Project the day’s Daily Starters on a whiteboard for students to do when they first walk in the classroom. Other options: Start up classroom computers with the Daily Starter page or print hard copy for students to work on individually or with partners.

Daily Starters can also be used for small group instruction to review grammar, vocabulary, and English.

Introducing Language Arts Daily Starters

• Grammar. Review the vocabulary terms subject, predicate, and complete sentence as needed.
   
• Usage/Mechanics. Review the vocabulary terms subject, predicate, and sentence fragment.
   
• Word Parts. Prefixes are word parts that add meaning to base words. Research finds that students who know the meaning of word parts, such as affixes, can effectively double or triple their vocabularies.
   
• Word Study. These activities focus on easily confused words that lead to many common spelling and/or usage errors. 
   
• Word Play. Use this opportunity to have fun with words by exploring multiple meanings, idioms, metaphors, similes, and anagrams. Look for multiple meaning words throughout the day.

Introducing Math Daily Starters

• Operations/Algebraic Thinking.  Have students solve and illustrate the commutative property of multiplication.
   
• Numbers and Operations in Base 10. Review place value as needed. For more practice, use the current year and have students identify the value of each digit.
   
• Measurement and Data. Review vocabulary: rounding up, rounding down, and estimating. Ask students to name a synonym for estimate (is about).
   
• Fractions and Geometry. Review fractional parts of a whole. Then have students draw lines to divide the shaded part of each shape in half again. Have them name the new fractional parts (1/4, 1/6, 1/8).
   
• Word Problems. Word problems, wherever they appear in Daily Starters, help tie math skills to real-life. Follow up by having students find movie times in the newspaper or online, then figure out what time a listed movie will end.

Introducing Daily Starters Fun Facts

Have volunteers read the History and Fun Facts aloud. Talk about each. Encourage students to think of questions about the topic. Have them record interesting questions about the topic. Keep the question lists as sources for independent project ideas. 

Grades 3–5 Daily Starters: Weeks 2–36

Continue the routine established during Week 1 for each week of Daily Starters.

Extension and Enrichment Activities for Grades 3–5 Daily Starters

• Word Study Word Wall. Have student illustrate homophones and confusable words. Display them on a bulletin board for students to refer to when they are writing.
   
• Did You Know? Make bulletin board display of Fun Facts and History tidbits. Have students find additional facts/details and write them sticky notes to attach to the Daily Starter History or Fun Fact bulletin board. Collect them in a class book.
   
• History and Fun Fact Cloze. Expand History or Fun Facts to make a cloze reading comprehension activity. Leave the first sentence intact. Then replace each fifth or seventh word with a write-on line. Have students work in pairs or groups of three to fill in the missing words.
   
• All Sorts of Facts. Write History and Fun Facts on index cards. After a few weeks, have students sort the facts by topic.
   
• History and Fun Facts Games. Use the facts for Jeopardy, Concentration, or Charades.