Daily 5 in the Intermediate Classroom... Continued... Finally!

This fall was an absolute whirlwind and here we are, on break and strolling into the winter season (even if it is an unseasonably 71 degrees here in the Virginia mountains).


While on break, it's good to reflect on the successes and areas still in need of success in my Language Arts classroom -- and my modified Daily 5 routines are a definite success that I'd like to share.

A Daily Five Diary Part 1: Implementing Daily 5 in a Departmentalized Upper Elementary Classroom

Over the summer I finally read The Daily 5 by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser. Due to the masters classes I'd been taking over the past few years, I kept putting it off, but now that I've read it I am fully in! All five parts that make up the daily regiment -- Read to Self, Read to Someone, Listen to Reading, Work on Writing, and Word Work -- are research-based and contribute to a balanced literacy program. A total win-win, right?

So, here are my obstacles I'm trying to overcome as I implement Daily 5 in my fourth grade classroom:

Virginia Readers' Choice Participation Certificate Freebie & Year-Long Project

Here we are only weeks away from the beginning of school. (Eeeekkk!)

I'm beginning to get freaked out and excited at the same time! I may be totally disorganized on some fronts this far out, but when it comes to my motivation for classroom reading, I have it planned. One of the things I plan to do this year, but on a bigger scale than ever before, is participation in the Virginia Readers' Choice Awards. Here in Virginia, our Reading Association, along with some other sponsors, release a list of potential best book winners. Actually, they put out four lists -- a primary, an elementary, a middle school, and a high school list, which you can check out here.

(Even if you aren't in Virginia, chances are your state has their own award. Check out this site for an incomplete, but fairly good list: Follett State Award Lists)

This year I plan to encourage this list more than I have in the past. I'm creating a bulletin board/book voting center (which I'll post once it's completed), which will feature a cover of each of the books from the elementary list. Also, I'm going to hand out a certificate and Virginia pencil each time a student completes one of the books. You can download the certificate (a FREEBIE!) on my TpT store. 

Students will get to vote on their favorite book (as long as they read at least four titles from the list during the school year). I really think the bigger deal I make of this the more my students will be encouraged to read.

In addition to all of this fun, I'm trying to work out a red carpet event for my classroom in which to announce the winning book for the Virginia State Readers' Choice Award. I haven't figured out all of the fine details on this yet, but I have until spring.

If you're a fellow Virginian, don't forget to download the "Virginia is for Book Lovers" participation certificate!

I'd love to hear your feedback on my plan. Do you participate in anything like this for your state? I'd love to hear from you!

5 Tips for Decorating Your Classroom On a Tight Budget

Psst! I have a secret to share...

You can decorate your classroom without spending much money and still have it look great. Trust me, I know!

As a teacher with a very tight budget (I am a mom to three preteen/teen boys, after all!), I always browsed Pinterest classrooms with drool rolling off my chin. I desperately wanted one of those classrooms that looks like the teacher had hired an interior decorator, but I certainly did not have money for it. I finally found ways to have a modified version without spending much money. So, here are my five tips for decorating your classroom on a tight budget: