Upon first observation, the first grade classroom seems silent. All the students appear to be engaged in various literacy activities. While a small group of students meet with the teacher for a reading group, the remaining students work independently. The students working independently are doing Daily Five activities: Read-to-Self, Read-to-Someone, Listen to Reading, Working on Writing, or Word Work. Although the students are quiet, not all of them are doing their independent activities properly. During Read-to-Self, only one student is actually reading their book. The other students are quickly flipping through the pages, only looking at the pictures or fidgeting in their seats. One student is building a structure out of the books in his book
