Shelby Hesser

Teaching Reading: Mini Lesson Format (Calkins, 2001)

Targeted Literacy Strategy or Skill:
Reading for the Gist
Grade level:
4th Grade
Objective: The student will be able to be able to recognize their own thinking during the reading of text
to adequately express their background knowledge and new knowledge in effective note taking.
Common Core State Standard/ PASS Standard:
4.1.R.1 Students will actively listen and speak clearly using appropriate discussion rules.
4.1.R.2 Students will ask and answer questions to seek help, get information, or clarify information
presented orally through text or other media to confirm understanding.
4.1.R.3 Students will engage in collaborative discussions about appropriate topics and texts, expressing
their own ideas clearly while building on the ideas of others in pairs, diverse groups, and whole class
settings.

Prior knowledge: (What students already know)

Students already have an understanding of how reading is about getting a constructed meaning, actively
participate in reading, using background knowledge, and that reading is meant to have a purpose.
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.)
Students have been reading with a purpose and using code texts when reading the text but have trouble
taking notes when the teacher is reading aloud. The students can all use the reading strategies but they can
only use one at a time. All of the reading strategies go together which is important for the students to
realize.
Materials Needed:
Lesson from (Strategies that Work pg. 187)
Mentor Text: Rylant, C., & Catalanotto, P. (1996). An angel for Solomon Singer. New York:
Orchard Books.
Markers
Reading Notebooks
Student Groups (whole/small group/partners):
Mini Lesson Format:
Connect (AKA~ Anticipatory Set, Engagement/Pre-reading):
In our past classes, we have been using great strategies to further understand our texts that we
are reading about. Today, we are going to learn about how to use all the reading strategies while
we read. Class, what reading strategies have we learned so far? Can you remember? Teacher lets
students answer/ brainstorm about different reading strategies they have used so far in the
classroom. Show anchor chart.

Teach (Model/Explain)
I am going to show you this wonderful book titled, An Angel for Solomon Singer by Cynthia
Rylant. Before I read this aloud, I am going to write in my Reader Notebook the chart on the
board with the list of comprehension strategies that we have already talked about and I want you
to do the same. I am going to ask for a few more examples after our reading so make sure you are
writing my examples down from the board and your very own examples as well.
As the students write the chart in their Readers Notebook, talk to the class about how they can use
their background knowledge and infer to try and figure out what the story will be about. Say out
loud what you as the teacher are thinking about and what the book could be about.
This helps the students remember what they should be looking and listening for when the teacher
reads the book out loud. Read the story and make sure to stop in different parts of the book and say
out loud as you write in your Reader Notebook (on the board), The reminds me of.., I am
going to make a quick bullet point under the important ideas section so that I remember this
part, I wonder why this happened.. so I will put that under my Questions section, or I am
going to sketch the Westside Caf really quick so I can visually remember what it looked like in my
head. Make sure to remind students that is okay if their predictions and questions are the same as
the teacher.

Active Engagement (AKA~ Check for Understanding: students try it out, teacher observes):
After finishing the book, ask the students to share their ideas out loud with a partner to later then
be discussed as a class. The teacher will walk around the room to observe if the students, did in
fact, take the proper notes with each section, see if the students are actively engaged in the
discussions, and to be an aid to any student that may need help.
You all have seen how I used each of these four sections in my Readers Notebook, I want you to
turn to a partner and share your ideas that you used when writing down your notes about the
story.
Give the students some time to talk it over with their partner orally while monitoring the
classroom by walking around and listening to the discussions. The teacher will carefully listen to
the students discussions with their partners to see if they have a better understanding of why it is
important to have a gist while reading.

Link (AKA~ Closing the Lesson [with accountability for the skill/process])
When you are reading different texts in the future, you can use the list of comprehension
strategies and the four section notes to create new notes. This will help you have a better
understanding of what you are reading using questioning, predicting, expressing important ideas,
and using visual notes as well. The next time you are reading, I want you to refer to our four
section note poster board and your notes from your Readers Notebook to be able to read for the
gist.