The Daily Cafe

School Textbooks

#1

I’m moving into a Yr 2 classroom this year and have just seen the booklist. I have a phonics textbook with weekly worksheets, a handwriting text book, a comprehension textbook with weekly worksheets and a spelling conventions textbook?!?

Does anyone have similar and how do you fit it in with Daily 5? I can’t imagine having time to get through all of this and Daily 5 and CAFE?!? I can see how the handwriting could be a work on words activity but I hate that children will no longer have choice… Any ideas!!!

#2

Phwew!! Just reading your list makes my head spin!! If there is not a specific sequence that you have to follow in each, I’d suggest doing some “combining” of the work.

For example, if you could match up work expected on the phonics worksheets with the spelling conventions–perhaps you could work those lessons into your “Word Work” time.

Maybe handwriting lessons could become a part of your Work on Writing time–a mini-lesson about a specific topic and then noting it in the students writing journals.

I’m assuming the comp textbook has stories followed by questions. Maybe some of these could become mini-lessons, as well, and then discussing which strategies from CAFE match up with what you are doing–and how to carry that over to their individual books.

I know this may sound like a lot of work up front, but I think you’ll be happier with the end results.