Language Program: Daily 5 and CAFE
In our classroom we use the Daily 5 and CAFE program which is a highly successful and well known literacy program in Halton. Your son or daughter may already be familiar with this program from grade 1 and/or 2.
The Daily Five is a way of structuring the reading block so every student is independently engaged in meaningful literacy tasks. These tasks are ones that will have the biggest impact on student reading and writing achievement and as will help foster in children the love to read and write. Students receive explicit whole group instruction and then are given independent practice time to read and write. During this independent practice, I provide focused, differentiated instruction to individuals and small groups of students.
When it is up and running smoothly, students will be engaged in the Daily Five, which are comprised of:
★ Read to Self
★ Work on Writing
★ Read to Someone
★ Listen to Reading
★ Word Work
There are very specific behaviour expectations that go with each Daily 5 component. We will spend our first weeks working intensely on building our reading and writing stamina, learning the behaviors of the Daily 5 and building our classroom community. I will also spend time learning about your child’s strengths and greatest needs as a reader in order to best plan for each student’s instruction.
Each week, mini-lessons are taught on strategies students can use to become better readers. This is where the CAFE comes in. CAFE stands for Comprehension (understanding),
Accuracy (reading the words),
Fluency (reading smoothly), and
Expanding Vocabulary (finding interesting words and using them).
It is like a menu (a ‘cafe’ menu) where students can select the best strategy to meet their reading goals. (A list of the strategies taught can be found below). Most of these strategies will be taught within the first 3 months of school. Your child will also be taught to select “Good Fit Books” or books they can read, understand and are interested in, which they will read during Daily 5. They will be spending most of their time actually reading, which research supports as the number one way to improve reading. The motivation and enjoyment of reading will skyrocket when this gift of choosing their own books is accompanied by extended practice and specific reading instruction for each individual child.