1. Creative mini-lessons to inspire critical thinking
Dr. Tammy M. Milby, University of Richmond
Dr. Joan A. Rhodes, Virginia Commonwealth University

2. Session Description
Participants will be actively involved by participating in a variety of mini-lessons activities which utilize children’s literature to support strategic instruction. Throughout the session, presenters will model how to effectively guide children through a piece of literature. Presenters will begin with a thematic topic and will show how to seamlessly integrate the strands through mini-lesson instruction. Presenters will focus on how to use mentor texts successfully for research and writing instruction. Presenters will also model think alouds focused on comprehension strategy instruction and critical thinking, and will share techniques for building vocabulary knowledge. Tips for embedding multimodal literacies will be also included.

3. VDOE English SOL Institutes 2018
Thank you for attending our session!
October 11- Newport News
October 18- Richmond
October 29- Staunton

4. What does it make you wonder?
Opening Activity
Look at the picture book illustration
See/Think/Wonder
What do you see?
What do you think about that?
What does it make you wonder?
Visible Thinking, Harvard Project Zero, file:///C:/Users/tmilby/Desktop/VT_SeeThinkWonder.pdf

5. Book Cover

6. Structure of the Day: Reading Workshop
Where does a mini-lesson fit in during the language arts block in your classroom? How do you use the Standards of Learning to plan your mini-lessons?

7. What does the research say about effective mini-lessons in reading?
MATERIALS
Familiar text
Unfamiliar text
Fiction
Non-fiction
Multimedia
STEPS
Connect
Name It!
Model
Engage
Link to Reading
Confer

8. Let’s give it a try together!
Storyline Online
Mini-lesson Focus: Inferring character traits

9. Sample Lessons

10. Structure of the Day Mini-Lesson (quick 5-7 minutes) Watch the time!
Independent Writing
Students Write/ Teacher Conference
Sharing
Author’s Chair, Partner Share, or Spotlight Writers

11. What does the research say about effective mini-lessons in writing?
Connection/Quick Review
Teaching Point
Active Engagement/Link

12. Connection/Quick Review
Student learns why the lesson for today is so important/ connect to prior knowledge
Introduction of the mini-lesson
Teacher reviews the teaching point from previous lesson
Share your one teaching point for the day

13. Teaching Point
Learners are taught a new strategy or skill that they can use often when they write
State the teaching point and explain when/why/how a writer might want to use it
Show (select one):
Through modeling with your own writing
By demonstrating on a shared writing piece or through an anchor chart
Noticing the craft that authors use in children’s literature
Guided practice / scaffolding

14. Active Engagement/Link
Students briefly try the strategy as the teacher provides support:
Repeat the teaching point to get students ready for what they will practice & then students try it out (learners try what they were just taught by writing in their writing notebook or through “Turn and Talk” discussion)
Link:
Off you go to _____________(launch)
Get students excited to try what they learned
Remind students how this teaching point can be used in the future.

15. Sample Types of Mini-Lessons
Introduce a Genre
Model the Writing Process
Explore Strategies, Procedures, or Issues
Author’s Craft or Trait Focus
Voice, Word Choice, and Sentence Structure
Grammar and Conventions
Research

16. Let’s give it a try together again!
Storyline Online
Mini-lesson Focus: Small moments

17. Sample Lessons: Children’s Literature as Mentor Text
Read
Notice craft
Model craft Use
Encourage children to give it a try!

18. Mini-lesson Activity Divide into teams by grade level: K-1, 2-3, 4-5
Review the provided collection of children’s literature focused on the theme of Investigation/ Solving Problems (See attached book list for more specifics).
Select a text and create a sample mini-lesson (reading or writing) with a partner. Fill in the graphic organizer template.
Post & Share

19. Resources Professional Book List (See supplemental document)
Check out some of our favorite professional books which can help you implement successfully.
Bibliography of books on our theme of investigation/solving problems (See supplemental document)
Explore a list of children’s book titles which can help you to create effective mini-lessons.
Websites (See supplemental document)
Tips to help you integrate technology within your instruction.

20. Contact Information
Dr. Tammy M. Milby
Dr. Joan A. Rhodes

21. Disclaimer
Reference within this presentation to any specific commercial or non-commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer or otherwise does not constitute or imply an endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Virginia Department of Education.