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Short & Sweet Mini Lesson Formula
Connection: I review the anchor chart. I literally ask the kids to read the anchor chart aloud together as a reminder for students of what they've been doing for the past few days. This takes one minute.
Teaching Point: I name today’s new strategy very clearly and explicitly. One or two sentences max. Perhaps, I hold a finished example or mentor text of this strategy in my hands as I say this as visual support.
Teach/Active Engagement: In this modified version of the “classic” mini lesson architecture, I skip the teacher-centered demonstration, and invite the kids to help me practice the strategy on a familiar piece of writing – once. (If they need extra practice, I can always do a mid-workshop interruption and repeat the active engagement, once they are off the carpet and at their writing spots).
Link: I add today’s strategy to the anchor chart and remind kids of all the choices of strategies they might choose from – today, and everyday. (Again, this is basically rereading the anchor chart. One minute.)
Note on one more adaptation: I aim for anchor charts with very little text, and picture clues to support the meaning — at every grade level. This often requires adapting the chart used as an example in the published unit.
