MY Teacher’s Summer Freedom Daily 5

Ah—summer! A time for ME to make choices. A time for ME to spend uninterrupted time. I can only symbolize my choices in relation to a Teacher’s Summer Freedom Daily 5.

Read to Self: My bookshelf is filled with books that interest me. Yes, most are “escape books”. Ones that I can make connections, use my schema, ask questions, and make inferences. Others are more of a professional choice—rereading Reading With Meaning, Growing Readers, The Daily 5, CAFÉ. Reading non-stop because as summer approaches an end to time…in exchange for reading curriculum standards, lesson plans, curriculum guides (you understand).

Work on Writing: I can’t forget my drafts of changes to my classroom, lists of materials I need to purchase, writing those beginning school documents for parents, planning, writing a blog…

But planning a vacation. Making a list of items to pack.

Word Work: Surfing blog after blog for ideas to improve my word work in the classroom. But also increasing my vocabulary with reading all those books—chick books for some, but deep thinking ones too. OK—mostly chick books!

Listen to Books: While choosing books at the public library, it became a chance to pick up books on CD. It seems I can have more than one book to read by having one in the car. Those drives to the Target, WalMart, Office Depot, Staples, to pick up the needed school supplies can also become a chance for ME to listen.

Read with Someone: Conversations can happen more frequently because of the added time. I can discuss books, the newspaper, and use politics with my husband. A little different than sitting side by side in a book nook. But I liken it to turning and talking about those comprehension strategies that I will soon begin to teach my first graders.

Choices. Choices. Choices. Am I so different from my soon to be firsties? I am now planning the way The Daily 5 will give my kids a favorable, fun adventure that we call SCHOOL.