What follows is Lucy Calkin's TCRWP (Teacher's College Reading and Writing Project) version of the workshop minilesson- and the version to which I subscribe. For this posting, I'll be talking in reading terms, but it is the same structure for writing.
Every minilesson has four parts: connection, teach (within that is the teaching point), active engagement, and link.
In the connection, we refer back to something we've read or learned as a class or to a problem you've been noticing. Or, we can begin with a little story from our own reading lives. The point is to help children access the schema they will need to proceed.
In the teach, we clearly state what it is that we will teach them through a one sentence teaching point. Even if you are doing a minilesson on the fly and have not planned the entire thing out, the one-sentence teaching point needs to be thought out in advance so that you can state it the same, non-cluttered, clear way each time you say it. After you state the teaching point, you move on to modeling it in the most explict, open-up-your-brain way you can.
In the active engagement, children get a shot at trying the teaching point before they are expected to do it in independent reading. Children can bring a book with them to the mini and sit on it until they need it. Or they can bring white boards to try out a print strategy. Or they can bring nothing and turn to their pre-planned turn and talk partner to talk their thinking out. The possibilities are endless. But one thing is for sure: without the active engagement, your lesson would have no "stickiness" to it at all. It would be all talk and no walk. The active engagement is the easiest part to skip but I implore you: DON'T!
In the short one or two sentence link, we state that teaching point one more time and we tie the skill to the child's real reading life or to independent reader's workshop. It is here that we are effectively saying, "I'm not just teaching this to you for when you are at school, but as something you can use for the rest of your life." In fact Lucy Calkin's personal catch phrase is, "So readers, today and everyday..."
Out of the entire thing, probably the most important part of the minilesson is a clearly stated, well-worded teaching point. I say "clearly stated, well-worded" because you'll be saying your teaching point 6 whole times within your 7 minute mini! Each teaching point needs to include a skill (what you're teaching) and strategy (one way the child can do it). The minilesson also has catch phrases to introduce each time you say the teaching point. The catch phrases I use are: Today I'm going to teach you that.... Watch while I... Did you notice how I... Now it's your turn to... I like how you all were .... So anytime you are reading...
The point is not to sound like a robot. You should word your minilesson in the way you normally talk. But by having your own personal catch phrases- or predictable ways of presenting new information- it tightens up your teaching and allows the child to focus on WHAT you're teaching, rather than HOW you're teaching it. The child can better hear your teaching point and not all the wordiness that usually surrounds it. I'll give you a couple of examples.
I'll start with a simple print strategy minilesson and then give one where the teaching point is a little more complicated to present. The teaching points are in italics and the catch phrases are underlined.
Connection:
Readers, yesterday when we were doing shared reading, I was impressed by how well you were using the pictures to figure out unknown words! But I noticed that sometimes, you would guess a word, but then when we looked at the word on the page, it didn't look like it could be that word. The letters didn't match. Today I want to teach you that one way readers figure out tricky words, is by looking at the first letter and getting their mouth ready with the sound.
Teach:
Watch me as I figure out a few tricky words in this big book by getting my mouth ready for the first sound. (demonstrate) Did you notice the way that I figured out the tricky words by getting my mouth ready for the first sound?
Active Engagement:
Great! Now it's your turn to figure out a tricky word by getting your mouth ready for the first sound. Ready? We'll read it together and when we get to that covered word, I want you to turn to your partner and tell them what you think it could be. (Let them practice on next two pages of big book -- have everything but first letter covered of the target words.) Excellent! On each word, I like how each of you read up to the tricky word and then got your mouth ready for the sound. It really helped you figure out the tricky word, didn't it?
Link:
So readers, anytime you're reading and you come to a tricky word, one thing you can try is to get your mouth ready for the first sound. Happy Reading!
Connection:
Readers, last night I was reading a really great novel when my dog bounded into the room and dropped a big, slobbery ball in my lap. I looked up and yelled, "Ewww!" After I had thrown it off, I looked back down and guess what? I had lost my place on the page. I thought to myself, that's what happens sometimes when readers get distracted, so today I'm going to teach you that in order to help yourself stay focused when a distraction happens, you can put your finger on the word you were reading and hold it right there.
Teach:
Watch me as I stay focused on my reading by putting my finger on the word I was reading and holding it there. (Ask a child to ring the bell in the middle of reading) Act out reading, bell ringing, I put my finger on the text, look up, and then resume reading where I left off. Did you notice how I was reading and when the bell rang, I put my finger on the word I was reading, looked up, and was able to keep reading?
Active Engagement:
Now it's your turn to practice staying focused by putting your finger on the word you are reading. Please take out the book I asked you to bring to the carpet and when I say 'go ahead' start reading. Remember what to do when you hear the distracting sound! (do it) Wow! I was looking around, and when the bell sounded, I like how each of you helped themselves by putting their finger on the word they were reading! Great job!
Link:
So readers, please remember that anytime you are reading and a distraction happens-- like a visitor walks in the room, or your mom calls you for dinner or someone steps on your towel at the beach-- one thing you can try to help yourself stay focused is to put your finger on the word you are reading. Happy reading!
Notice the green part of the link... an important purpose of the link is to plant ideas about leading an avid reading life. So it's vital that in at least some minilessons, we give readers ideas of when and where they might be reading, other than school.
Also notice that my teaching point was not perfectly the same every time. It's really easy to keep it the same when it's something short and clear, like in the first example. But when it's been difficult to word, it's OK if it changes a little each time. Writing a teaching point that has staying power is deceptively difficult. But after you practice a couple of times, you really get into the groove-- there's a rhythm to this!
Comments