# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Listen to Reading Websites | TheDailyCAFE.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This classroom reviews the launching chart for Listen to Reading in order to revisit expectations and refine their independent behaviors.

# data[].attributes.body
I am TERRIBLE at drawing!  I get anxiety over creating anchor charts that require drawings! But in this short video,
Marjorie Martinelli gives a tutorial on how to use simple shapes to create the most used icons for our anchor charts.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In Smarter Charts and the brand new Smarter Charts for Math, Science, and Social Studies, Marjorie Martinelli(@MarjorieWrites) and Kristi Mraz(@ MrazKristine) tell us you don't even have to be able to draw to make great charts.

Even so, we could all use a pointer or two on how to make our charts look better. In these snippets from their forthcoming online course at the Heinemann Digital Campus, the ChartChums demonstrate a couple key drawing moves that can help any teacher who wants to make great charts. In part two we learn about the importance of drawing icons.

Smarter Charts for Math, Science, and Social Studies is out now. For more information and to download a sample chapter click here: Smarter Charts for Math, Science, and Social Studies sample.

Join the conversation on Twitter:

#SmarterCharts Tweets

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Chart tips from the ChartChums: Part 2 Icons

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In Smarter Charts and the brand new Smarter Charts for Math, Science, and Social Studies , Marjorie Martinelli( @MarjorieWrites) and Kristi Mraz(@ MrazKristine) tell us you don't even have to be able to draw to make great charts. Even so, we could all use a pointer or two on how to make our charts look better.

# data[].attributes.body
password: results

# data[].attributes.body
Login: kellithexton@nanjing-school.com
password: teach@NIS

# data[].attributes.body
login: kellithexton@nanjing-school.com
password: teach@NIS

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The CAFE Literacy System gives a structure for ongoing assessment to monitor each student's progress and a plan to help shift instruction so that each student is successful. It provides a common language to talk about reading development and proficiency. Students feel ownership and accountability over their learning.

# data[].attributes.body
The Difference Between Word on Writing and Writers Workshop

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In our primary classrooms, we have a separate writer's workshop outside of the Daily 5 literacy block. During writer's workshop, students always have choice of topic, but they don't always have choice of form. When we are doing small moment writing, we are all writing about small moments. If we are doing a poetry unit or writing All About books, everyone is doing so. Because the choices are narrower in writer's workshop, children enjoy the complete freedom of choice that comes with Work on Writing. They write lists, friendly letters, reports, poetry, songs, and procedures, and often continue with an unfinished piece from writer's workshop.

In our intermediate and secondary classes, the schedule doesn't always allow for a separate writing block of time, so we blend the two together. These classrooms often have time for only two rounds, and students usually have to choose Read to Self and Work on Writing, but they get to decide the order in which they participate.

Even if our day includes a separate writer's workshop block, we typically deliver a brief writing lesson during one of our focus lessons during Daily 5. The topics come directly from things we notice as we confer with students. This saves the in-depth writing instruction for writer's workshop time. (We primarily refer to Lucy Caulkin's Primary Units of Study, Katie Wood Ray's About the Authors, and the Common Core State Standards for our curriculum guides).

Writing has always been important to us. The link between reading and writing has been proven extensively through research. With the introduction of the rigorous Common Core State Standards in writing, the importance of providing time and impeccable instruction in writing has taken on even greater urgency.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Difference Between Work on Writing and Writer's Workshop

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In our primary classrooms, we have a separate writer's workshop outside of the Daily 5 literacy block. During writer's workshop, students always have choice of topic, but they don't always have choice of form. When we are doing small moment writing, we are all writing about small moments.

# data[].attributes.body
Curious about how a Word Wall fits into your weekly Word Study? Here is a fantastic article around some basic Word Wall Principals to get you started!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Author

It is the third day of school. Yet many of the classrooms that I've visited have word walls with up to 100 words already posted on them. How can that be? Words should be posted on the word wall in the presence of students, with the children reading, spelling, and engaging in activities with the words. Could that possibly have happened with 100 words in only three days?

I spoke to one of the teachers with an extensive early word wall in her classroom. I said, "Tell me about your word wall." She responded, "It has all of the students' names, so that they can get to know each other; the color words and the number words because they really need to know them; the Dolch words, which are important too; and the content words from our first unit on families." Whew! That's an awful lot for a first grader to take in.

Using a word wall in literacy instruction requires thought and planning. There are considerations that should go into the placement of the word wall, the words selected to be posted on it, the number of words to have on it at a given time, the number of words to be presented each week, and the instructional goals of the word wall.

Definition

According to Patricia Cunningham (2012), who is credited with inventing the word wall, "the word wall is an area in the classroom where words are displayed -- but not just any words -- truly important ones. They are systematically organized and a tool designed to promote group learning." A word wall consists of words that young children frequently see when reading and use when writing. She emphasizes that it is not enough to just have a word wall. You have to do a word wall.

The Specs

Children need to be able to see the word wall and all of the words on it. I have seen word walls posted on those skinny little bulletin boards above the chalkboards, or whiteboards in the fronts of classrooms. Those bulletin boards are usually six feet above the floor! How well can a three-and-a-half-foot child read words that are posted that high? Reserve those bulletin boards for displaying the children's artwork. Place your word wall at the children's eye level.

In kindergarten, first grade, and even second-grade classrooms in some communities, arrange the groups of words on the word wall in a single line, with A to Z proceeding from left to right, as in the photo to the left.

Children who are still learning about directionality need the predictability of seeing the A words first, followed by the B words right next to them, which are in turn followed by the C words, and so on. Those tricky return swings, especially multiple return swings on a word wall, will make it much harder for children to find a specific word. I have seen children stand before word walls with multiple rows for long stretches of time hunting for a word.

Locate the word wall in an area of the classroom where it is frequently needed. The large group meeting area or the writing center is a good choice. Children should be able to access the word wall without disturbing small group instruction. Cunningham recommends writing the words on different colors of construction paper and cutting out each word to conform to the shape of its letters, i.e., tall where the letters are tall and short where the letters are short rather than just a rectangle. Both colors and shapes provide additional visual cues that might be useful to beginning readers and writers.

Which Words?

I am a fan of high-frequency, high-utility words for the word wall. It is worth repeating that the word wall was envisioned as a collection of words that young children frequently see when reading and use when writing. So which words, exactly, are those? Some teachers use the Dolch list as a source for words. Keep in mind that the words on the Dolch list are the words commonly found in basal reading textbooks (Dolch, 1948). Children are likely to encounter these words when they are reading a basal reader, which will help them read basals successfully. But what about words that the children will use in their writing, and what about words that the children will encounter in other reading contexts, such as trade books? If you want words on the word wall that children are most likely to find useful after taking into account all reading and writing contexts, including their own writing, try the Fry instant words. The first 100 words on Fry's list contain 50% of the words that appear in all printed materials, making them very high frequency and high utility (Fry, 2005).

If you want to display color words, number words, word family words, enriched vocabulary words, or content words, consider making charts with those words. While multiple word walls are an option, this can be confusing to emergent and beginning readers. Some children will wonder which wall they should access to find the word that they are seeking. Think about what you hope to accomplish by having multiple word charts and/or word walls. Is a word wall or even a word chart the best way to accomplish the goal?

Doing a Word Wall

The purpose of the word wall is to provide maximum exposure to those heavy duty basic sight vocabulary words. These are the words that children need to know automatically, without any decoding or problem solving. The more experiences children have with these words, the more likely the words will be internalized.

Add three to five high frequency words to the word wall each week. Introduce the words with fanfare and pageantry; make a really big fuss. Engage the children in reading, chanting, singing, spelling and writing these words. Have a whole-group word wall activity each day. You might need to follow up with small-group work for some children. Keep word wall activities brief and highly engaging.

With word wall words containing a high frequency phonogram (word family) such as -an, -all, -it, or -ot, capitalize on the opportunity to point out other words with the same phonogram. For example, if "can" appears on the word wall, it is instructionally effective to bring words such as man, pan, ran, tan, and fan into the discussion and emphasize the pattern. Once children have learned words with phonograms, it opens the door to many other words. Some teachers distinguish these words on the wall by marking them with a star or a key. Children learn that these words can help them read and write other words.

Word Wall Pitfalls

Word walls have their critics. One of the big criticisms is that it is developmentally inappropriate to expect kindergartners and first graders to use the word wall to support them in spelling out words on paper. The act of finding the word on the wall, recording the first letter on the paper, going back to wall, locating the word again, proceeding to the next letter, recording it on the paper . . . you see what I mean. This issue can be addressed by constructing individual sized word walls. Teachers make them with manila folders and store them in the writing center or word study center. If a child wants help with spelling, writing, or editing, they can borrow a "word wall" folder. Remember, the classroom word wall is for whole-group instruction.

Another pitfall of word walls is teachers' apparent reluctance to ever remove any words from the wall. Once most of the children in the class have learned a word, take it down. There is no reason to have "the" on a first grade word wall in January. Make retiring a word from the word wall a celebration.

Finally, with word walls and all other instructional tools, it is important to be reflective. Consider your instructional goals and think whether the word wall is the best tool for achieving that goal.

References

Cunningham, P.M. (2012). Phonics They Use: Words for Reading and Writing Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Dolch, E. W. (1948). Problems in Reading. Champaign IL: Garrard Press.

Fry, E. B. (2005). "Phonics: A Large Phoneme-Grapheme Frequency Count." Journal of Literary Research.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Author It is the third day of school. Yet many of the classrooms that I've visited have word walls with up to 100 words already posted on them. How can that be? Words should be posted on the word wall in the presence of students, with the children reading, spelling, and engaging in activities with the words.

# data[].attributes.headline
3 Ways to Read a Book, Even in 5th Grade by Jeremiah Henderson (www.dailycafe.com)

# data[].attributes.subject
3 Ways to Read a Book, Even in 5th Grade by Jeremiah Henderson (www.dailycafe.com)

# data[].attributes.body
When I started teaching fifth grade in my new classroom and school, I was enamored with the thought of introducing a new round of students to Daily 5. I believe the foundation lessons are some of my favorites because they propel us to show students what good readers do. One of the first lessons is Three Ways to Read a Book. As I was planning how I would start this lesson, I started feeling anxious that it really wasn’t for fifth grade, especially “read the pictures.” I thought my students would view this as something for little kids, and that it wouldn’t matter.

I have never been so wrong.

This year alone, I have referenced “read the pictures” more times than I can count! It has easily become a saving grace for my students. I started Jillian Heise’s project #ClassroomBookADay, in which we read a picture book every day for the enjoyment of books. What I have noticed during this time is how carefully we pay attention to the pictures, as evidenced by questions such as “Look at the way this character’s face shows their emotion.” “Did you notice the illustrator’s incredible use of colors?” “What did you notice about the use of background on this page?”

Tuning in to read the pictures has proved to my fifth graders, and myself, that the artwork that goes into these books is certainly not accidental but is purposeful, and that it should be read carefully, just like the text.

I know we will continually visit “read the pictures” this year, and I can’t wait to share with my students the many more experiences that pictures and illustrations bring to the text.

# data[].attributes.body
The keeping-track sheet is a must-have page in our conferring notebooks. We record the date each time we meet with a student for a one-on-one conference, making it easy to see whom we need to meet with next.

An idea we got from Matt Glover makes this recording sheet even more valuable. When conferring, we sometimes ask students to share with the group before the workshop ends. Now when they share a challenge and/or success at the end of the literacy or writing workshop block, we circle the date (see photo). This makes it really easy to see who needs a turn to share.

We lift the status of children when we share their writing or use them as mentors for the class. This little tip makes it easy to keep track so we can make sure everyone gets his or her moment in the spotlight.

# data[].attributes.headline
Using Read Alouds to Reinforce Strategy Instruction

# data[].attributes.subject
Using Read Alouds to Reinforce Strategy Instruction

# data[].attributes.body
Reviewing strategies used during a read-aloud can be done in any grade with any text. Whether the teacher shares by making their metacognitive process transparent, or students share what they noticed, the review helps reinforce and anchor the learning we want students to maintain in their own reading.
login: kellthexton@nanjing-school.com
password: teach@NIS

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Join Our Community

Access this resource now. Get up to three resources every month for free.

Choose from thousands of articles, lessons, guides, videos, and printables.

Notes
Reviewing strategies used during a read-aloud can be done in any grade with any text. Whether the teacher shares by making their metacognitive process transparent, or students share what they noticed, the review helps reinforce and anchor the learning we want students to maintain in their own reading.
Listen and Watch

How many strategies do these kindergartners in Trish Prentice's class identify from her reading of How Rocket Learned to Read?

What evidence do you see of the positive relationships Trish has built with her students?

Reflect

Trish has high expectations for her students. What surprised you about these young learners?

How might the idea behind this follow-up work with your students?

Essential Element
CAFE Framework: 1.1 Build relationships: trust and respect
CAFE Instructional Method: Use instructional practices to scaffold learning
CAFE Menu: 6.2 Classroom CAFE Menu as instructional tool

Let's step into Trish Prentice's room for a moment and eavesdrop as she introduces How Rocket Learned to Read to her kindergarten students.

Do read the pictures and I PICK seem to contradict one another?

This retell lesson was the first instructional focus of the day in Courtney Tomfohr's classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Using Read-Alouds to Reinforce Strategy Instruction

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Access this resource now. Get up to three resources every month for free. Choose from thousands of articles, lessons, guides, videos, and printables. Notes Reviewing strategies used during a read-aloud can be done in any grade with any text.

# data[].attributes.body
Thinking about upcoming Student-Led Conferences? The Two Sisters (Daily 5 & CAFE Menu) offer suggestions and resources to support student success as they lead their parents though their learning journey.
login: kellthexton@nanjing-school.com
password: teach@NIS

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Parent Conferences and The CAFE Menu | TheDailyCAFE.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Before the conference ends, we spend a moment or two modeling for parents how to support their child's goals at home. We make a copy of the specific Parent Pipeline aligned to their child's goal(s) and have a CAFE Menu ready to send home so they can post it on their refrigerator.