Daily 5 Check-In is the routine we use to Set a Purpose before Independent Practice during our literacy block. These questions can help you introduce choice, keep Check-In efficient, coach students' decisions, and gradually give students greater responsibility for their learning.

Getting Started with Daily 5 Check-In

What is Daily 5 Check-In?
Daily 5 Check-In is the Daily 5 routine for Set a Purpose. Before Independent Practice begins, students identify their Daily 5 task and, as they are ready, the reading or writing purpose that will guide their work.

When should I introduce Daily 5 Check-In?
Introduce Daily 5 Check-In after students have successfully launched and practiced both Read to Self and Work on Writing. Students now have two familiar tasks they can manage independently and are ready to begin choosing between them.

Why wait until two tasks have been launched?
Choice is most meaningful when students understand the options they are choosing between. By teaching and practicing each task first, students have the knowledge and routines they need to make a successful choice.

How do I introduce choice for the first time?
Keep it simple. Ask students to decide between Read to Self and Work on Writing. When you call each student's name, they state their choice. Once everyone has checked in, students gather their materials, move to their workspace, and begin.

What should students do during the second round?
When you first introduce choice, have students switch tasks for the second round. Students who chose Read to Self move to Work on Writing, and students who chose Work on Writing move to Read to Self. This ensures everyone practices both tasks that day.

What if we have time for a third round?
Students may choose either Read to Self or Work on Writing again. This begins giving them more responsibility while ensuring they have already practiced both essential tasks that day.

How long should Daily 5 Check-In take?
Keep Check-In brief and focused. Once students know the routine, a whole-class Check-In can often happen in about one or two minutes. Students should think about their choice before their name is called so they are ready to respond.

Do I need a Daily 5 Check-In form?
A Check-In form can help you quickly record students' choices and notice patterns over time. The form supports the routine, but the important work is the thinking students do as they Set a Purpose and prepare for Independent Practice.

Managing Daily 5 Choices

Do students have to choose a different task each round?
Not always. When choice is first introduced, having students switch during the second round ensures everyone practices both Read to Self and Work on Writing. As more rounds and tasks are added, students can have increasing flexibility in their choices.

Do students need to Read to Self and Work on Writing every day?
Yes. We want students to have meaningful daily practice with both reading and writing. As students gain more choices, use Daily 5 Check-In to notice who still needs Read to Self or Work on Writing and coach their next choice as needed.

Can students choose the same task twice in a row?
As students become experienced with choice and you have enough rounds available, they can. Use what you know about the student's learning and their choices that day to decide whether to affirm the choice or coach them toward another task.

What if every student chooses the same task?
That's okay when the task can accommodate everyone. Choice does not require students to be evenly distributed among the Daily 5 tasks. The goal is meaningful Independent Practice, rather than filling a certain number of spaces in each task.

What if a task has limited materials or spaces?
Some tasks, especially Listen to Reading or Word Study, may have natural limits based on devices, materials, or classroom setup. Teach students how those limits work and make the available choices clear during Check-In.

When do I add another Daily 5 task to the choices?
Teach the task's Foundation Lessons, launch it with the 10 Steps for Teaching and Learning Independence, and give students opportunities to practice it successfully. Once students can manage the task independently, add it to the choices available during Daily 5 Check-In.

Do all students need to practice a new task before it becomes a choice?
Make sure every student learns and practices the task before expecting them to choose and manage it independently. For tasks such as Read to Someone, Listen to Reading, and Word Study, this practice may happen with a few students at a time while the rest of the class continues familiar Daily 5 choices.

Coaching Student Choice

What if a student doesn't know what to choose?
Coach the decision rather than making it automatically. Ask what the student has already done that day, what they are working on as a reader or writer, or which task would support their learning. Over time, these conversations teach students how to make purposeful choices themselves.

What if a student always chooses the same task?
Use the pattern as an opportunity for a brief conversation. Help the student consider what they have already practiced, what they still need that day, and which task might help them grow. Choice includes learning how to make decisions that support learning.

What if a student chooses a task but isn't successful once they begin?
Use the same responsive process you use with any independence need. Revisit the task's I-chart, identify the behavior that needs support, and coach the student toward a more successful next round. Provide more guidance with the choice temporarily when needed.

Can I tell a student which task to choose?
Yes. Choice grows alongside independence. Most of the time, we want students making their own decisions, while the teacher continues to coach and guide choices based on student needs. At times, you may direct a student toward a task that provides needed practice.

What if a student chooses based only on what their friends are doing?
Use Check-In to help students begin thinking about their own learning. Ask what they need to practice or which task will help them be successful. As students gain experience, they learn that a good choice is one that supports their own purpose.

What if students change their minds after Check-In?
Teach students to follow through on the choice they made for that round. Check-In is an opportunity to make an intentional decision before Independent Practice begins. They will have another opportunity to make a new choice during the next round.

Adding Purpose to Check-In

Is choosing a Daily 5 task the same as Setting a Purpose?
Choosing a task is the first layer. When students are new to Check-In, simply deciding, "I'm going to Read to Self," gives them a clear intention for the round. As the routine becomes familiar, begin helping students identify what they are working on within that task.

When should students begin naming a reading or writing purpose?
Start with task choice so students can learn the Check-In routine with a low cognitive load. As the routine becomes familiar, layer in a strategy, goal, or learning purpose that students can carry into Independent Practice.

What might a more developed Check-In sound like?
A student might begin with, "I'm choosing Read to Self." Later, that can become, "I'm choosing Read to Self and practicing Check for Understanding." Eventually, students can consider their purpose first and choose the task that best supports it.

Does every student need to have an individual reading or writing goal?
Students can Set a Purpose from the learning currently happening in the classroom or from an individual goal when one has been established. The level of specificity can grow as students become more capable of identifying and articulating what they are working on.

Does the purpose always need to connect to today's focus lesson?
Often it will, especially when students are practicing something you just taught. At other times, a student may be working toward an individual reading or writing goal. Both give students a meaningful purpose for Independent Practice.

Choice Beyond the Daily 5 Task

Is choosing a Daily 5 task the only choice students make?
No. Choice is woven throughout Daily 5. Students gradually learn to make decisions about their books, writing topics, learning spaces, partners, tasks, and how they will practice their learning.

When should students choose their own books?
Teach students how to choose successfully before releasing the decision. The I PICK Foundation Lesson helps students learn how to select good-fit books. As they demonstrate readiness, gradually give them greater responsibility for selecting their own reading materials.

When should students choose where they work?
Teach Choosing a Good-Fit Learning SPACE so students understand how a workspace affects their engagement and learning. Then gradually release responsibility for choosing a place where they can work successfully.

When should students choose their own Read to Someone partner?
Teach students what makes a successful partnership and how to choose a partner before releasing that decision. Once the routines are established, partner choice can become another way students take responsibility for their learning.

Keeping Check-In Working

What if Check-In starts taking too long?
Have students make their decision before their name is called. If a student isn't ready, move to the next student and return to them. The routine should remain brief so most of the literacy block stays focused on teaching and meaningful practice.

Do we need to gather together before every Daily 5 round?
The Teaching Structure brings students back together between rounds to Review & Reflect, receive a brief focus lesson when needed, and Set a Purpose for the next round. Daily 5 Check-In becomes part of that transition into the next period of Independent Practice.

Do I need to use Daily 5 Check-In all year?
Continue using Check-In as long as it helps students Set a Purpose and helps you understand and coach their Independent Practice. As students mature, the routine can become increasingly efficient while the thinking behind their choices becomes more sophisticated.

What if choice isn't working well anymore?
Return to explicit teaching. Revisit what successful choice looks like, model the decision-making process, temporarily provide more guidance, and use Review & Reflect to help students think about how their choices affected their learning.

What is the ultimate goal of Daily 5 Check-In?
The goal is bigger than choosing an activity. Over time, students learn to recognize what they need, identify what will help them learn, make a purposeful decision, and independently act on that decision.