The Daily CAFE Discussion Board

Back in the Swing

srea 2016-01-03 16:27:38 UTC #1

Tomorrow is back to school for many of us after those wonderful holidays! Not only for our kids, but also for us, do you have a tip or two about getting everyone back in the routines of Daily 5 and CAFE?

jennythiem 2016-01-03 19:38:49 UTC #2

I loved the idea of Bootcamp and taking a day to focus on each aspect of the Daily Five. I am doing that with my kinders this week. I could really use some more books to help reinforce what it means to be independent! I am headed to Barnes and Noble soon and would love some suggestions!! We have Franklin Learns To Ride a bike - thanks and good luck to all this week!

srea 2016-01-03 21:24:42 UTC #3

Do you know Wolf by Becky Bloom? It's a great book for talking about fluency and the importance of reading and reading--practicing on one's own to improve. Your kindergarteners will love the characters.

Another one that pops into my head is Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells. It's about writing and making attempts--so I guess it's also a good one for resilience.

schultzshe 2016-01-04 16:45:39 UTC #4

I have an Independent Learning Behavior poster hanging up in a prominent space. I had them all read it quietly to themselves before dismissing them into Center Work. If students stray from these behaviors I have them come back to reread it. If they are really having problems I have them write it in their "Center Book". We had a couple of false starts this morning, but they straightened themselves out.

jennythiem 2016-01-05 02:40:24 UTC #5

Thank you for the book suggestions! I am also going to read The Paperbag Princess to review just the idea of what it means to be independant. I will also use Wolf and Bunny Cakes later in the week.

Appreciate the input!
Thanks - Jenny

srea 2016-01-05 11:20:38 UTC #6

And thank you for the suggestion of Paperbag Princess!! I love using mentor texts to get our ideas and lessons across. I'm an reading specialist who gets to visit many first grade classes, and I noticed a lot of talk about "Voracious Reading" going on yesterday. (One first grader called it "ferocious reading"). It was one way to get kids back in the habit of extended read to self time.