McMurry, Maggie

10/06/2015

Teaching Reading: Mini Lesson Format (Calkins, 2001)

Targeted Literacy Strategy or Skill: Noticing and Thinking About New Learning
Grade level: 5th Grade
Objective: The student will be able to comprehend text better by merging their thinking with the text and
be able to understand and remember new information.
Common Core State Standard/ PASS Standard: RI.5.10, By the end of the year, read and comprehend
informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the
grades 4-5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Prior knowledge: (What students already know)
Students know what Nonfiction books are and have schema about many different subjects and ideas.
Observations/Rationale: (Before Lesson) What did you notice in your students work that let you
know this lesson was necessary? (This will be an approximation this semester.)
I have noticed that some of you are having a hard time remembering information that you dont have
much schema on. This strategy we are learning today will help you learn, understand, and remember
important information that can be easily forgotten about.
Materials Needed: Sticky Notes
Lesson from (Name your source including page number): Strategies that work, Stephanie Harvey and
Anne Goudvis
Mentor Text: Lightening, by Stephen Kramer
Student Groups (whole/small group/partners): Whole group, followed by small group, then back to
whole group.
Mini Lesson Format:
Connect (AKA~ Anticipatory Set, Engagement/Pre-reading):
Today we are going to be talking about learning new information while reading nonfiction books.
Can someone remind me what nonfiction means? Very good! They are books that you read to gain
information. When youre reading a nonfiction book and encounter a new fact, how many of you
hear an inner voice say, Wow! I didnt know that.? Thats good; you already know how to listen
to that inner conversation. Sometimes, though, learning new information can be tricky! Were
going to learn how to use that inner conversation to help us learn and comprehend new
information.
Teach (Model/Explain)
Now, Im going to read Lightening by Stephen Kramer. While I am reading, Im going to model
how I use my inner thinking to help me understand and remember new information that I come
across in the book. Begin reading ands stop along the way to show students how to connect inner
thinking with the text to gain greater comprehension. Im going to stop here and write a sticky
note. I didnt know that 100 lightening bolts strike the earth every second. Thats a lot! On my
sticky note, Im going to write the letter L in the corner and circle it, this stand for Learn. Im also
going to write Wow! to show that this is surprising information. This helps me really listen to that
inner conversation and merge my thinking with the text, so that I understand it better and am able

to remember the new information I just read about. Continue reading and do this one or two more
times.

Active Engagement (AKA~ Check for Understanding: students try it out, teacher observes):
Now I want you to read the passage I handed out to you and use sticky notes to jot down new
information you might come across. After youre done talk at your table about some of the new
facts you learned. When everyones done discussing their finds well come back and discuss them
as a class to hear some of the interesting facts everyone has learned. Students read and share
facts.

Link (AKA~ Closing the Lesson [with accountability for the skill/process])
Why do you think its important that we stop, notice, and think about new information we read?
Youre right! Jotting down new information helps us remember the important things we read;
when you react with the text, there is a greater chance you will comprehend it. Next time you are
reading a nonfiction book, use this strategy of writing down new learning and marking it with an
L to help you understand and remember the text more. Great Job today!