It's hard to believe our last chapter is here! That means...an end to my summer! But that's ok- I'm looking forward to implementing Daily 5 in my classroom this year. 
Our last chapter addresses using Daily 5 under special circumstances such as challenging students, substiute teachers, new students, and parent volunteers. I like that the book opes with "We deal with each one firmly grounded in our core beliefs of community, accountability, trust, and respect." Those are great words to live by in any situation! Below are my take aways form this chapter. 
Challenging Students:
  • AKA "Barometer" Students
  • Children will be successful if we help them and give them tools to be successful.
  • Be sure to fully teach the 10 Steps to Independence.
  • Stay Out of the Way! (I really need to remember this!)
  • Be sure these students have good fit books.
  • If behaviors continue, have the student stay in for a few minutes at recess to practice appropriate behaviors for Daily 5 and acknowledge correct behavior. This is practice, not punishment. Do this for a few days if necessary.
  • If behaviors still persist, the student may need more support. He/she may need to sit in a special spot and use fidget tools such as clay. A sand timer can help the student build stamina. The student can keep a personal stamina chart.
  • If necessary, do quick check-ins with the student.
Substitute Teachers:
  • Write detailed Daily 5 lessons plans ahead of time and use them each time you have a substitute.
  • It's important to keep routines as normal as possible when you have a sub.
New Students:
  • When new students arrive, review the I-Charts with the entire class.
  • Give the new student a buddy or buddies to learn the procedures from. The new student shadows the helpers. 
Parents:
  • Parents may have concerns about a new language arts structure.
  • Explain the structure, procedures, expectations, and outcomes of Daily 5 to parents.
My Biggest Take Aways:
  • Trust yourself!
  • Trust your students! 
  • Constantly reflect on your teaching.
  • Take the time to teach The 10 Steps to Independence- it's not a race!
In case you missed our other Daily 5 book study weeks, be sure to check the posts below. Make sure to visit the other bloggers who are linked up on the bottom of each post, because many of them have taught Daily 5 before and have some amazing ideas (and freebies, too!)
Chapter 1:   How Daily 5 Has Evolved
Chapter 2:   Our Core Beliefs: The Foundations of Daily 5
Chapter 3:   The 10 Steps to Independence
Chapter 4:   What Do You Need to Begin Daily 5?
Chapter 5:   Learning Read to Self
Chapter 6:   Foundation Lessons 
Chapter 7:   When to Launch the Next Daily 5
Chapter 8:   Math Daily 3

Thank you for joining us! I hope you learned something new about Daily 5 that you can use in your classroom. I plan to blog about my Daily 5 journey this coming year, and I hope to hear how you are doing as well! 
Here is a set of Daily 5 and a set of Math Daily 3 posters that I found on TpT. They are from Reagan Turnstall. They are super cute! Click on each picture to see them and download them in her store. 






I wanted to share PAWSitively Teaching's  informative post about problem solving in the primary grades. While you are there, be sure to grab her freebie. I used her sets last year and my students were engaged and challenged by them! 

I'm finally linking up with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics for her fun Monday Made It linky! She is always full of inspiration! 
One week and counting! I am running out of time! There is so much to do, and I feel like I've spent my entire summer working on the FIVE COURSES I had to take! But those are all almost behind me, so I need to get down to business! I think I spent more time crafting this week than I have the entire year! So here's what I've been up to...
I made this FREEBIE last week. I fell in love with this quote a few weeks ago when we went to the boardwalk. A friend mentioned she framed this to put on her desk at school. I love that idea! You can grab it by clicking on the picture. 
My hubby actually created my second Monday Made It! I really wanted some cute bright baskets I saw in an online catalog to use to create some take-to-your-seat workstations. I couldn't bring myself to pay $5 each for them, when I saw that Target had them in their dollar section! The only problem was, they were in primary colors and they didn't match my bright classroom! I knew there were spray paints that work on plastic, because I saw a tutorial on Pinterest, so I picked up some spray paint in my bright colors.  Here is what they looked like before. 
My husband offered to hang a thin rope and hang the baskets to evenly spray paint them. I was happy to let him help! 
Here is our "drying station". I love the colors! The blue one on the left has a glare from the sun- I promise it has an even coat of paint!

The light was really bad in the picture below, but the ones on top are lime, not yellow. And we actually didn't paint the orange ones because they already matched my decor perfectly.
I like the coverage of one coat, but I think I'm going to add a second coat just for added protection. It did say on the can that the paint needed a few days to reach maximum adhesion, so I might wait and see how durable the paint seems after a few days. And I figure he can always repaint them if they get trashed! 
My next project is for my bulletin board. I wanted an easy way to put work up and take it down every few weeks. I saw THIS PIN and knew this would be an easy way to accomplish that. I needed to make clothes pins with numbers and thumbtacks glued onto the backs of them. I used strips of digital paper that match my classroom decor sets. Washi tape or scrapbook paper would work too. I cut strips to fit onto the clothespins, then used my ATG glue gun to glue them onto the clothespins. I wanted to add a coat of Mod Podge for durability, but the ink smeared since it was from my printer, so I skipped that step. Next, I glued numbers onto the clothespins using E6000 glue that I purchased at Joann. That glue is strong, and much better than a glue gun! The last step was using the same glue to glue push pins onto the backs of the clothespins. Now I have a clothespin push pin for every student with their number on it that will hold their classwork!
And when I was at Michaels, I saw this burlap squares stack that was on sale for 50% off! It's actually BURLAP, not paper! I bought two stacks for $7 each and used my teacher discount card, which I think is 20% off! The squares of will go on the board to frame my students' work, which will hang from the push pin clothespin. 
My next project is my new clip chart. I haven't put it together yet, but I wanted to share it with you. I have tried to use a regular clip chart with the 6 or more pages. I am really bad about remembering to have students clip up, which I know is a really important thing to do with this management system. With almost 30 students, though, I will admit that the first thing to go while I am focused on teaching my herd is asking them to clip up when they are doing a good job. I decided to use the system I used years ago when I first started teaching. 
Basically it will be a similar concept to a clip chart, but it will be hanging with Group A on the top, then Groups B, C, and D hanging below. half the clips will hang on the left side of Group A, and half will hang on the right side of Group A. If a student needs a warning, I will ask him/her to clip their number down. There will be no other consequence. If the same student continues to make poor choices, I will ask him/her to move their clip down a second time. There will be a consequence, but I haven't decided what that will be yet. A third time will result in another consequence and parent communication. (I usually like the student to write the parent a letter explaining their behavior.) I know there are many teachers that aren't fans of displaying students' numbers out in the open, but I need a way to manage my classroom, and I figure the student displayed his/her behavior on front of the class, so these are the natural consequences of that action. I think some students need that visual reminder. Students who stay in Group A each day and for the week will receive Kiddo Cash (I'm trying to finish up my matching coupon and money system ASAP!) I'm going to try this and see how it works this year! 
If you would like to try it too, I am offering it as a freebie. I have included my ideas for assembly and use. I have also included the small blue numbers for the clips that are shows under #3 above. You can buy the small clips at Michael's or Joann. 
I promise to come back here with pictures of my completed projects! I wanted to get these ideas out there incase you needed some inspiration! 
What projects do you have going on right now? Be sure to link up to Tara's Monday Made It or leave a comment below! 

Have a great week!


I'm excited to be a part of this Back to School in a Flash linky with members of iTeach Third, iTeach Fourth, and iTeach Fifth, and hosted by Layla from Fancy Free in Fourth, Courtney from Ramona Recommends, and Jamie from Not So Wimpy Teacher! For the next four weeks, we will be bringing you different ideas to help get your year off to a great start! This week we are featuring our Teacher Faves. 
I love the beginning of the year. Stocking up on school supplies, shopping for new wardrobes and teacher goodies always reminds me of starting a fresh, brand new school year. Here are my teacher must haves, my favorite things that I can't teach without! 
I have used an Erin Condren teacher planner for a few years. Last year I used a pre-made digital planner that I printed myself and kept in a binder. That worked better for me since I had a combo last year. This year I knew I would use my EC teacher planner that I had set aside last year. I love the layout of the planner and how everything is in one reasonably sized planner. I have my lesson plans, grades, assessment scores, parent contact info, student birthdays, student info, and other important info at my fingertips. I love the pre-made stickers and blank ones they include in the back. They are a little pricier that some of the other teacher planners, but I think they are so worth the value. I can make it through an entire year without my planner falling apart. And I use it everyday! When I think about how much I use it, it's worth the price. 
Are you planning to buy an Erin Condren teacher planner for next year? If you like to save $10 on your first EC purchase, you can use my link to set up an account, and Erin Condren will send you a code for $10 off your first purchase! Click HERE for my link if you are interested. 
My second teacher fave goes with my first! I Have to color code my lesson plans, and I HAVE to use Flair pens! They are the best pens to use with this planner. They don't bleed through, they have a nice sharp tip, and the colors are vibrant and gorgeous! They dry really fast, so I don't have to worry about them smearing like other pens do. I bought this pack at Target, but Staples and Office Depot sell larger packs. Sometimes Amazon has great deals too. I have used a lot of pens, and hands down, Flairs are my favorites!
I usually get a new lunch bag at the beginning of a new school year.
These adorable lunch bags are at Target right now! I fell in love with the yellow and grey one. These reminded me of Vera Bradley, but they are about 1/3 the price (see below!) They are very reasonably priced and so stylish. Target also had a Bento box style lunch pack with owls on it. I might go back and get one of each!
Nothing screams back to school more to me than a new Vera Bradley teacher tote. This store is one of my favorites, and had lots of different styles. This gift boutique is my favorite place to shop for Vera goodies, although I'm still on the fence about which pattern I like the best and haven't bought one yet. (I think I am leaning towards this pattern). These totes are pricey, but they are made very well and last forever. Just like the planner, if it's something that I use everyday, I don't mind paying a little more for the quality. 
I love Brighton jewelry, and these badge holders are so cute! I use mine to hold my classroom keys. People are always asking me where I got it, and they think it's a piece of jewelry. 

What are your teacher must haves for back to school? Grab the polaroid and flash graphics below, and blog about your teacher faves and link up! Or leave a comment about your favorites if you don't have a blog! 











 Welcome to Chapter 8 of our Daily 5 Summer Book Study! Today we are changing things up a bit and talking about math instead of ELA! Last year I heard about Math Daily 3, but I knew it would be difficult to implement since I was teaching a 2/3 combo. I struggled to have adequate time to meet with individuals, but luckily I had a very high class. This year I'm teaching a straight grade, so I am planning to run my math block similar to Math Daily 3. 
If you need to purchase a copy of the book, click on the picture above. You will definitely need it to implement Daily 5 in your classroom!

After reading Chapter 8, I have some ideas in mind that I want to share with you. I have also found some wonderful freebies and other products in my search for Math Daily 3 activities. After learning about Daily 5, it just makes sense to implement the same procedures during math, since students will already be familiar with the procedures of Daily 5.
  • The structure of Math Daily 3 is similar to Daily 5.
  • Younger students have one round of Daily 3.
  • Older students have two rounds since they have more stamina.
  • Focus Lessons, Students Choices, and Teacher Choices are all components of Math Daily 3.
  • Begin with a whole-group focus lesson.
  • Meet with a small group that needs more support.
  • The rest of the class participates in the first round of Daily 3. 
  • Individual teacher conferences take place after small group, then the first round ends.
  • Begin second whole-group lesson. 
  • Students begin second round of Math Daily 3 choices.
  • Teacher works with small group, then has individual conferences. 
  • Third round of whole group instruction takes place with students practicing on their own. 
I found a wonderful Math Workshop pack by the amazingly talented Tara from 4th Grade Frolics. This board would be perfect for Math Daily 3, and matches my classroom perfectly! I love that this is editable too! Click on the picture below to check it out.
 http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/search/label/Math%20Workshop

These the Things I Plan to Use:
  • Organization- Sterilite drawers, toy bins, and tool boxes work for organizing supplies and activities.
  • Game Boards 
  • Dice
  • Counters
  • Playing Cards
  • Math Tools
  • Math Notebooks
  • Whiteboards (I like using a piece of white cardstock in a page protector.)
  • Task Cards (I plan to add these to my choices.)
  • Math Centers (I plan to have these sitting out ready to grab and go.)
  • Roll and Cover Math Facts Practice
Below are a few of the activities I plan to have my students work on during Work by Myself and Work with Someone. I love this pack from PAWSitively Teaching. I have the growing pack, The Purposeful Problem Solving Bundle, which is a steal! The Worm File below is a freebie that is similar to the other themed packs in the bundle. Click on the picture below to check it out. 
She has another pack that I'm also going to set out during Math Daily 3. I think it would work great for second or third graders. The students use bottle caps to cover their answers. Click on the picture to see more examples of this pack.
The pack below is a freebie from my larger Addition Enrichment Math Pack. It is geared towards third grade, but could work for second and fourth. Click on the picture to grab your copy. 
I have a few other math task card freebies that you can grab HERE.

The graphing pack below is part of my Graphs Galore Bundle and is one of my students' favorites! It has a set with QR codes, without QR codes, and it comes in color and blackline. I'm going to give away a set to one person who leaves a comment about Math Daily 3. Be sure to leave your email so I can let you know if you won! This graphing bundle also comes separately in Set 1 and Set 2
I think task cards are going to be great to use during Math D3. The key for my students has always been changing things up, so I plan to rotate the task cards and other activities throughout the year to keep them engaged. It's important for students to practice their current concepts, but reviewing older concepts is just as important. 
  • Similar to Daily 5
  • Teach students to be responsible with gathering, using, and cleaning up materials.
  • Teach students how to work independently.
  • Stamina building begin on day 1.
  • Model how to use one of the activities.
  • Model gathering, setting up, and cleaning up.
  • Label the activity on the Math Daily 3 board.
  • Create an I-chart together.
  • Teach the 10 Steps to Independence. 
  • Students use pictures, numbers, and words to express their thinking.
  • Use problems from your curriculum or problems of the day. I will use math notebooks during this time. 
  • Be sure to model each activity you plan to have students do, and add it to your math board.
  •  Choice begins when students are working independently with Math by Myself and Math Writing.
  • Students practice and build stamina.
  • They choose either Math by Myself or Math Writing for each round.
  • Math with Someone is launched after practicing this for about four days, but use your students as your guide.
  • Students practice building stamina with an activity that requires a partner.
  • Teach the 10 Steps to Independence. 
  • If the noise level is too high, less partners can participate in Math with Someone.
I'm a little nervous about Math with Someone. I really need it quiet when I'm working with a small group, and I have a large class. Hopefully, if I follow the 10 Steps to Independence and model correctly, my students will be focused and independent like they should be.


I have to say... after reading this chapter, I was left wanting to know more about Math Daily 3. I wanted more ideas about activities students could do during Math D3 and more examples of group conferring. This chapter really needs to have a book of its own! I'm hoping the Sisters come out with one someday. 

Be sure to come back on Thursday, July 30th for Chapter 9. We will be wrapping up this book study on that day. 
In case you are just now joining us, I have provided links to the other Daily 5 Chapters below. Be sure to check out the other teachers who linked up with me. There are some Daily 5 Pros in this group who have taught this newbie a ton! 
Chapter 1:   How Daily 5 Has Evolved
Chapter 2:   Our Core Beliefs: The Foundations of Daily 5
Chapter 3:   The 10 Steps to Independence
Chapter 4:   What Do You Need to Begin Daily 5?
Chapter 5:   Learning Read to Self
Chapter 6:   Foundation Lessons 
Chapter 7:   When to Launch the Next Daily 5
Make sure to visit the other bloggers linked up below! A few of them have been implementing Daily 5 and even Math Daily 3! I can't wait to read what they have to say! 
Thank you for stopping by and have a great weekend!




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