3.2 Mini-Lesson (100 points).
After reading About “Mini-Lessons: Writing Workshop Fundamentals,” you will create-one mini-lesson template. You may download the template at the end of this article or research online a mini-lesson template, or create your own. (Note that you will be “teaching” this mini-lesson via video for your final-exam – presentation). Research samples of mini-lessons and create-your-own.
Be sure to include each of the following in your plan:
Connect: Make a connection to the past. Activate prior knowledge. 1-2 minutes
Teach: Identify and explicitly teach one clearly defined skill or strategy. 3-6 minutes
Active engagement: Students should turn and talk, try out the strategy, share reading, etc. 3-6 minutes
Link: Remind students to use this strategy while writing. 1-2 minutes
Include the conversation you would have with your students. Speaking prompts and questions you may ask during this lesson.
Minilesson Planning Sheet
Teaching Point:
Component Plan
Connection
(1-2 minutes)
Students learn why today’s lesson is important and how it relates to past lessons.
Teach
(3-6 minutes)
Identify, name, and teach one explicit strategy or skill within writing.
State “Today I’m going to teach you that…”
Demonstrate the skill or verbalize how the skill would be used.
Add the skill or strategy to a classroom chart or begin a new one
Active Engagement
(3-6 minutes)
Students may have time to:
Turn and talk
Stop and jot
Find places within their own writing to try the skill
Find places within shared writing to try the skill
Link
(1-2 minutes)
Teacher reminds students to use this skill whenever they can in their writing
Teacher refers to a growing repertoire of skills and strategies, usually on a chart
