I'm joining up with other kindergarten teachers at
for the Daily 5 Kindergarten book study.
I have not done the Daily 5 before. I'm thinking about implementing it next year. I took Tammy's worksheet for Chapter 1 and wrote up what I'm doing now and what I think I need to do for next year. Here is my thinking.
I know I need to change a lot for next year.
What does my literacy block like right now? I do a large group (well how large could it be with only 7 children) lesson on the letter/blend/word family that we are working on. Then I have small groups work with my educational assistants on sight words while I pull aside the children one at a time to read to me (their sight words) and pick a book to take home (they also read this to me). I also have literacy work stations that we do on an inconsistent basis.
My biggest challenges for next year will be in implementing the 5 areas with only 7 children. I'm also trying to figure out how I'm going to do some of the areas with the different needs I have. For example: how do I do "read to self" or "read to someone" when the child can't talk? I think we will have to do a lot of "internal voices" and augmentative devices. I will have one blind students: how do I teach him to read? Do you learn Braille like a sighted person learns to read? I have enrolled in an on-line course called "Introduction to Braille". I'm hoping it will give me some insight into what I need to do to support this child's literacy development. I will also have 2 new educational assistants (new to me). Will they be "on board"? Will they need to learn, like the children need to learn? Where do they fit into the areas? I have three children that will need assistance. Who should they help? How do they help without interfering?
I'm really looking forward to this method because I would like the children to have more control. The following year they will return to their home schools and many of them will not have the support that they will be getting in my class. I have to teach them to be independent.
10 comments:
My kindergarten is tied to our Intensive Support program. My ISP kids remain in my room for most of the day and I expected them to do what we do to the best of their abilities, including Daily 5. They are supported by aides, and I of course modify/diferentiate based on their needs. I have been using Daily 5/Cafe for several years and LOVE it! All of my kids thrive. Yes,it looks different depending on the child's needs, but they are still participating....an aide may read to a nonverbal students, another my require board books, while another uses a computer to listen to a story, and a blind student may have braille books. I also my let them alternate between a book and a "fidgit" (playdoh, a squeeze ball, or what ever they need/like. The Sisters suggested this.) Even my lowest child knows when its time to get his book basket and "read". The independence they gain is priceless. Good luck! :o)
Oh, and yes...it took a little to get the aides on board. They thought I was crazy, but a few weeks later they "got it." They now fight over who gets to help in my room!
Can't wait to follow you through the entire book!
Blessings,
Jessica Stanford
Mrs. Stanford's Class
PS I'm having a linky and would love for you to join!
I know just a LITTLE bit about introducing braille to a child but I can certainly share with you what the vision specialist taught me and how I implemented it in reading! feel free to email me- knelms08@gmail.com
I'm a special ed teacher too, but I don't blog. I just enjoy all of ya'lls :-)
Wow Mandy what great, thoughtful responses to Tammy's sheet. I like how you point out that expectations have to be practice until they become habits....
and creating a common area for supplies.... I do this for some but not all supplies....perhaps I should venture more with this.....
jeannie
Kindergarten Lifestyle
I also teach special ed. 12 students this year k-3. We do daily 5. I use the ideas for how to teach the behaviors to teach all behaviors but I combine it with Thinking About You, Thinking About Me (for students w/autism) and we call the inappropriate behaviors Unthinkables. They are so cute when someone does an unthinkable...so serious! We only have 3 daily 5's mostly because writing is not independent at all- scribbling is the best I get when they are by themselves. But they all have book boxes and "read to self" and they love to "read with a buddy" then they have computer (we are required to do the earobics program) and I work w students one on one and my aide does. We alternate read to self and buddy read with word work and I have about 6 different word work things they can do independently that I rotate. They are also doing word work with my aide, sight words and word sorts. How nice to have 2 aides!!! Our aide hours have been cut so now I am by myself for 2 hours at the end of each day...so dangerous with the health issues of some of my students, but budgets are budgets. At the beginning of the year my aide would say goodbye and I would want to cry! Thank you for your thoughtful post- it made me think about what I do with Daily 5 and what I would like to do next year.
GREAT GREAT GREAT post!! I love how you put your responses on a chart! You know, that is something that you can hang on to and refer back to throughout the year...use it as a guide :-)
Live Love Laugh Everyday In Kindergarten
Wow! This was my first year teaching a classroom of students with autism and sometimes I ignorantly think "that would never work in my room," when I hear about a new teaching strategy being used in general Ed. However reading your blog post and others comments makes me realize that I can be finding ways to use them in my room. I look forward to reading more and trying to find my own way to use daily 5 with my students.
I am enjoying your Daily 5 book study and see lots of comments and ideas that relate to my own classroom. It's so interesting to hear how special educators take the Daily 5 and make it work for their students. Very inspired!
I will be moving from a mainstream Year 2 class to a special ed class of 6 kids next year, aged 5-7, all with autism. foetal alcohol syndrome or global developmental delay. Having had huge success with D5 in mainstream teaching, I am keen to adapt it to my class next year, but really not sure where to start, as the kids are all functioning at an 18 month to 3 year age level.
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