The Daily Cafe

Daily 5: Transitioning Between Rounds

#1

Hi there. I am a 4th grade teacher very much looking forward to implementing the Daily 5 with my students this year! However I am still trying to figure out the best way manage transitions so that our Daily 5 block runs smoothly and efficiently.

Should students put away their materials in between rounds of the Daily 5? For example, if a student does “Read to Self” first and grabs his/her book box and a pillow to use while sitting on the floor, does the student put those materials away at the end of Round 1 and get the book box back out/any new materials (i.e. for word work) when Round 2 starts? Or do they leave their pillow and book box in the spot they had been reading and then return to this spot for the next round?

Would love to hear what works for you all! Hoping to find a good balance between quick transitions between rounds and keeping students accountable for keeping the classroom clean.

#2

Hi Erin
My Year 2 students take their book boxes with them to every activity. After each Daily 5 they leave their book box behind and come to the floor to check in and sit for 5 min explicit teaching/modelled reading.
They then choose the next Daily 5, collect their book box on the way and start straight away.
All students do Read to Self and Writing at the same time. I found this worked well with the little ones and then they had choice from the remaining LR, RS, and WW.
Good Luck.

#3

I also have my students take their book boxes with them between rounds, unless I know we are going to do the same activity again, when I tell them to just leave them be. It saves time. Later in the year, I will have them add clipboards to their boxes so they can transition quickly from writing to reading and back again.