Planning the Effective Mini-Lesson and Conferences

November 8, 2011

Karen Hartle and Michelle Klee

Think-Pair-Share

How do I decide what to teach and when?

The Mini-Lesson

• Should be clear and concise. • Contains a single teaching point that is explicitly

modeled with a demonstration of transference into independent work.

• The teaching point is necessary for MOST of the students in your class.

• Provides an opportunity for student interaction.• Can be reinforced and extended in conferences and

subsequent mini-lessons.

Structure of the Effective Mini-Lesson

1. Connect lesson with lesson from the day before stating what will be learned and setting the purpose for today's reading work.

2. Teach the new strategy using a mentor text and modeling with think aloud. Be very explicit and direct modeling what proficient readers do to comprehend text.

3. Actively engage students in strategy use with a quick opportunity to try it out or discuss with a partner.

4. Link the lesson to the students on going reading work, "Today and everyday when you read you will.... because that is what readers do.”

5. Revisit the strategy at the end of the workshop with a whole group share. This allows the teacher to make specific connections to on going reading work in the classroom.

How “Mini” is Mini?

• The readers’ workshop model is designed to maximize time students are engaged in reading of high-success texts.– Get kids reading A LOT! Allow them to read

25-35 minutes independently during your reading block. Have a student keep track of how many minutes in school s/he reads.

Let’s look at one…

• Rick Kleine teaches 5th grade. In this video, he shares his thinking about making and adjusting theories as we read.

• http://youtu.be/CJjGKJawG8U

Turn and Talk

• How did Rick connect the lesson to previous learning?

• What strategy did he use to teach?• How did he actively engage his students?• How was the lesson linked to ongoing

reading work?

Types of Mini-Lessons

• Lessons on management and routines– Discussing books, choosing books, caring for your

reader’s notebook• Lessons on strategies and skills

– Word solving, using visual/print features, fluency, comprehension, text characteristics, personal response

• Lessons on literary analysis– Genres, story elements, text features, author’s craft,

character analysis, theme, literary devices

Turn and Talk

• For each of the following mini-lessons, identify one explicit teaching point for your students:– Abandoning books (Management)– Identifying the organization of ideas in poetry

(Skills & Strategies)– Analyzing how characters change (Literary

analysis)

Think-Pair-Share

• Consider a student. Somebody you have been trying to figure out or get un-stuck.

– What could you teach that would make the biggest difference?

Conferring• Research

– DRA2, F & P, reader’s notebook, post-its, open-ended response/writing about reading, observations during mini-lessons, or have the student read for you

• Decide– What does the student do well? Compliment!– What does the student need?

• Teach– Apply the 80/20 Rule

• What 20% instructional strategy will give us the 80% results? TEACH IT!

Readers’ Profiles--The Research Begins

• District Assessment Data (DRA2, DRP, F&P)• State Testing Data (Strands mastered)• Learning Style Inventory

What does the student do well? What instructional needs are evident, either to fill gaps or to move the student forward to the next level?

_______ Assessment

Profile

Profile

Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System

Instructional Level: Accuracy: Rate: Fluency: Comprehension:

Instructional Level: Accuracy: Rate: Fluency: Comprehension:

Small Group Instruction

Guided Reading:

Strategy Lessons Taught to Student:

Reading Interview

Preferred Genres/Books Used with Student

Individual Observations

Conferring:

Reading Log:

Reading Response:

Reading Goals (Personal and Teacher set Goals)

Goal #1: Goal #2: Goal #3:

Comp Comp Comp Vertical

Students General Dev. R/T Content Strands Scale Scale ReadingDRP Unit DRP Raw UnderstandInterpretationConnect Structure Mastered Score Score Level

A 61 36 12 8 7 9 4 285 495 4

B 54 31 10 7 6 8 4 252 457 4

C 50 31 11 7 6 7 4 244 447 4

D 52 26 8 8 3 7 3 233 434 3

E 59 34 12 8 5 9 3 274 482 4

F 70 35 11 9 6 9 4 303 514 5

G 56 27 11 5 4 7 2 244 447 4

H 66 31 10 8 6 7 4 278 486 4

I 51 28 9 7 6 6 3 236 438 3

J 64 32 9 7 7 9 4 278 486 4

K 50 28 10 6 5 7 2 233 434 3

L 75 33 11 9 5 8 3 303 514 5

M MAS MAS MAS MAS MAS MAS MAS MAS MAS MAS

N 70 27 10 6 5 6 1 267 474 4

O 62 35 12 9 6 8 4 285 495 4

P 46 29 11 7 5 6 2 228 428 3

Q 61 35 11 8 6 10 4 282 492 4

R 33 18 6 3 2 7 1 175 367 1

S 46 27 9 6 5 7 2 223 423 2

T 75 29 9 8 3 9 3 282 492 4

U

Teaching as LISTENING--the Research Continues

• Look and listen for patterns:– Reader’s notebook– Reading Logs– Anecdotal records– Conferring notes– Classroom assessments

Establishing Goals for Readers

• You’ve collected your data.• You’ve analyzed the data for strengths and

areas of instructional need• What are the patterns across data and

performances?• Prioritize--apply the 80/20 rule.• Create an action plan--methods, frequency,

duration, and specific strategies.

Rick Confers with Amori

• http://youtu.be/MP8v5cN2YcQ

As you watch look for: How he researches his teaching point What he decides to teach How he teaches it

Turn and Talk• What evidence of research did you see in Rick’s

conference with Amori?• What did he decide to teach?

More Conferring and the Wrap-up

Here Rick Kleine talks a bit about how he established the routine and structure of conferring in his classroom. You can also see excerpts of his work with 2 other individual readers. Notice how he meets each reader where they are within the context of the lesson.

http://youtu.be/JrhxmTZ2_JM

Think again about that student you are trying to get un-stuck.

• What does s/he do well?• What patterns of instructional need can

you see across data and observations?• What is the 20% thing you can teach this

student to get the 80% results?• Where can you teach it? How often? For

how long? What specific strategies will you use?

Turn and Talk

An “Aha!”An affirmationA next step for the classroom