The CAFE Book: Engaging All Students in Daily Literacy Assessment and Instruction

by Gail Boushey, Joan Moser

All readers of any age need instruction and support that helps them become more independent and self-reflective in their work . – Gail Boushey and Joan Moser

Genres: Education, Teaching, Professional Development, Nonfiction, School, Teachers, Reference

240 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 2009

Reviews

[Debbie W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-have accompaniment to The Daily Five book, this book shows the four concepts readers use: comprehension, accuracy, fluency and vocabulary expansion. Teachers will find this book extremely beneficial for teaching reading using books their students WANT to read. Again, I wish I had this book as a resource while training in university! NOTE: a second edition will be released very soon! If you want to improve your teaching in regards to reading, you MUST read this book!

[Holly Jorgenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! It has absolutely revolutionized my reading instruction. This is a very simple method to improve students' reading ability based on specific need-based strategies (ones readers actually use) rather than level. It is very easy to implement and follow, and the amount of data you have with very little effort is astounding! This book would even be good to use in a home school situation because it is highly individualized and explains some of the more technical reading instruction methods, but is easy to understand and follow.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was truly amazing. The book takes the framework from the Daily Five and provides strategies to be used during one-on-one conferences, small group meetings, and even whole-group lessons. There are many samples of conferences within this book that really allow the reader to fully understand how the conferences flow. The details provided give clear understanding, and I love the fact that every item on the "MENU" is located in the appendix for future reference. This book makes it very clear that we,as teachers, should be grouping students by their needs rather than their book level. Strategy groups should focus on a particular skill students are having trouble with and it should not matter if every single student is reading on a different level. I would recommend this book be read after the Daily Five. The Comprehension Connection strategies can be easily integrated into the Cafe "MENU."

[Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've heard it said (a lot) that teachers should be teaching reading in small groups that are skill-based rather than simply grouping their students by reading level. But what does that really look like in real life? Having not seen it in action, it was hard for me to imagine. >>Enter this book. By the same authors who wrote The Daily Five, The CAFE Book is a supplement to it, which gives very clear instructions and examples of how to set up skill-based reading instruction and on-going assessment. It really makes me feel like, yes, I can do this! I would recommend this to all elementary level teachers.

[Titilayo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am sooooooooooooooo happy I read this book before getting back in the classroom. It helped kickstart my anchor lessons with a fresh approah to introducing readers workshop. Unfortunately its more geared towards upper elementary or more academically prepared students that the tiny people I have the pleasure of teaching. It was easy to pick and choose what I could implement in class. I will revisit it mid-year and try some of the strategies.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this book for a few years and finally decided to read it because I'm changing grades and schools. I was resistant to this book because of the corny name and the video of The Sisters and Daily 5 that I was forced to watch at work. I couldn't stand them - and that hair! Also, talk of this in our staff was geared toward primary, so as a 5th grade teacher, I was not inclined to read this. After we received the books and watched the one video, that was all mention of this in our school. Now I see that one teacher actually followed through with it.

I finally read this and found that The Sisters agree with my philosophy of conferring individually with students and also meeting in strategy groups! I was shocked! That isn't what I expected! I like that this is research-based so that I have a good way to provide evidence for what I am doing when our district is mandating guided reading. Really, the method of strategy groups makes so much more sense. From now on, my strategy groups will be renamed guided reading!

All in all, I like the ideas and organizational features in this book. The forms are well thought-out. There are example lessons in the appendix, which I look forward to trying with my 3rd graders. I might even read The Daily 5 now!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of nitty-gritty in this book! Very helpful and motivational. I especially loved the strategy groups vs. guided reading groups part; it resonated and clarified so much of my own experience in the classroom. The details (and many examples) of the Pensieve - teacher's binder with all the individual and strategy group notes and calendar - as well as approach in terms of content and timing for one-on-one conferences and strategy group meetings was invaluable.

I would recommend reading The Daily 5 book first and then filling in with The CAFE Book second. That was the most confusing part to me when first approaching and wanting to learn more about this Literacy program. It can be a bit confusing and unclear from the outside, but in a nutshell, Daily 5 gives you the structure or framework for your Literacy blocks and CAFE is the methodology, content, and assessment component. You need Daily 5 structure in order to effectively implement CAFE.

This is a game-changer.

[Julieann Wielga · Rating 2 out of 5]

CAFE= comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and expanded vocabulary.

Cafe gives a framework for teaching reading to young children where one reads to oneself, reads to another, writes, and two more.

It is founded in the idea of metacognitive awareness of the learner is always good no matter who young or what they are reading. The teacher gives short mini lessons on the daily 5 and uses books to illustrate the sort of questions that students should ask themselves. (Does it make sense? Does it look right? Can I retell? I have heard these questions before.

For me the cart was before the horse. The strategies were before the complete participation in the art of reading. I believe if one is able to fall into reading, fluency, comprehension, accuracy and expanded vocabulary comes. One has to make the reading moment open to the possibility of immersion.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book that I have recommended to several of my fellow teachers. As a librarian, I can't say that I will put this book into daily practice, but it will help me to know where to turn when asked how to handle a particular reading problem. I loved how the author's taught inference without reading a story to inference from. When you read an entire story, you spend so much time in the story that there isn't much time for inferring. "The sisters" way of inferring from short "clips" is fantastic AND something that could be taught every day as the students wait in a line for dismissal, lunch, etc. For the classroom teacher, the record-keeping forms are a lifesaver. Well worth the time to read.

[Ashley Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have picked this up in a book store and put it back down again. I read this book in 1 day and have already started a list of things that I'll change for this school year (and there are only 2 months left). There are practical strategies that I want to use with my students. I can't wait to start this at the beginning of the year and see how it progresses throughout the year. Just great! Go get it! And grab the Daily Five while you're at it!

[Patty Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was good and helpful, but more for elementary setting with one class of 30 all day. But still had some good mini-lesson ideas and the organizational structure, which is the main point of CAFE, is useful to think about.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book! Can't wait to implement it with the Daily 5, the explicitness, format, and language are great teaching tools!

[Dawn Critchfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I can't wait to use these strategies in my classroom.

[Angela Vonschmittou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books like this are usually a beating to get through for me. I have trouble focusing and skip around trying to get to the main point of the book. I read this in one night and now my brain is buzzing. I already did the Daily Five program and was familiar with alot of these topics from Jan Richardson’s guided reading program. This book addresses so many of the issues I was having in regards to time constraints and flexibility with student needs. I’m going to have to adapt most of this because of distance learning, but I still have a clearer vision for my reading blocks this school year. Thank goodness!

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel similarly as I did with The Daily Five. Seems like really great methods, but the authors used way too many words. For example, one chapter on small groups spent about 4 full pages explaining how they used to do small groups, and that that way was ineffective. We do not need 4 pages of bad examples! A paragraph or two would have sufficed. Some of it was so over-explained that I felt patronized.
But with that being said, the core of the methods is good and I intend to use it in my future classroom. The appendix is loaded with useful forms, lesson plans, and definitions.
I would love to see this book and Daily Five edited down to their useful parts and put into one book.

[Stephanie Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book teaches how to implement the CAFE into the classroom, helping students improve comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and vocabulary. There are so many helpful strategies. One thing I liked was the instruction on how to conference with students individually and how doable it is to conference so often. This is a fantastic resource that I will consider using in my classroom.

[Diana Ortega · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I think I will get the full effect after reading more about the Daily 5. I do like how the authors organize assessments, small group conferences, and individual conferences. This is great documentation for interventions.

[Ashley Julian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written by teachers, for teachers, and you feel that the entire time you're reading. I love the real classroom examples, pictures, and stories of how this framework came to be. Will definitely be implementing this in my classroom!

[Catherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

The movement toward instruction based on the Science of Reading casts doubt on the effectiveness of students working independently for so many minutes of each school day. There are proponents and opponents who will likely never agree.

[Betsy Annie Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an amazing way to teach. I love all of the resources that come included and how the first two weeks are basically scripted for new teachers.

[Debi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ideas to implement into my second grade classroom!

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great resource for teachers.

[Clinton Grider · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good look at and refresher at CAFE as part of the Daily 5 in the classroom.

[Laura Scherbing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book that gives some good examples to help students become better readers!

[Mr. Holt · Rating 5 out of 5]

The CAFE Book: Engaging All Students in Daily Literary Assessment and Instruction is a wonderful resource for middle level educators looking to implement Reader's Workshop in the classroom. While the first book about the workshop method by these authors, The Daily Five: Fostering Literacy Independence in the Elementary Grades, was a useful tool in thinking about literacy development in the classroom, "The Cafe Book" is an easy to understand how-to guide for creating a class of active and engaged readers. The book provides specific examples of the various parts of the CAFE Menu (Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding Vocabulary) and includes anecdotes from individual student conferences. I feel much more prepared and excited to begin utilizing the Reader's Workshop approach to reading in my classroom in the fall after having read this fantastic resource book. I highly recommend this book for any new or veteran teacher tired of his or her school's "tried and true" approach to reading.

[Dee Bibb · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are an educator, this is a must read book. Boushey and Moser present an easy and practical way to integrate assessment into daily reading and classroom discussion and activities. The CAFE system is research based and the acronym stands for Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expand vocabulary.

The CAFE system provides support for teachers as they organize the assessment data so it can be used to truly inform instruction int he classroom. It also helps with tracking the student's strengths and goals.

In the CAFE system there are no expensive materials required. You don't even have to totally change the approaches that are now being used to utilize the CAFE system. It is built on flexibility and allows teachers to tailor the system to meet the needs of the students in their individual classroom.

This book was provided tome by my school district and I would recommend that all educators in elementary schools take the time to read about the CAFE system.

[Carly Hamilton]

The CAFE book, is a great resource for teachers. It provides simple and practical ways to integrate assessment into reading and class discussions. CAFE is an acronym for comprehension, accuracy, fluency and expanding vocabulary. I recommend this book to any professional in the primary gases looking to implement a strong reading block of independent readers. This book does not require expensive materials or training. The CAFE nicely aligns with the Daily 5. This book includes goal- setting with students on an individual conference basis, posting goals on a whole classroom board, developing small group instruction with groups of students with similar goals. I plan to use this book along with Daily 5 to get the most out of my classrooms reading block and setting my students up to be successful independent readers.

[Margaret Boling]

7/23/13 ** "Common sense" ideas that make you say, "Why didn't I think of that?" Though the title talks first about assessment, the book is more about a framework for instruction. The CAFE (Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expand Vocabulary) framework provides a tool for tightly aligning assessment with specific teaching points that help students begin to use strategies in a strategic way! Rather than naming the strategies (i.e. clarify & fix-up), the reading routines give kids a menu of tools to use flexibly.

I anticipate incorporating many of these ideas into my teaching this year. The authors tie this work to the structures the discuss in The Daily Five, and many would work well in a Reading/Writing Workshop.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The follow-up to The Daily Five, my teammates and I tackled this one this year as well. There are a lot of good ideas and information here. Implementing both books at the same time has been a bit of a challenge, so there are pieces I feel I've successfully taken on with my second graders this year and others I hope to improve on. I love the personal goal setting - so powerful to put kids in charge of their own learning! This is truly a resource I will hang on to and continue to use to grow as an educator.

[Susan Okeefe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written and concise explanantion of how to introduce Daily Five as well as the CAFE approach to literacy teaching. ( Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency and Extending Vocabulary)Offers a brief history of the teaching of reading and writing methods since the 1960's. Authors have taught 50 years between them and the writing reflects this. Many teaching momnents are described in detail to allow the reader a realistic view of the implementation of the strategy suggeested. Would recommend to beginning and senior teachers alike.