse! Make a mess in the kitchen and leave it for someone else to clean. Everyone can identify with a dirty kitchen, even children. That makes this boo . . .
Website - Books in the Home
We have thought for years the best predictor of attaining high levels of education for our students is their parents level of education. According to a 20 year study lead by Mariah Evans, University . . .
Parent Pipeline ~ Using Dictionaries, Thesauruses, and Glossaries as Tools
By: Allison Behne I think many of us would agree that technology is a wonderful thing. Who would have ever thought there would be a time we would be able to see and talk to our friends and fa . . .
Design - Organizing Math and Reading Teaching Materials Part 1 - Video
Christine came to us with an organizational dilemma, "How can I manage all my teacher materials?" We joined Christine in her classroom to help her organize the math and reading materials she must sto . . .
Pam and Artur
A high level of accountability is one of the perks of one on one conferring. In this video, Pam Pogson sets clear expectations and ensures that Artur knows exactly what he'll be accountable for and w . . .
Math Video - Math Tools
In this video Joan explains the final category of the Math Daily 5 board...Math Tools. . . .
Retell the Story with Harry the Dirty Dog
Lesson by Trish Prentice I enjoy the simplicity of this story, plus I'm a pushover for dogs! The plot in the story is quite simple and can be narrowed down to a clear beginning, middle and end. A . . .
CAFE™ - Conferring with Maxwell, Monitoring Writing and Spelling
Joan checks in with Maxwell, a kindergartener, to see how well he is doing at his goals of writing more and underlining words he isn't sure about. As he reads his story, Joan leads him to discover what is missing, rather than spell the words for him. . . .
Parent Pipeline - Read appropriate level texts
By: Allison Behne When I started to write the Pipeline for reading appropriate level texts, I tried to look at it from the eyes of a parent, not a teacher. In doing this, I began to reflect on . . .
CAFE - Inferring with Connor as he talks about his book (VIDEO)
This video shows a conference between Christie and Connor, one of the 4th grade boys in her class. Uninitiated, Connor begins by summarizing the chapter he just read in Hoot, by Carl Hiaasen. . . .
FAQ - What is a "go to" tip for creating comfortable learning areas for students?
Designing comfortable, functional working spaces for children isn't hard or expensive. One trick we've learned whether designing for older students or our youngest, is to completely remove the adjust . . .
Math Is Fun - Website
"The main content of the site is aimed at basic math skills. However you will find some more complex stuff, and some easier bits. Hopefully there should be something for everybody," so say . . .
Design - Shelves Here, Shelves There, Shelves Everywhere!
by Trish Prentice What kind of shelves will work best in your room? There are so many options; maybe one of these will be just right for you. Plastic shelves: I . . .
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