The Daily 5 is a classroom management system designed to provide students with independent work time to develop literacy skills. It consists of 5 stations: read to self, read to someone, listen to reading, word work, and work on writing. Students rotate through 30 minute sessions at each station while the teacher meets with small groups or individual students. The Daily 5 framework aims to build students' literacy independence and allow the teacher to focus on differentiated instruction.

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