A review of the Daily Five for use by principals during building staff development.

1. The Daily 5
Presented by: Starr School
Improvement Team
Created by:
Leasa Hedrick
Michelle Quist
Heather Dreibus

2. Philosophy on Which it is Based
 The Daily 5 was designed to provide
students with structure and authentic
learning experiences during
independent work.
 This allows the teacher to focus on a
small group of students or individuals.
 Research shows that this type of
instruction is most beneficial for
student learning.

3. Brief Description Initially
 The Daily 5 is a system for teaching students
to work independently.
 It is a series of literacy tasks:
–Reading to self
–Reading to someone
–Writing
–Word work
–Listening to reading
*Each activity is done daily while the
teacher meets with small groups and
confers with individuals.

4. Getting Started
 Create a sense of trust and community.
 Create
a sense of urgency. Students need to
know why it is important to read.
 Talkto students about building up stamina for
the different skills. In primary grades, it is
recommended that you start with three minute
sessions for each activity.

5. Getting Started continued…
 Establisha gathering place (carpet/
floor) near a chalkboard or whiteboard.
This should be done for every grade
level, even the older students.
 Set
up a writing center with a variety of
materials for students to utilize.

6. Read to Self
 One idea is to use the I PICK model:
1. I look at the book
2. Purpose-Why I want to read it.
3. Interest-Does it interest me?
4. Comprehend-Am I understanding
what I am reading?
5. Know-I know all the words.
• Teach students to find “Good-Fit Books”. The
sisters say that this is a book that students
can read with 99% accuracy (independent
level).

7. Read to Self Continued
 Each student has his/her own “book
box” with 3-8 books in it.
 Students have two options: silent read
or whisper read.
 Model with students the correct, and
incorrect, way to read to self.
 Students and teacher create a chart
together explaining what is expected.

8. Read to Someone/Listen to
Reading
 EEKK: elbow to elbow, knee to knee
 I read, you read
 Choral read
 Reading one book
 Reading different books
 Check for understanding while reading

9. Listen to Reading Activities
 Listen to a partner read
 Books on tape/CD
 Computer activities
http://childtopia.com
http://www.starfall.com/
http://www.storylineonline.com

10. Word Work
 Experiment with words for learning and
practicing a spelling pattern
 Memorizing high-frequency words
 Generalizing spelling patterns
 Adding to our knowledge and curiosity of
unique and interesting words.
*Teachers can use their preferred method of
instruction.

11. Examples of Word Work
 Word Ladders  Word sorts
 Prefixes/suffixes  Word webs
 Antonyms/  Compound words
synonyms  Make-a-Word
 Contractions  Word families
 Homophones  Onset/rime
 Syllables
 Pick-a-theme: Students list words based on a
theme, such as a field trip. Students then
organize the list of words in a specific way
(alphabetical order, # of syllables, parts of
speech).

12. Work on Writing
 This is an opportunity for students to
spend time on writing about what is
important to them.
*persuasive writing
*friendly letters
*personal narratives
*reports on topics of interest
*poetry
*free-write

13. Materials Used
 Large classroom library
 “Book boxes”
 Writing center materials
 Books on tape/CD/computer
 Chart paper for anchor charts
 Notebooks

14. Assessment
 The majority of assessment is through
informal teacher observations.
 However, you could use:
– Running records
– Writing samples
– Word work activities
– Small group activities

15. Research Base
 Read to self, read to someone, listen to
reading, word work, and writing all
contribute to increased fluency,
comprehension, and vocabulary.

16. Critiques
 At first glance, it seems too time consuming
for an already overloaded schedule and
teacher.
 Italso seems to be geared more for primary
grades.
 Itrequires the teacher to restructure his/her
lesson planning, organization of the
classroom environment, and time
management.

17. Final Thoughts
 Beyond
the elementary grades, The Daily 5
becomes The Daily 3: Read to Self, Read to
Someone, and Work on Writing.
 Studentschoose the order in which they
complete each 30 minute component.
 Work smarter, not harder!

18. Bibliography
The Daily 5: Fostering Literacy Independence
in the Elementary Grades by Gail Boushey and
Joan Moser
We were unable to find journal articles on The
Daily 5.

19. Additional Websites
www.the2sisters.com
www.the2sisters.com/the_daily_5.htm
www.stenhouse.com/sisterspodcast3.mp3