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Forms

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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 . . .
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 . . .
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 . . .
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 . . .
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 . . .
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 . . .
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 . . .
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 . . .
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 . . .
Parent Pipeline - Ask Questions Throughout the Reading Process
By: Allison Behne Self questioning during reading helps the reader clarify and review what has happened so far and confirm or create new predictions. It allows a reader the opportunity assess the . . .
Parent Pipeline - Author's Purpose (Download)
An author's purpose is the author's reason for writing. When you ask yourself why an author wrote a specific text, you are asking about the author's purpose. Often author's write to entertain, to in . . .
Daily 5 - Check In with SMART Boards (Download)
Do you have a SMART Board? You might be interested in this. Rebecca Porter, a primary teacher in Bangkok, Thailand has taught her students to "Check In" for Daily 5 rounds on the one in her classroo . . .
Ready Reference Guide- Comprehension Use Prior Knowledge to Connect with Text
Ready Reference Guides contain essential information regarding a Cafe Menu strategy. They include the key ingredients for teaching the strategy as well as troubleshooting information. Many teachers . . .
Ready Reference Guide - Predict What Will Happen; Use Text to Confirm
Ready Reference Guides contain essential information regarding a Cafe Menu strategy. They include the key ingredients for teaching the strategy as well as troubleshooting information. Many teache . . .
Parent Pipeline - Monitor and Fix Up
by Allison Behne As adults we read for pleasure and to gain knowledge. Since we are proficient readers, we focus our energy on understanding and enjoying what we read. This isn't always the case . . .
Parent Pipeline - Reread Text
Reread Text is the fluency strategy most commonly used to increase speed, expression, and comprehension. It is one strategy on the CAFE menu that does not require much clarification because the title . . .
Daily 5 Book Study- Framing Questions Guide Daily 5 Discussion
Book studies take on many forms, from loosely woven discussions to tightly guided questions. If you are about to read Daily 5 for the first time or the third, you may want to borrow Collette Drakes " . . .
Parent Pipeline - Vocabulary - Voracious Reading
When I first learned the vocabulary strategy of voracious reading I smiled. Why? Because teaching students the terminology of voracious reading is the perfect start to increasing their vocabulary. . . .
Cafe - Parent Pipeline - Check for Understanding (DOWNLOAD)
As we prepare for parent conferences as well as consider parents becoming our partners in the education of their child, we are thrilled to introduce you to a new segment on The Daily Cafe: "Parent Pi . . .
CAFE - Student Personal Conferring Form (DOWNLOAD)
Partnering with students in their learning sounds great and is essential, but how do you do it? Here is one way we found for students to take ownership of their goals and strategies. As we are confe . . .
FAQ - Where do students keep their word collectors?
A Word Collector is a sheet of paper separated into boxes with a different letter of the alphabet in each box. This simple form transforms individual vocabulary work into an achievable goal. We keep . . .
CAFE - Spanish CAFE Menu (DOWNLOAD)
Are there any Spanish speaking/reading students in your class? Do you teach Spanish immersion, or work with students who speak Spanish? Would it be helpful to have a CAFÉ menu written in Span . . .
FAQ - Help! I want my students to independently select Good Fit Books, any suggestions?
A: We teach our students, regardless of age, about good fit books. If you are not familiar with good fit books, you'll find the most important information in the following Ready Reference Guide. /p . . .
CAFE™ - Student Led Conferences (DOWNLOADS)
Ready for Student Led Conferences? We have always enjoyed meeting with parents to discuss their child's strengths and goals (okay, not always, but most of the time). A few years ago we did some . . .
Research and the Daily 5™ (DOWNLOAD)
"Is The Daily™ 5 a research-based system?" We hear this question often in this era of research-based programs. We have always been avid research junkies. From our early research heroes: Fran . . .
Launching CAFE™ Day One - A Sneak Peek (DOWNLOAD)
A popular component of our Daily 5™ book was the launching charts in the appendix. Gail loves charts and loves to make them, so she was pleased that so many of you have appreciated them. Since . . .
CAFE™ - Response Journal Scoring Part IV OF V (Video and Download)
This is the last "formal" lesson Pam teaches regarding expectations for the weekly reading response journal entries she requires. After this lesson, students will be expected to try their hands at re . . .
Daily 5™ - Good Fit Book - Bookmark (Download)
We want our students to be able to independently select good fit books no matter where they are. They won't be able to rely on leveled tubs or spine stickers when they visit the public library, schoo . . .
FAQ - Do you have a form to collect the reading data scores?
We are often asked how we keep track of student progress and growth. If you know us at all, you know we like things that are simple and that work. This link leads you to the record sheet we keep in . . .
CAFE™ - Beginning Reading Phonemic Awareness/Phonics Protocol (DOWNLOAD)
We get excited about and love to share things that bring about results! Kelly, a first grade teacher at our school, has been using this structure for the past few years and loves the continuity it br . . .
CAFE™ - Expand Vocabulary - Tune into Interesting Words Ready Reference Guide (DOWNLOAD)
There has been concerted focus in education and educational research regarding the importance of vocabulary development with students. Of the many convincing reasons for providing students with instr . . .
CAFE™ - Holding Students Accountable After the Conference (DOWNLOAD)
Don't you love the feeling of pleasure and satisfaction that follows a really successful informal conference with a child? You know the ones….your conversation was engaging and authentic, your teachi . . .
CAFE™ - Curricular Coherence, Working Together with Interventions (DOWNLOAD)
In September, our grade level meetings are characterized by lively conversations about our hopes and dreams for the students in our charge. By October they have taken on a new energy and sense of urge . . .
CAFE™ - Recording Your Reading History (DOWNLOAD)
Do you keep a Reading Log, carefully recording title, author, genre and comments regarding every book you read? Few of us do. So why do so many of us ask our students to keep a Reading Log? Is ther . . .
CAFE™ - Accuracy - Cross Checking - Ready Reference Guide (DOWNLOAD)
The accuracy strategy of Cross Checking is one of the first four strategies we teach, or reinforce, to all of our students. It is one of those fundamental and essential strategies we find all kids be . . .
What Sets Daily 5™ Apart for Students (DOWNLOAD)
Daily 5™ is more than just five tasks. It is a system to teach all students the behaviors of independence and a structure to manage a literacy block. There are distinct and unique features to . . .
FAQ: Could I see a sample of your schedule?
A: We know that every classroom, school, school district and even state has its own idiosyncrasies with daily classroom schedules. Some years we get the most wonderful schedule ever, and oth . . .
CAFE™ - Check for Understanding - Ready Reference Guide (DOWNLOAD)
Gail was discussing the strategies on the CAFE™ Menu when Cindy, a second grade teacher announced, "I could teach these skills and strategies if I only knew what you meant by each title. And ho . . .
Keeping Track of Daily 5™ Choices (DOWNLOAD)
Children love knowing what will happen during each day. Many teachers put daily schedules on their board and review it with their class each morning. Children refer to this throughout the day. Once . . .
Beginning The Literacy CAFE™ Menu: Lesson 1 - Check for Understanding (ARTICLE)
Download of this Article We both love a good recipe. When someone cooks or bakes something we like, we ask for the recipe -- and then whe . . .
Daily 5™ - Good Fit Books for Intermediate Students (ARTICLE and DOWNLOAD)
A few days after teaching the Good Fit/Shoe lesson, our good friend, Lori Sabo, teaches another lesson on choosing good fit books that presents a powerful image for children, including our older stude . . .
Daily 5™ - Picking Good Fit Books (ARTICLE and DOWNLOAD)
Reading "Good Fit" books is absolutely imperative if students are to progress as readers. Children must spend the majority of their independent reading time engaged in books which they can decode and . . .
Quick Start Guide #6 - Launching Listen to Reading and Sharing (DOWNLOAD)
Featuring: Launching Listen to Reading Downloads and Video Video showing the culmination of Daily 5™ - Sharing A Classroom Tour of Daily 5™ when it i . . .
Daily 5™ - Quick Start Guide #3 Work on Writing (DOWNLOAD)
This is the third in the series of Quick Start Guides for Daily 5™. We have posted all the videos and downloads for this on one page for ease of use. Featuring: . . .
Design - Ginny's Classroom Map (DOWNLOAD)
It's hard for us to imagine that some of you have been back to school for weeks. Most of us here in the Northwest are just beginning our pilgrimage back to set up our classrooms in anticipation of th . . .
Literacy CAFE™ Menu Bulletin Board Headings (DOWNLOAD)
We have received an overwhelming number of requests from members to make the Literacy CAFE™ headings we use on the bulletin board in our classroom available by download, so here they are! Each h . . .
Five Levels of Support for Barometer Children (DOWNLOAD)
Here is a PDF form of this article: Five Levels of Support for Barometer Children (PDF) Wouldn't it be . . .
Daily 5™ - Quick Start Guide #2 Read To Self Part II (DOWNLOAD)
This is the second in the series of Quick Start Guides for Daily 5™. We have posted all the videos and downloads for this on one page for ease of use. Featuring: Video de . . .
Daily 5™ Literacy Block (DOWNLOAD)
In our book, we created a visual look at the structure of The Daily 5™ in the classroom. It is a variation of the traditional workshop model with a short, focused whole group lesson, brief whol . . .
Design - Library Makeover, Part III (DOWNLOAD)
The past two Tip of the Week entries addressed Classroom Libraries, a Fresh Way to Organize. The first part of the series featured the process we went through to organize our class library. In the second portion, we posted a couple of looks at the library table of contents. In this third and final portion of the series, we focus on the tubs themselves. A big part of setting up a classroom library which empowers children to independently self select and return just right books is making sure the tub labels are child friendly. Some teachers have students create the labels for tubs as shown in the photo above. Others create the labels on their computer. Do whatever works best for you. We wrap up our Library series this week with copies of labels for tubs that you can use as is, or as a springboard for your own personalized library. . . .
Daily 5™ - Graphing Stamina (DOWNLOAD)
We know from experience that making a goal visible helps us stay motivated to achieve it. Our kids aren't any different, so we use this graph to help inspire the growth of stamina in our rooms. We i . . .
Design - Phases of an Environmental Change
This download details the phases we go through when making an environmental change in our classrooms or any classroom we help redesign. This is especially helpful if you are already in the particular . . .
Daily 5™ - Circular Graphic (DOWNLOAD)
Here is one look at the big picture of The Daily 5™ and how it works within a literacy block. This chart is similar to the graphic on page 14 of our book, The Daily 5™. When we originall . . .
The Daily 5™ Linear Graphic (DOWNLOAD)
On page 14 of our book, The Daily 5™, there is a circular graphic of how we originally visualized this structure. Then our friend, Lynn Senecal from the Quebec school system, showed us the line . . .
CAFE™ - Cross Checking Lesson Plan (DOWNLOAD)
Cindy, a teacher at Gail's school, once remarked during a conversation, "I can teach the strategies if you give me a clue as to what you mean by 'flip the sound', or 'cross checking', etc. Shouldn't . . .
CAFE™ - Steps for Conferring Part III of III (DOWNLOAD)
When people started asking us to share what our conferences with children looked and sounded like, we had to step back and be really cognizant of the elements that created their structure. We began t . . .
Daily 5™ - Launching Read to Self (DOWNLOAD)
Do you ever wish you had the Cliff Notes to a book you have read? Our teachers are using a new program that is laden with narrative descriptions of what the program looks like in a classroom, out . . .
Design - Establishing an Environment for Learning (DOWNLOAD)
A few years ago we started teaching classroom design courses, which have been very well attended. We all spend so much time in our classrooms that it isn't surprising we want them to be and feel beautiful. So, how can teachers get started when thinking through a new classroom design? This is the first tool we share when teaching our "Trading Spaces" classroom design courses, the strategies for working through a new design step by step . . .
Design - Reflecting On Classroom Environments (DOWNLOAD)
Thinking back on our first years of teaching, the environment we created in our classrooms then looked very different than it does now. Yet at that time the space reflected what we believed; the teacher needed to have complete control over the classroom, curriculum, and childrens' behavior. The room was set up for quiet since our teaching was evaluated on the amount of noise that was produced in our rooms; little noise...great teacher; lots of noise...teacher had poor classroom management. At one time in our teaching history we even had student desks in rows with our teacher desk looming in the front of the classroom facing the students. . . .
Design - Layers of Classroom Design (DOWNLOAD)
Have you ever thought of redesigning your classroom environment but didn't know where to begin? Setting up a classroom at the beginning of a new school year can be overwhelming. There is so much to think about...where do the student desks go? How about the paper on the wall? What about the teacher desk? With so many questions swirling in our heads, we needed a systematic way to reconstruct our rooms. This system really works for us, and we think it will help you as well. In fact, we follow these steps every time . . .
Design - Seven Steps to Designing Physical Space (DOWNLOAD)
Once the reflecting process and planning for your classroom environment is complete (or you are just tired of thinking about it and want your room changed RIGHT NOW) - these 7 steps may be just what you need to get started. When reconfiguring a classroom or moving into a new one, it can be tricky to see the space through new eyes. Some of the phrases that we hear or have used ourselves that interfere with change are, "I have to have the room set up this way because it's how I always do it." Or "My desk has to go over there." To begin with a clear head we move . . .
Daily 5™ - Check-In Form (DOWNLOAD)
Oh yes, we have tried just about every Daily 5™ check-in system you can think of! We've had children fill out charts or choices in personal notebooks. They've placed their name, magnet, clothes . . .
Daily 5™ - I Pick A Good Fit Book (DOWNLOAD)
What were you looking for the last time you went to a book store? How long did you stay? If you purchased a book, was it a challenging book or a "Good Fit" book? What factors went into your selecti . . .
The Daily 5™ Tasks - Creating a Sense of Urgency (DOWNLOAD)
When we are committed to trying something new, it helps to have something concrete to refer to. If you are like us, you might want to download this quick reference to the Daily 5™ Tasks. They . . .
Daily 5™ - 10 Steps to Teaching and Learning Independence (DOWNLOAD)
This download is a staple for our Daily 5™ presentations. We think these 10 steps are what set Daily 5™ apart from any other instructional model or system. These are the steps we u . . .
Daily 5™ - Launching Listen To Reading (DOWNLOAD)
Listen to Reading is typically the last Daily to be launched. The routine and consistency with which we launch each Daily 5™ component is predictable and comfortable for the children. This con . . .
CAFE™ - Reading Writing Checksheet Part I of III (DOWNLOAD)
The reading writing check sheet is a big picture of who we have met with one on one. It is the first sheet in our pensieve and the second form we consult before standing up from a guided group to hea . . .
Daily 5™ - Launching Word Work (DOWNLOAD)
Each of the Daily Five™ has a launching chart. By the time we introduce Word Work, students are very accustomed to the routine of starting a Daily Five™ component. This Daily starts with . . .
CAFE™ - Curriculum Calendar (DOWNLOAD)
During our CAFE™ classes, we share the form we use for mapping out our whole group lessons for the year. We refer to this as our Curriculum Calendar. Many of you have asked for a copy of our Cur . . .
CAFE™ - Conferring Sheet Sample - Part I of II (DOWNLOAD)
Our conferring used to consist of in-depth conversations with students which focused on their family, their feelings about reading, elements of story grammar, and good summaries. We believed that in o . . .
CAFE™ - Conferring Sheet with Icons - Part II of II (DOWNLOAD)
This form reflects our newest form that we include in our Pensieve. We use it to scaffold teachers who are new to using a conferring notebook. It will help keep your conferences short and focused. Th . . .
CAFE™ - Reading Conferring Sheet - Part III of III (DOWNLOAD)
If you prefer a conferring form without icons, here it is. We run them back-to-back and keep a copy for each child in our pensieve. When the form is full of writing, we replace it with a clean one a . . .
CAFE™ - Word Collector (DOWNLOAD)
This simple form is a great tool for the children who are focused on increasing their vocabulary. It makes collecting, learning and retrieving vocabulary easier, helping student's comprehension increa . . .
Daily 5™ - Launching Read to Someone (DOWNLOAD)
Start teaching the many behaviors of Read to Someone well in advance of the day you launch it. This launching chart will help you identify the important behaviors, for example, how to sit next to your . . .
Daily 5™ - Launching Work on Writing (DOWNLOAD)
The first day we introduce one of The Daily 5™ components, we say we are launching that Daily. After . . .
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