PLC Meeting, Grades 4th - 6th

January 29, 2014

Staff in attendance:
Lynda Parker, Suzie Piraino, Sean Galipeau-Eldridge, Gail Poirier,
Sharon Plante, Kathy Wolfson, Jan Robertson, Daniella Mason, Cassie
Labrecque, Jean Oligny-Warrow, Karla Archer

Norms
We reviewed meeting norms and expectations with a hand-out/
projection. No additions or changes were suggested.

Check-In
We had everyone in the group make comments about how
CAFE / Daily 5 was progressing in their classrooms this year.
Educators were encouraged to reflect on differences
implementing this year in comparison to last year.
Here is a list of their comments:
Love it. Easier to start the year with the system thought out. Two
volunteers and students who know how it can work provide
immeasurable assistance.
New to it this year. Overwhelmed. Large number of students in the
classroom. Student misbehaviors impact the management of this
system.
This new to me this year. Routine seems to be a very favorable
component. Easy to come in as a guest teacher and continue what
students are practicing.
Struggling. Taught content areas last year. Finding it difficult recording
all of the information. Meeting with everyone is working . . . record
keeping trickier.
Still working on what it looks like to have a self-regulated group. Settingup student independence is more of a challenge. The language from

Daily 5 matches up with past practice. Strategies are the same, but
CAFE uses different language to name it. Connecting this now. Still
muddling . . .
I dont like the videos. Carry over from previous year helps. Address all
of the components, developing when and how to fit the scheduling of
components. Difficulty managing the pensieve - recording book. Past
practices are continuing as well. Still concerned that it may or may not
be considered Daily 5 by others. Great student work. Do not feel that
it allows to meet differentiation styles. Challenges of setting up
conferences on calendar. Dont feel that kids are suffering. Meaningful
work is being done. This years class more independent and willing to
work this way. Difficulties with set-up and rotation of all five
components. Sometimes - especially in older grades - students need
more time for different lessons.
Stations based because of the Special Education setting. Reading,
writing, and math occurring in classroom at the same time. Challenges
to jump around, but the format is working. Ed tech staff is very helpful.
The challenge of getting in a rhythm.
Still trying to figure it all out. Doing some components, but could be
doing more writing?
Read 180 hits components every single day. Separate folders for every
kid. Could not fit in one binder. Really good notes on some things.
Students also see progress and keep their own data sheet. Kids see
their progress this way as well. Balance of Read 180 / Common Core /
CAFE. Common language of vocabulary is helpful to students. The
students understand and are using the language. CAFE pieces fit every
day. Given myself permission that not everything takes 20 minutes.
Flexible structuring. Sometimes there is cross-over.
At times cutting off teachable moments, because of the schedule and
sticking to the schedule.
During rotations, it can be challenging to give the same level of
instruction for each group. It helps to switch which group you start with.
Use of a timer really helps.
Depends on your class and your day. I usually do at least 3 groups
every day. Use CAFE language and also use guided reading at the
same time. Pensieve set up, but have not used it yet. Overwhelming.
Keep guided reading folders well documented. Some stations are
longer. Lowest readers meet every day. Higher readers meet twice per

week. Another group is three days a week. The rest of the time is split
up between read-to-self and word work.
Finding ways to use CAFE/Daily 5 throughout the day through
interdisciplinary work. Is this acceptable in order to get all five
components?
Get to do reading drills. Word work. Rotations in special ed is working.
Rotates over the course of the week. Working really well - despite
having multiple subjects taught at the same time. Seeing real growth in
the special ed classroom. Able to see carry over in science and social
studies.
New to group and this grade level. Fourth year of Daily/CAFE. Still not
doing daily 5 or all choice. Second year with the same class, sees real
growth. We were all doing really well before. It helps with consistency
and continuity. Especially across the school. Read-to-self and work-onwriting are have to components. I have a better understanding of
where my children are. Work-in-progress.
Second year. More confident about what it looks like. MANY strategies.
Pick one and work on it. We all work on mini-lesson strategies in guided
reading groups. Hour long literacy block makes it difficult. Students
want to read-to-self more often.

Questions
Daily 5 or Daily 4?
Listen to Reading . . . Can this be accomplished through Read Alouds?
Structure . . . How much choice do you give? Are some classes
difficulties with focus and behavior impacting the ability for choice?
Am I doing it right?
Do we HAVE to do rotations?