I have been using Daily 5 (The Sisters) for a while . I really like Daily 5™, CAFE™, and all the help that Gail and Joan have given us over the years. My struggle this past year has been the amount of students I have in the centers. 

Students spend most of their time READING to themselves, READING with others, and listening to fluent and expressive READING through the i-pads and CD's!  But with a large classroom of students, there can be 6 in a center! This can be a disaster. 

I am trying to decide if I should break the 5 into 7 centers, or will that be more of a disaster? This is what I am going to try after Spring Break:

I have always grouped my students by reading level, but I pull strategy groups as well as reading level groups. I use the Writing and Word Zone to brush up on some of the skills I see the students not proficient with (In Writing, that may be a friendly letter. In Word Zone, that may be similes) 

I'll let you all know how it goes! If you have experienced this e-mail me and let me know what you tried!

daily5daily5daily5dailydaily5daily5dailydaily5daily5daily5dailydaily5daily5dailydaily5daily5daily

I am crossing my fingers and hope I can go...!

St. Louis, MO - The 2 Sisters' Workshops

Saturday, May 17 to Sunday, May 18, 2014

daily5daily5daily5dailydaily5daily5dailydaily5daily5daily5dailydaily5daily5dailydaily5daily5daily

BIRTHDAY BOTTLES

Every year I want to do something special for my students on their birthday. A few years ago I saw an idea and revised it a little. I started saving water and sports bottles, at Easter time I bought LOTS of grass, and during the early summer I started making a weekly trip to the Dollar Store. I probably spent total $15.00 to make about 30 bottles!

In each birthday bottle I put in a glitter pencil, a highlighter, a little party toy of some sort, a couple of erasers, a Mardi Gras beaded necklace, a free homework pass (rolled up with a ribbon) and the Easter grass. I used packaging tape to attach the outside label on the bottle. I store them in a box at school so they are there for the kids birthday's!  I enjoy making them during the summer and it is one less thing I have to worry about during the year! (And the best thing is....the kids really like them!)

I have attached the bottle labels and the free homework pass below. Have fun making them!

 

      An Online Timer- The Swim Meet

If you like to use a timer, I have a fun one for you! Set the timer, let it count down, and when the time is up you have a winner!

http://www.online-stopwatch.com/world-games-swimming/