Hack the Classroom

Do you use the Daily 5 and CAFE in your class?

Perhaps you are familiar with this series of books:
I attended “Hacking the Daily Five” presented byVictoria Olson MsVictoriaOlson and Sara Boucher @MsGeekyTeach. Victoria and Sara demonstrated how to integrate technology with the Daily 5. They focused on Google and iOS Apple tools. To get session resources, go to the links below:

• Daily 5 Presentation Document  bit.ly/iste15d5copy
• Your own Daily 5 Planning bit.ly/iste15d5plan

They gave a Daily-5-Disclaimer saying they don’t follow every aspect of the Sister’s Approach.  They hack it.  Victoria and Sara do stick with the 5 parts of the program. In each of these areas, I learned something new.

Read to Self New Learning:

• Literably A website where students can read text and the online service provides a running record.  I think this is pretty cool, but I like that Victoria emphasized that nothing beats the classroom teacher sitting down with a student. Nothing.

• Google and Explain Everything: Victoria fills a Google folder full of books she has downloaded from Reading A-Z.  Students can then bring those books into Explain Everything and record their reading.  The key idea for me was the idea of using Google and Explain Everything to make a library of things for students to read. I would like to put in shared reading from the previous week, books I have written, classbooks, as well as texts I have access to use.

Read to Someone New Learning:

• Have two students record their reading and then switch iPad devices.
• Invite guest authors via Skype and Google Hangout or even invite parents to read to students if they can make a short break during their work day!

Listen to Reading New Learning:

• Use Popplet or PicCollage to have students create a retell, summary, character analysis or other task to show their reading comprehension and experience with the text.

• Tools and Websites for Listening to Reading:
  • StoryNory
  • Unite for Literacy
  • Literacy Shed  (I haven’t looked at this deeply, but it looks more focused on visual literacy and less on listening to books).

Work on Writing New Learning:

• Write About for writing prompts
• Before jumping into blogging online, start with Paper Blogging.

Word Work New Learning: 

Websites for Word Work:

• MadLibs
• Grammaropolis
• Spelling City (also an iOS App)
• Chicktionary
• freerice.com
• Funbrain and play Mad Libs
• Florida Center for Reading Research

And, I was really happy to meet Erica Oakhill and Gloria A (a fellow Canadian)!