CAFE and Daily 5

It won’t be long until you hear your child talking about “The Daily Five” and a “CAFÉ” menu. The purpose of this post is to fill you in on what those terms mean, so you don’t have to nod your head while wondering what in the world your child is referring to.

The Daily Five is a way of structuring our reading block so every student is independently engaged in meaningful literacy tasks. These research-based tasks are ones that will have the biggest impact on student reading and writing achievement, as well as foster children who love to read and write. Students receive explicit whole group instruction and then are given independent practice time to read and write independently while I provide focused, intense instruction to small groups of students during Guided Reading.

When it is officially up and running, the students will be engaged in the Daily Five every morning. The Daily 5 is comprised of:
• Read to Self - The research continually shows that the very best way to become a better reader is to practice, practice, practice! Your child will read books at his/her “just right” level each day, practicing reading strategies from the CAFÉ menu.
• Work on Writing - Just like it takes practice, practice, practice to become a better reader, it takes practice, practice, practice to become a better writer!
• Working with Words - Working with words helps children become better spellers and writers. Your child will practice making and spelling words using play dough, stamps, tiles, and whiteboards.
• Read to Someone - Reading to someone helps develop reading fluency and comprehension, and it’s FUN!
• Listen to Reading - Listening to reading helps children develop reading fluency. It also allows them to access texts that they can’t read independently yet.

There are very specific behavior expectations that go with each of The Daily Five components. The kids are currently working intensely on building their reading and writing stamina and fostering our classroom community. I will be spending time learning about your child’s strengths and greatest needs as a reader in order to best plan for each student’s instruction.

The CAFÉ menu is a collection of highly effective reading strategies that the students will be taught to use which will help them become better readers. They are organized into four goals:

• C is for Comprehension: “I understand what I read.”
• A is for Accuracy: “I can read the words.”
• F is for Fluency: “I can read smoothly, with expression.”
• É is for Expanding Vocabulary: “I know, find, and use interesting words.”

During individual conferences, I will listen to your child read, help him/her pick a reading goal, and suggest a reading strategy that will help. I will provide coaching on how to use the strategy, and then meet back with your child at a later date to see if he/she has been able to use the strategy. When the CAFE is up and running, your child should be able to tell you exactly what goal he/she is working on: “I am working on my accuracy” and his /her strategy: “I am looking for small words inside big words to help me read new words”. Research shows that when students know exactly what they need to work on, and why, they are much more successful in meeting their goals!

I hope that this brief introduction to the “The Daily 5” and the “CAFÉ Menu” has been helpful. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at any time!