Choice—Daily 5 Check In Sheets

When you enter a classroom using the Daily 5 structure, you see children Reading to Self, Reading to Someone, Listening to Reading, Working on Writing, and doing Word Work. These are all happening simultaneously. The order in which children participate varies and is greatly driven by choice.

When teachers trust students to make responsible choices, the students gain control over their own learning. Children who are invited to decide the order of tasks, to choose their own partner, or to choose a strategy that works for them, perceive themselves as more competent and more involved in their work. The biggest challenge with choice is how to manage it. Below are several forms to choose from to manage and keep track of the choices. We keep them on a clipboard in our whole group instruction area.

Before each round of Daily 5, whether we do two, three, four or five rounds, students verbally check in with us and we record their choice on the chart. This verbal agreement acts as a contract, which motivates students to get started right away and follow through on the task. Keeping track of their choices for the week also allows us to give a gentle nudge if they are consistently avoiding a Daily 5 choice that would benefit them.

Once children become familiar with the check-in procedure, the process lasts about a minute and a half and sets the stage for independence. If you are a CCPensieve user, you will follow the same procedure electronically. 

If you prefer a paper conferring notebook, you'll find a selection of forms to choose from below. Choose the one that works best for you.