Daily 5 Bookmarks

A while back I posted about my Daily 5 organization (read it here-and get some printables for Daily 5) and I promised to hunt down and post the bookmark I used (see bottom of page) to help my third graders make smart rotation choices and not always go for the same thing everyday.

Here is how I use my Daily 5 bookmarks...

I store the bookmarks in this metal bucket
and kids can switch them out as needed.

I have students pick out one bookmark from the metal bucket I store them in. They begin by completing any must-do's which are typically anything left over from morning work that didn't get completed. Next students must go to the Daily 5 station that is listed first on their bookmark. Once they complete that station, they can move on to the next station on their bookmark. Some of my students really do get through all five stations daily and are able to turn in their bookmark and get a new one (I made 5 slightly different versions of the bookmarks so that when kids turned them in, they could pick a new rotation bookmark). Others who work slower only get through 2 or 3 each day depending on if they have any must-do's or meet with me for reading group. They turn them in later in the week when they have finished one full rotation. So, at any given time students can turn in their bookmarks when they complete one full rotation, regardless of the day. This has helped tremendously this year. I didn't want to have a Daily 5 pocket chart with student names stating where they had to go each day. I wanted to give my third graders a bit more freedom, while still ensuring they were getting to all five stations throughout the week. This eliminated large groupings at one station or groupings of BFF's chatting it up instead of staying focused. The bookmarks can be easily adapted "on the fly" by writing on them with a vis-a-vis marker or simply adding a paperclip or clothespin to the side to remind students where to start the next day.

Here are the 5 versions of the Daily 5 bookmark that I use in my classroom. Print them out in color, use construction paper or other cute paper as a backing/border and laminate.


Want to know more about Daily 5 OR my other favorite Work Stations? Check out either of these books. I have tried both formats and am now currently working with a melding of the two approaches. It took a while to figure out what worked best for my students, but the combo approach seems to be a good fit this year.