This document summarizes key concepts and routines for launching the Daily Five literacy framework in elementary classrooms. It discusses establishing gathering places, teaching students to select "good-fit books" using the "I PICK" strategy, creating anchor charts with students, practicing behaviors for short intervals repeatedly, using calm signals, modeling correct and incorrect behaviors, and the importance of establishing clear routines to maximize student independence and learning. The Daily Five framework structures literacy instruction around five main activities: read to self, read to someone, listen to reading, work on writing, and work with words.

1. Daily Five
BY: Gail Boushey and Joan Moser
Chapter 3:
What’s the Difference?: Key Materials, Concepts, and
Routines for Launching the Daily Five

2. When we follow routines day after day, our
students can use their energy to grow as readers
and learners rather than to figure out what we
expect them to do. And we in turn, can focus our
energy on teaching, not managing, our
independent learners.
- Kathy Collins

3. Key Materials, Routines, and
Concepts
 Establish a gathering place for brain and body
breaks
 Develop the concept of “good-fit books through a
series of lessons
 Create anchor charts with students for referencing
behaviors
 Short, repeated intervals of independent practice
 Calm signals and check-in procedures
 Use the correct model/incorrect model approach for
demonstrating appropriate behaviors

4. Gathering kids in front for instruction, releasing
them to practice, and then bringing them back
to share their thinking represents the steady
flow that is at the heart of effective teaching
and learning.
-Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudis
(Strategies That Work)

5. Establish a Gathering Place
 Have one regardless of the age you teach
 It is another way to influence children to be successful
 Distractions are limited and proximity allows you to check in on
behavior more effectively
 Students are able to turn and talk to each other, engaging
everyone in the conversation of the lesson
 Provides time for a change in their brain work along with much-
needed movement of their bodies

6. Good-Fit Books
 A Child’s purpose for reading, interest in a topic, and
ability to comprehend play as large a role in finding a
good-fit book as readability
 The challenge lies with teaching children to be
empowered to choose good-fit books for themselves
 It requires frequent conversations to help children learn
 It is one of the most important things to do to become a
better reader

7. I PICK
(good-fit books)
I choose a book
P urpose- Why do I want to read it?
I nterest- Does it interest me?
C omprehend- Am I understanding it?
K now- I know most of the words.

8. The Sisters compare book
selection to shoe selection
 Different shoes have different purposes (show a
variety of shoes)
 Just like we choose which shoes to wear for which
activity, we have a purpose when we choose books
 Just like we choose shoes to wear with our various
interests, we choose books of interest
 Just like we choose shoes that fit us perfectly, we
choose books that are not too hard and we
understand

9. Good-Fit Books: Tips
 Create a yearlong anchor chart to help students
remember the IPICK strategy
 Spend time helping students find books using the strategy
 Share the strategy with your librarian
 When a child asks for help choosing a book, always ask
their purpose and what they are interested in first

10. Good-Fit Books: Tips
Continued…
 Have them model book choices in front of class
 Send home a newsletter to parents explaining the
strategy
 Revisit I PICK at least once a month

11. How this helps?
We know that the very best way to grow as a reader
is to spend lots of time reading, and the majority of
the time needs to be with a good-fit book.
Children who learn to select good-fit books will no
longer wander aimlessly in a library or classroom
collection looking for books
- Gail Boushey and Joan Moser

12. Setting up Book Boxes
 Each child should have a personal collection of good-fit
books at hand while reading
 Before the first day of school, set up a collection for each
child so they have books on the first day
 Collect books from classroom library, public library,
donations, garage sales, etc.
 Add to your classroom library each year

13. Children in classrooms with the
most books consistently outperform
their peers who are in classrooms
with little to no library.
- Jim Trelease (2001)

14. 3 Ways
I PICK Anchor Charts to Read
Boos
 As each component is introduced, the class comes
together to make an anchor chart- “I” (for independent)
Chart
 Discuss, whole group, student and teacher behaviors and
add to the charts
 Post charts in the room so the children’s thoughts and
learning can be referred to yearlong

15. Short Intervals and Repeated
Practice
 Memory stored in the kinesthetic system evokes the
longest memory. Movement is stored in muscle memory
and becomes part of our default behaviors.
 In each Daily Five lesson, the class auditorally
brainstorms correct behaviors on the I Chart
 Next, children model these behaviors in front of the class
(visual)
 Last, the whole class practices behaviors kinesthetically
for three minutes

16. Short Intervals and Repeated Practice
cont.
 Introducing each component includes a three-minute
independent practice period (can be a little longer for older
grades)
 Repeat often throughout the weeklong launching phase
 This process successfully prepares children for extended peroids
of independent work
 The length of this period depends on the behavior of the
students.
 If even one student is off-task, call the whole group back to the
gathering area to reflect on the practice time

17. Never set a timer because the
children’s behaviors should determine
when the signal is given
Do not use a punishing tone in
response to a child off-task. With
encouragement and practice, he/she
will increase stamina.

18. Signals
 Get children’s attention in a calm and respectful way
 Come up with a signal to get the students attention so they
know it’s time to gather and check back in (the Sisters used
chimes)
 Explain the signal and its purpose carefully to students
 Make an anchor chart with students about what it looks like
and sounds like (record students names with their
suggestions)

19. Check-In
 Check-In is used in connection with the I-charts
 Helps children become more aware of the expectations and
how successful they were as they worked
 Come up with a sign for the students to reflect upon their
work (could be thumb up or to the side)
 Reflection sign is related only to them- shouldn’t worry about
what sign classmates are showing
 Don’t suggest a thumb down as it could give negative
attention
 As the Sisters say, “We are all works in progress”

20. Correct Model/Incorrect Model
 Modeling is key to teaching Daily Five routines
 Begin by discussing what the skill looks like
 A student demonstrates correct behaviors while the teacher
points out behaviors that are encouraged
 A student demonstrates incorrect behaviors while the
teacher points out behaviors which are discouraged
 Children are able to CLEARLY see what’s expected and
what they should not be doing

21. “The beginning of the year is all about
establishing routines, defining expectations,
practicing behaviors, and building stamina
with children within the Daily Five framework,
and it takes lots of discipline on the children’s
part as well as the teacher’s. We move slow
to eventually move fast. The payoff is
enormous.”
- Gail Boushey and Joan Moser

22. • PowerPoint presentation by Antoinette Day @
http://4321teach.blogspot.com/
* Note: The Daily 5 and CAFE are trademark and copy written content
of Educational Design, LLC dba The 2 Sisters. Educational Design,
LLC dba The 2 Sisters does not authorize or endorse these materials.