ROAD TRIP + D5 TAKE 2

Hey y'all  . . . I am back from a wonderful weekend with my dear sweet hubby and our wonderful friends.  We hit up the BIG city on Friday night and truly did it up right.  Hotel Vitale, The Ferry Building, Market Street Bar, Bourbon & Branch, and Delarosa made for a magical evening.  

Gotta heart the Ferry Building!  It's a SF must :)

Hotel Vitale . . . definitely recommend this place!

This was the view from the roof-top lounge at Hotel Vitale.  Not too shabby if I do say so myself!

We kicked off our Saturday morning with a gluten-free cinnamon roll (I heart you SF) and a cup of Blue Bottle Coffee.  Then, we stuffed ourselves with my FAVORITE lunch at my all-time favorite spot - Yank Sing has the very best Dim Sum in the city (so not gluten-free . . . don't tell my dietitian).  Then, we traveled to Napa for a friend's evening birthday BBQ.  The indian food was absolutely amazing (we're talkin' homemade naan people) and the company was even better.  Our adventure ended with a big Settlers Of Catan late night bash in Sacramento with our dearest friends (yes, I am a huge dork . . . I heart this board game).  Boy, did we get around!

I almost went out on the corner with a sign ...
WILL WORK FOR PORK BUNS!

Guess who won?  It's all about brick, wood, and that longest road!

Now on to my reflections of the Daily 5 - Chapter 2 :).  My last post initiated some great comments on this and I learned a lot about this program, myself, and how I may be able to make D5 fit my personal style.  I am excited to chat it up about each of the foundations of the Daily Five - TRUST, CHOICE, COMMUNITY, URGENCY, STAMINA, and STAYING OUT OF THE WAY. 

TRUST

As soon as I read this, I wrote in BIG RED MARKER, "This is the key to everything!"  I believe that from day one this is the essential ingredient to a successful school year.  As soon as they get in that door, you have to figure out a way to not only get your kiddos to trust you, but to also quickly learn to trust them.  If you take your time practicing behaviors and building stamina, while fostering relationships with your new children, this one typically falls right into place.  I have found that once you have earned trust, behaviors and work ethic are only an issue with a select few.

CHOICE 

I do indeed offer up some choice in my classroom, but it does not fit the D5 model.  Children have the opportunity pick which activity to work on during their daily independent work.  However, all items must be completed by the end of the week.  The teacher (my district requires OG phonics instruction as well as other phonics activities), computer (my district requires 20 minutes of Lexia per day), and parent helper stations do not come with a choice.  

In addition, children get to choose what they want to do if they finish a station early.  I have a handful of rotating bins containing "I'm Done" choices.  I would like to offer up more choices during reading groups next year, but not exactly as the D5 model outlines (I just don't have the time in my day and it doesn't fit my style at this time) . . . however, I am willing and ready to squeeze in more choice.  Any ideas for me?  Maybe I could shake things up at the parent station.

COMMUNITY

My favorite thing about teaching is watching the "classroom family" form.  From about one month in through the rest of the year, a magical thing transpires.  If you've played your cards correctly, your crew is working together, helpin' each other, and lovin' one another.  I don't think that this stops here.  Community also encompasses the families as well.  When you can get your parents on board with this one too (i.e. attending functions, keeping open lines of communication, volunteering, supporting their children and the class as a whole), your "family" gets even stronger.

URGENCY

Why . . . why . . . why . . . WHY!!  If I say this enough maybe I will be able to remember to front load each and every one of my lessons (not just the reading ones) with the "why" we are doing this.  Again, I have gotten so much better over the years, but sometimes the pressure to "fit it all in" causes me to skip over this part from time to time.  Helping kids understand "why" you are having them do something, makes them buy-in more.  This, in turn, causes motivation, productivity, and overall behavior to improve.  The sister's nailed this one!

STAMINA

I talked about this in my last post.  You have to go slow!  I always start out the year with quick whole group activities and short reading centers.  As the year progresses, these get longer and longer.  Every school year is like training for a marathon.  Again, you gotta embrace the "What About Bob Baby Steps."  

**If you read my last post, you may have noticed that I blew this movie reference and couldn't fix it until today as I was out of town.  What a dork!  I am going to try this awesome joke again . . . hehehehe**

STAY OUT OF THE WAY

Over the years I have gotten better at this one.  My first year I often "blew up" my lessons or activities without even knowing it.  Have you experienced this? However, as I have been in the game a bit longer, I have come to realize that some of the best moments occur when you step back and let the kids go with the flow!  It is indeed all about letting go.  I am still perfecting this one :)

To read more thoughts on this chapter and/or to join in the fun, visit Teaching With Style and Seusstastic Classroom Inspirations or Cheryl over at Primary Graffiti.

Well . . . I am off to finish my thank you notes to my kids.  I decided to write to each child (whether or not they gave me a gift) a special note addressed just to them.  I am also throwing in a photo of them in action - one that I thought they would really like to have up in their rooms.  It cost a few extra bucks on my part, but if I can make this crew feel special just one more time, I am all about it :).  Thanks for visiting and I'll see you tomorrow!