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Community Corner

Saint Michael School gives a High 5 for the Daily 5

One second grade student sits quietly at her desk,  another is underneath the teacher’s desk, two sit nicely on the floor and all are reading a book that suit their interest.

This is how the second grade students at Saint Michael School in Orland Park are learning to read.

Last year, the school implemented a new teaching tool to the second grade curriculum called the Daily 5.  The program offers students five daily choices to use to improve their reading skills and comprehension. Those five choices include: reading to themselves; reading to someone; working on writing; listening to reading; and word work.

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According to the Daily 5 website (www.thedailycafe.com), the program “is more than a management system or a curriculum framework — it is a structure that helps students develop the daily habits of reading, writing, and working independently that will lead to a lifetime of literacy independence.”

“This structure allows us to meet the needs of each student as an individual learner,” said Mrs. Laura Drabeck, one of the three second grade teachers at St. Michaels.

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This year, the school is using the Daily 5 framework with math. The students will do math individually, math writing, partner math, math work, and math technology.  The structure is the same as for literacy; a mini lesson is given on the topic, and then students engage in Daily 5 activities where they can practice skills at their own level while teachers work with small groups or individual students with reinforcement or enrichment.  The teachers also are conferencing with students regarding their math skills, and setting individual goals based on their strengths or weaknesses.  

“We are competing with some great public school systems,” says Principal Bernadette Cuttone. “By differentiating ourselves with the Daily 5, not only are we teaching the children the life-long skill of literacy and mathematics, but how to really love learning.”

“The Daily 5 was a great way to get my son to enjoy reading, which was always a battle,” says Robyn Blake, of Orland Park, whose son Ryan participated in the program last year.  “Because he was not forced to read and was able to choose books and read at his own pace or with a friend he really got into it.  He still enjoys reading today, which I am thrilled about.”

To learn more about the Daily 5, Saint Michael School, a 2013 recipient of the National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence award, will host its annual open house on Sunday, January 26 starting at 10 am at 14355 Highland Ave., Orland Park, IL.  

For more information on the St. Michael School visit www.saintmike.org or call 708-349-0068

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