Hello again!! I hope you all had a GrEaT 4th!! We went to a wedding but our little man decided it was time to leave after dinner. (What can I say...he is 1 1/2 and seems to dictate how things go these days.)
Anywho...we are back to our book study of the amazing book, The Daily 5 {2nd Edition}. I am thrilled to be co-hosting this chapter with Rideaway with Mrs. Ridgway. Chapter 4 is actually one of my favorite chapters!! It talks about all of the cool stuff you will want in your classroom to really get on a roll with D5 this year!
As the sisters say in this chapter, launching the Daily 5 shouldn't cost you your classroom budget! Here are the essentials, most of which you can find easily and are not expensive! {You can also use classroom budget $ if you want.}
1. Chimes {Any kind of quiet signal.}
This is the signal your students will respond to all school year. It tells them, "This choice time is over and you need to meet back in the meeting area." I have used a few different things including a bell {from Dollar Tree}, a maraca, and believe it or not, spoons...like the instrument. {That was my first year of D5, the spoons totally got the kids amped up...so that is a NO GO.} For next year I am thinking about two options: buying actual wind chimes I could strum with my hand, or buying a doorbell. I have a few teacher friends who use a wireless doorbell like the one below for just this purpose. {Available at Lowe's.}
2. Chart Rack or Interactive Whiteboard:
I am sure a lot of you have either a Smart Board or a Promethean board. Some teachers choose to make all of their I-charts electronic and project them onto their interactive whiteboard. I think this is a good idea, and of course it saves paper, but I like my students to be able to see my I-charts all the time so I use paper. I don't have a chart rack, so I tape up a large piece of construction paper to my whiteboard.{I am talking about the BIG mamma jamma...do you know what I mean? Like 18 x 24} I make the I-chart, fill it out for the kids, then later either type or write it on the I-charts I have created for my classroom. Get that Freebie here or click on the picture.
3. Tools, not Toys: This is just a tub of stuff to keep your "barometer kids" on task. {You know the ones...the ones that will break stamina first, that will try to make their best friend laugh by making ridiculous faces..etc...} Some ideas of things to put in this tub are timers, pattern blocks, Legos, or alternative reading materials. {The extra special, highly coveted books like I spy, World Records, etc..}
4. Book Boxes: Your students are going to need a place to keep their self-selected, good fit books. I used some classroom funds and ordered 25 of these bad boys.
I know other teachers who get those great baskets from the Dollar Tree, and others who use magazine boxes. It is totally up to you! I went with the Really Good Stuff book bins because I wanted something durable to last a long time.
5. A gathering place: Your students need to know where to go when you ring your quiet signal that we discussed above. Some teachers like their kiddos to meet back at their desks but in primary land we usually are up front on the floor. Here was my gathering place last school year:
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| This was our alternative gathering area in the back of the room...when we needed a change! |
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| The only pic I could find of our main gathering area! Sorry!! I would stand or sit in my director's chair, the kiddos sit on the floor. |
Your classroom can be designed in lots of way. I like an open, airy feel with LOTS of areas for kiddos to read and work. I have been toying with the idea of alternative seating. Of course I got this idea from the sisters!! They mention low tables, whiteboard tables, standing tables etc....I just MIGHT have to experiment this year!
Have a great week!
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