A lot happens in a school day - regardless of which class the children are in. Every moment and every lesson is usually jam-packed with interaction and light-bulb moments through the explicit and implicit learning experiences we facilitate. Sometimes, in the midst of a jam-packed schedule, we can underestimate and under-celebrate the amount of learning that has actually happened across a day - and the amount of teaching that has happened!
It isn't possible to document, recognise or celebrate absolutely every single learning experience - however, making a conscious effort to reflect and recap on the day can act as an extremely effective way of working on recount writing, questioning, memory work, and simply consolidating learning from across the day...as well as utilising those valuable moments before the children go home.
Documenting the learning can create a really purposeful learning journey which we can use to revisit, reflect and recognise our progress.
The Daily Review (Fiorentini, 2019) is an example of bringing the class together for a shared writing, reading and language experience to bring the day to a close. A few moments are spent recapping on the day - the learning, the topics, the experiences, the 'stand-out' moments for the children.
It's a multifunctional strategy which can be adapted to suit any age group - I used it consistently with 4th, 5th, 6th and Junior Infants.
Aside from everything else, it sets the children on their journey home with plenty to think and talk about!
How to facilitate the Daily Review:
1. Invite the children to recap on their day. (A great opportunity to reinforce the language of the recount genre)
Consider:
The curricular areas they engaged with
Learning experiences they enjoyed
New things they may have learned
Anything interesting or noteworthy they feel should be recorded
2. Record their offerings on the flipchart / review chart. Teacher may act as scribe, or, with an older class, the teacher may seek a volunteer to record the information for the class.
3.Collect and collate the reviews that are composed across the week. return to these on a Friday and explore just how much learning has happened across the week. Having a space to pin them or staple them together (even in the class library) facilitates the creation of a purposeful learning journey which the children can revisit, re-read and remember!
Maximising the experience:
With the infants, I used to carry out the Daily Review when they came in from yard. It was a nice settling experience and again and example of putting their recount skills to practice via the Language Experience Approach. Then, because the parents collected my children from the classroom door, I used to stick it on the board outside the door which gave the parents something to read and discuss with their children on the way home. (Because we all know what young children say when parents ask 'What did you do at school today?'......."NOTHING!")
At the beginning of the year, I photocopied a bundle of review templates and had a stack ready to go for the terms ahead. Though, as always, a template won't improve the learning - a blank page or scrap of chart paper will do - it's the interaction, sharing and reflection that matters the most!
Let me know if you give it a go!
Download a free copy of a Daily Review template here: