Junie B. says, "Reading Rules!"

Dear First Grade Journal,

I am really excited to be a member of Mrs. Cooley's First Grade Class!  I love sitting over in the corner listening to all the little smarties read books to themselves and to their buddies.   I might just actually stay in Mrs. Cooley's Class forever, I think.  

Love,

"Junie B."

Many of you have asked me where I got my Junie B. cut-out!  This summer, Books-a-Million was having a Summer Reading Program with Junie B., and I just asked the sweet people over there to save her for me, and they did!  I was so excited to finally set her up in the reading corner!  She reminds us everyday that "Reading Rules!"  We have been so busy learning new routines and modeling and practicing expectations during reading.  We learned that there are 3 ways to read a book, and my sweet baby Emma was the "model"  for our anchor chart!

We have settled into The Daily Five, and I couldn't be prouder of how well my little friends are doing by taking charge and working so hard to become great readers!  When it is time to share something they have learned during reading, or something that they are proud of, I am amazed at the variety of answers I get!  Some are excited that they read a whole Dr. Seuss book to themselves, while others have written a story and beam as they share it aloud.  Others share a favorite part of a favorite book they read, and some smile as they tell me they have learned to spell our new "Challenge Words".  One of my favorite moments every year comes when I am teaching a small group at my back table, and take a moment to just look around and see the kids enjoying reading and writing and learning new words.  Even though everyone is busy, and the room isn't exactly quiet, it is still one of the most peaceful times in our classroom.  Junie B. is right.  Reading Rules. 

This is my "new and improved" Daily Five Chart.  I seriously love it, because this year it has real photos of the kids modeling how you should look at each station!  

The Daily Five

The Daily Five (or literacy station time) is one of my students’ favorite times of the day! During this time, each child is independently engaged in meaningful literacy activities. These activities are research-based, and in addition to increasing student achievement and success in reading, the children also develop a love for books! We begin our ninety minute reading block with explicit whole group instruction, each day focusing on phonics, comprehension strategies, and vocabulary skills. The students are then assigned to“travel groups” and they travel with the same group throughout station time. During the Daily Five, the kids read and write independently while I provide focused, intense instruction to small groups of students. The students move to new stations every 12-15 minutes.
The Daily Five station choices in our classroom:
• Independent Reading
• Writing about Reading
• Buddy Reading
• Listen to Reading
• Word Work
The first 20 days of school we will work on building our reading and writing “stamina,” learning the routines and behavior expectations of the Daily Five, and building our classroom community. I will also spend time learning about my students’ strengths and needs as a reader to ensure their success. During the first 20 days, we will review how to pick “Just Right Books” or books each child can read independently. During literacy stations, the kids will spend a majority of the time reading books they enjoy and are interested in, which research supports as the number one way to improve reading!