Daily 5: Ch. 4 Reflections {Freebie}

I'm hooking up with Krissy this week for ch. 4 of our Daily 5 Book Study.

Here are my thoughts on Read to Self (ch. 4):

1)  How far into the school year do you think kinders need to be to be able to begin the process of Read to Self?  What is realistic?  When do you plan to begin implementation?
In my class, Read to Self is one of our daily literacy stations.  Every student gets to visit this station once a day, for 15-20 minutes before rotating to the next station.  I introduce all of my stations during the 1st 4 weeks of school, so theoretically, my goal is for all of my students to be able to successfully "Read to Self" for 15 minutes by the end of the first 9 weeks of school.  Of course, this takes lots of practice. :)

2) How will you make sure that each child views him/herself as a reader (whether they are reading words or not)?
I think it is important that children realize that they do not have to be able to read every single word of a book to be called a "reader."  I like "The Sisters" idea of brainstorming ideas of what reading looks like.  Here is a visual of the 3 ways to read a book that I plan to put in my reading area.
{Click the pic to download a copy. ---> }

3) What are some ideas you have about "Launching Read to Self" in kindergarten?  How will you go about it and what are some ways to make sure it is "kinder friendly"?
I love the idea of modeling what "Read to Self" looks like.  I plan on taking several pictures of my kids engaged in "reading" so that I can make a collage of them to post in our reading area.  I think this will serve as a good reminder of what good reading looks like.  Kids love to see pictures of themselves and friends- especially kinders, so I think this will serve as a good motivator.  

4) How will you/do you build the children's belief that this IS important?  What can we do to encourage the ones who do not value it and create disruptions for others?
I think the best way to show that reading is important is to do a lot of it.  I love to invite parents, older siblings, "mystery readers" and people from around the school into the class to read.  It helps my students realize that reading is a part of life and is enjoyable and rewarding.  Sometimes we take a break from our work and spend some time reading on our own.  I read as well, so that my kiddos can see how important reading is to me too.  As far as those that create disruptions for others, its been my experience that if those students end up being surrounded by ones who do the right thing...they usually give in and do what everyone else is doing.  Usually kindergartners like to blend in with the crowd and do what their friends are doing.

5) How valuable is Checking In and Reviewing with kindergarteners?  How often will you do it?  When will you do it? What are some different ways to "check in"?
I do check ins for everything!  We do our thumbs up, sideways, and down several times throughout the day.  I use it during small group and whole group teaching.  I think it is so valuable for students to reflect on how they are doing and I love the help of a good self-assessment.  I usually ask my kids to close their eyes when we "check in" so that I get honest answers without the influence of their classmates.

6)What are some problems that can occur during this problem (either that you anticipate with your kinders OR that you have experienced)?  How can we be proactive about these issues?
Of course, the biggest problem tends to be when a student loses focus and starts wandering around the room, looks for a new book indefinitely, or starts fidgeting and disturbing others.  I think the best way to control this is to continue to model appropriate behavior and have class discussions about "What to do when..." during check in times.

Two sweet friends will be hosting ch. 5: Marsha from A Differentiated Kindergarten and Mary from Sharing Kindergarten.  You will be able to read their thoughts and link up on Wednesday!