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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.
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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. . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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! . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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. . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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? . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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Math Video - Math Tools
In this video Joan explains the final category of the Math Daily 5 board...Math Tools. . . .
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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 . . .
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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. . . .
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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 . . .
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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 . . .
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