Soon I will be posting my first FREEBIES on TpT and on this blog! I am working on a Daily 5 Kit and and CAFE Assessment Notebook! I'm making them for my own Kindergarten class so that they are efficient and cute so I hope others can benefit from them as well. I'll post the link here when I am finished.
I don't know if I am required to put this, but...
*Cafe is trademarked by the two sisters who do not endorse or promote this product! Please read their books if you are interested in implementing this program into your classroom. www.the2sisters.com
-Miss KindergarDunn
Sunday, July 21, 2013
The Daily 5 and CAFE "Review"
Hi Hi Hi
Whew! I just finished reading The Daily 5 and The CAFE book by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser. I originally searched high and low for The Daily 5 and eventually ordered it online. I don't know that I've ever been excited to receive a book in the mail before...so that was a first for me. The book came Friday afternoon and I was finished with it by Friday evening. It's a very easy read...plus I just used my comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and expanding vocabulary skills to get it done quickly (ha, classic CAFE joke...you wouldn't get it unless you read the book...okay, maybe you would)
If you don't know anything at all about these two books this post wont make sense and isn't worth reading. I don't intend to go into much detail becuase honestly, if you are interested in implementing this into your classroom, you must read the books. I knew next to nothing about The Daily 5 or CAFE on Friday afternoon, and now I feel fully capable and confident that I can begin pre-planning for this management system in my classroom tomorrow.
What I do want to do is highlight a few quotes and things that I found interesting in each of the books. These were things that made me say, "aha" or "ooo" or "exactly!" or "haha."
The Daily 5:
"...stay out of the way and let them read." (p25) This quote is referring to once you have established routine and built stamina. I've always thought an excellent teacher is one that is always circulating the room, but this makes so much sense to give them a chance to monitor themselves and be accountable for their own progress. "aha"
The Good Fit Book lesson idea with the shoes...doing this. I love it. (p30-31)
Another idea that is great for a beginning teacher like myself who does not have enough books for each child to have 3-8 in their own book box: utilize the local library. I looked it up and our local library allows you to check out 100 items at a time... :O Of course, you need to be careful to keep track of where all of those books are but that will be so helpful for launching the Daily 5! (p34)
"Memory stored in the kinesthetic system evokes the longest memory." (p36)
Signals for transitions - use something that is "different enough to grab the attention of our highly kinesthetic children, but not obtrusive enough to upset our auditory children" (p39) They suggest something like chimes...hmmm I need to find something for this.
Correct/Incorrect model - Using a student that you know thrives on attention. Having them be goofy doing the incorrect model and then model the correct way. That student comes to realize they get just as much attention doing it the correct way. Plus, the know that you know they can do it. Two birds - one Stone.
The CAFE Book:
"Flexible Grouping" means based on strategies individual students need to work on at a given time. NOT reading levels. I used to think that flexible grouping just meant leveled groups that students could move up and down in. WRONGO! It makes much more sense now. In hindsight, I would have answered an interview question differently when they asked me to elaborate on "flexible groups." Turns out I didn't know what I was talking about.
"The more whole-class teaching offered, the lower the academic achievement in any school." (p10)
"The approximate age of the students is the approximate number of minutes they can sustain higher-level thinking with group instruction." (p115)
IN CONCLUSION:
I will tell you, I have never been more excited to try something new in the world of teaching. If you're reading this and you already use Daily 5/CAFE I'd love to hear about how your experience is so far or any advice you have! I'm new to the teacher blogging world so any responses from fellow teacher bloggers pretty much makes my day. :)
Miss KindergarDunn
Whew! I just finished reading The Daily 5 and The CAFE book by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser. I originally searched high and low for The Daily 5 and eventually ordered it online. I don't know that I've ever been excited to receive a book in the mail before...so that was a first for me. The book came Friday afternoon and I was finished with it by Friday evening. It's a very easy read...plus I just used my comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and expanding vocabulary skills to get it done quickly (ha, classic CAFE joke...you wouldn't get it unless you read the book...okay, maybe you would)
If you don't know anything at all about these two books this post wont make sense and isn't worth reading. I don't intend to go into much detail becuase honestly, if you are interested in implementing this into your classroom, you must read the books. I knew next to nothing about The Daily 5 or CAFE on Friday afternoon, and now I feel fully capable and confident that I can begin pre-planning for this management system in my classroom tomorrow.
What I do want to do is highlight a few quotes and things that I found interesting in each of the books. These were things that made me say, "aha" or "ooo" or "exactly!" or "haha."
The Daily 5:
"...stay out of the way and let them read." (p25) This quote is referring to once you have established routine and built stamina. I've always thought an excellent teacher is one that is always circulating the room, but this makes so much sense to give them a chance to monitor themselves and be accountable for their own progress. "aha"
The Good Fit Book lesson idea with the shoes...doing this. I love it. (p30-31)
Another idea that is great for a beginning teacher like myself who does not have enough books for each child to have 3-8 in their own book box: utilize the local library. I looked it up and our local library allows you to check out 100 items at a time... :O Of course, you need to be careful to keep track of where all of those books are but that will be so helpful for launching the Daily 5! (p34)
"Memory stored in the kinesthetic system evokes the longest memory." (p36)
Signals for transitions - use something that is "different enough to grab the attention of our highly kinesthetic children, but not obtrusive enough to upset our auditory children" (p39) They suggest something like chimes...hmmm I need to find something for this.
Correct/Incorrect model - Using a student that you know thrives on attention. Having them be goofy doing the incorrect model and then model the correct way. That student comes to realize they get just as much attention doing it the correct way. Plus, the know that you know they can do it. Two birds - one Stone.
The CAFE Book:
"Flexible Grouping" means based on strategies individual students need to work on at a given time. NOT reading levels. I used to think that flexible grouping just meant leveled groups that students could move up and down in. WRONGO! It makes much more sense now. In hindsight, I would have answered an interview question differently when they asked me to elaborate on "flexible groups." Turns out I didn't know what I was talking about.
"The more whole-class teaching offered, the lower the academic achievement in any school." (p10)
"The approximate age of the students is the approximate number of minutes they can sustain higher-level thinking with group instruction." (p115)
IN CONCLUSION:
I will tell you, I have never been more excited to try something new in the world of teaching. If you're reading this and you already use Daily 5/CAFE I'd love to hear about how your experience is so far or any advice you have! I'm new to the teacher blogging world so any responses from fellow teacher bloggers pretty much makes my day. :)
Miss KindergarDunn
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Hot Summer Reads (for teachers)
One thing I regret about my educational training thus far is that I have not read any education (methods/strategies/etc.) books out of my own intrinsic motivation (that's right, using teacher words here). Now, obviously there were books that I "read" for class, but if I'm going to be honest, most were outdated and/or didn't seem relevant at the time.
During student teaching, my supervising teacher recommended a book called Weakfish: Bullying Through the Eyes of a Child by Michael Dorn. I'll admit, at first I wasn't keen on the idea of reading a somewhat educational book outside of school. However, I was certainly glad I did. I really enjoyed this book as a pleasure read and it also taught me a lot about the impact school personnel can have on bullying. What do ya know!? I enjoyed it and I learned from it! Since then and since I have an official job, I find that I want to read more and more so that I can be a database of educational knowledge. Okay...I may have gone a little far there. But, I am feeling inspired.
Moral of the story is...today I hit up Barnes and Noble for some books to read during these last few weeks of summer. Here is what I found:
The Essential 55: An Award Winning Educator's Rules for Discovering The Successful Student in Every Child by Ron Clark
Before I went out to buy books, I "researched" what I should look for. I saw Ron Clark's name on several outstanding teacher blogs so I figure this will be a great book. The book highlights 55 specific rules to use in your classroom. Looking forward to finding out what Ron Clark is all about in this book. Also, I bought a Workbook that goes along with it. Gave myself a little homework. :)
Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov
This was a book that was recommended to me by a fellow teacher friend. I began reading this today and like it so far. Though, I'm only on page 10...so I have a ways to go before I can make judgments. The book highlights 49 techniques to use in your classroom. What I really like about this is that he discusses techniques, not methods or theories. It's actual actions you can practice in your classroom right away. I definitely want to finish this book before summer is over. Stay tuned for a review in a week or so.
The Daily 5 and The Cafe Book by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser (The 2 Sisters)
I think I am most excited about these two books. I've heard so much about the Daily 5 and have a little background knowledge on it, but I want to know more! I really want to incorporate this into my classroom this year so I know these two books will be essential for me. I'll share more once I read them!
So, if you are looking for some hot summer reads for your professional growth as a teacher, I would recommend you get out and look around because there is a lot of good stuff out there. Once I finish reading all of these books I'll let ya know my thoughts! Likewise, if you have read any of these books or other great books please let me know!!! Thanks for tuning in!
-Miss KindergarDunn
During student teaching, my supervising teacher recommended a book called Weakfish: Bullying Through the Eyes of a Child by Michael Dorn. I'll admit, at first I wasn't keen on the idea of reading a somewhat educational book outside of school. However, I was certainly glad I did. I really enjoyed this book as a pleasure read and it also taught me a lot about the impact school personnel can have on bullying. What do ya know!? I enjoyed it and I learned from it! Since then and since I have an official job, I find that I want to read more and more so that I can be a database of educational knowledge. Okay...I may have gone a little far there. But, I am feeling inspired.
Moral of the story is...today I hit up Barnes and Noble for some books to read during these last few weeks of summer. Here is what I found:
The Essential 55: An Award Winning Educator's Rules for Discovering The Successful Student in Every Child by Ron Clark
Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov
The Daily 5 and The Cafe Book by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser (The 2 Sisters)
So, if you are looking for some hot summer reads for your professional growth as a teacher, I would recommend you get out and look around because there is a lot of good stuff out there. Once I finish reading all of these books I'll let ya know my thoughts! Likewise, if you have read any of these books or other great books please let me know!!! Thanks for tuning in!
-Miss KindergarDunn
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
FINALLY
After 18 years of knowing I want to be a teacher and 4 years at Purdue University training to become one, THE TIME HAS COME! Beginning in August...(drum roll please)...I will finally and officially be a Kindergarten teacher. I will finally...(another drumroll please)...have my VERY OWN CLASSROOM!
Wait.
What do I do now!?!
My whole life I have prepared for this but now that it is real, I am realizing I have so much to do. So, naturally one of the first things I do is create this blog so I can procrastinate doing the things I need to do by talking about the things I need to do...
I have completed one thing on my "To-Do" list and that is choosing a theme for my classroom this year. I debated several themes, taking into consideration the overall feel I want my classroom to have. I finally decided to go with a "Community" theme. Of course, I am not the first teacher to think of this, so I searched around for materials and ideas. One of the first I found was this community themed classroom decor kit from All Things Apple in 2nd Grade. Thank you Nicole Swisher for this awesome starter kit my classroom! Everything in it is adorable and perfect for a community theme.
Click the picture to access the kit on TpT. It is so worth the money if you are doing a community themed classroom. Once I get into my room and begin decorating/organizing/etc. I will post pictures of how I work this theme into my classroom. Can't wait to share more! Thanks for reading!
-Miss KindergarDunn
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)