The Cafe Book

The CAFE Book

Engaging All Students in Daily Literacy Assessments and Instruction

By Gail Boushey & Joan Moser

“The Sisters”

The Basics of CAFE Assessment

1. The teacher keeps a notebook with a few key record keeping forms, including a calendar, individual student conference forms and strategy group planners

The Basics of CAFE Assessment

2. Children meet with the teacher during literacy workshop conferences to be assessed, to receive focused, explicit instruction, to set goals, and then to follow up on progress. The teacher keeps track of progress on the goal sheet in the notebook and schedules the next conference on the calendar, and the child posts his or her goal on the class CAFE chart.

The Basics of CAFE Assessment

3. The teacher plans small-group instruction based on clusters of students with similar needs in one of the CAFE categories. The groups are flexible, based on needs rather than reading levels.

Research based Emmet Betts 1946-Spoke on matching

readers with appropriate text that they can read independently.

This strategy is found on the CAFE Menu under Fluency and our emphasis on students reading “good-fit books.”

Research Based Pressley 2006- The most effective

classrooms have a distribution of whole-class, small-group, and side-by-side instruction.

Pensieve The name for this notebook was taken

from one of Harry Potter’s characters that kept his best thinking in a “pensieve.”

Parts of the Pensieve The first section is for organizing and

planning. This is where we note where we will confer with individual students and small groups, and where we track how often we’ve met with students.– Calendar-used to make appointments– An appointment is a nudge for some

students

Parts of the Pensieve Keeping track form

– This is a simple grid with each child’s name on it.

– Not everyone will be seen as often.

Strategy groups form– This form is used to plan lessons for

children with similar goals.

Parts of the PensieveSection Two

Cafe Menu Reading Conference Form Writing Conference form

– Touch points are used as a way of documenting progress.

– If a child has meet their goal the will receive 1-4 points.

Implementing the Process

Day one you will introduce– Check for Understanding “C”– Cross Checking (hand motions) “A”

Does it look right?– Do the letters and pictures match?

Does it sound right? Does it make sense?

Tune into Words “E”

From the Whole-Class Lessons to Individual Conferences

1. Assess individual students. 2. Discuss findings with students. 3. Set goal and idenify strategies with students. 4. Student declares goals on menu and in

notebook. 5. Teacher fills out individual Reading

Conference form. 6. Teacher fills out Strategy Group form. 7. Instruction.

Assessment/Conferences

When we meet one-on-one with students , we test using running records, DRA2 or Individualualized Reading Inventory (IRI)

As we talk to students we use the language of the menu.

Set goals and identify areas of need“One of the areas I am going to help

you with to become a better reader this year is…”

Assessment/Conferences

The student now declares his or her goal by posting it on the Menu.

Next, the teacher adds information to the reading or writing conference sheet and the Strategy Groups Sheet

Now instruction begins based on the real assessment for each student.

Reading Conference With Icons

Jot down the title of the selection

Reading Conference With Icons

Observe… What do I notice related to the goals?

Reading Conference With Icons

Think)…Do I teach or reinforce what we planned yesterday? Or change the plan based on what I see today?

Reading Conference With Icons

Give child two targets each day1. Comprehension Think about your

reading and what is happening in your selection.

2. Practice strategy.

Reading Conference With Icons

AND Plan for tomorrow.

Seven Elements of Successful Conferences

Check the Calendar Prepare for the Conference Observe Child and Listen to Reading Reinforce and Teach Practice the Strategy Plan Encourage We will move quickly and get to more students.

The students that need us the most will be seen more often.

“Flip the Sound”Menu…Accuracy

Stop was pronounced “Stope” Students often put in the long vowel

sound when beginning to read. Cross Check and then…

Does it look right?– Do the letters and pictures match?

Does it sound right? Does it make sense?

Have the student “Flip the Sound”

Whole Group Instruction Monday..Tuesday..Wednesday …Open

Court Thursday …Friday…Leveled readers from

book boxes The teacher will pick area of highest need

using the language of the menu. Give the “secret” The teacher will record the strategy on a

post-it and a student will copy onto a long post-it

Whole Class Lesson Elements

We identify the what is to be taught, and share the “secret to success” with the strategy.

We teach the strategy. Students practice with partners. We select a student to write and

illustrate the CAFÉ Menu strategy card (the first time it is taught)

Whole Class Lesson Elements

We review the strategy. We encourage practice during

independent reading times. We post the strategy after independent

practice(the first time it is taught) We continually connect new strategies

to strategies already on the CAFÉ Menu board.

Strategy Groups Cluster students by needs This won’t work if you put all your slow

students in one section..No ability grouped sections

Session starts with quietly reading aloud(all students in the group)

From there we will make positive comments and give feedback

The process continues.. As you begin to work, please remember that there

should be a set routine. Constant change will confuse and frustrate you and the students.

Also remember that this is a tool to fit all our learning together.

You have worked hard to assess your students. This framework puts your data in motion….

The website www.thedailycafe.com is an interactive site were you may ask questions or share your glory.