Chapter 8 Designing Mini-Lessons for Deep Comprehension

The purpose of a mini-lesson is to enable students to accomplish a particular goal with assistance from a teacher. Linda and Carla do not believe in providing a script for a mini-lesson. Instead, they trust teachers to know what to say based on the needs of their students. A mini-lesson should last approximately fifteen minutes and enable students to easily recall important information. The five steps involved in the framework of a mini lesson are as follows:

1. Introduce the lesson -review anchor chart of comprehension strategies
2. Model the process
3. Provide guided practice
4. Provide independent practice
5. Share time

There are five types of mini-lessons. During each mini-lesson, a teacher focuses on a particular strategy to improve students’ abilities to read effectively. The five types of mini-lessons are:

1. Procedures and organization
2. Comprehension strategies
3. Strategic behaviors
4. Language strategies
5. Comprehension skills

The remainder of Chapter 8 describes ten examples of mini-lessons used for shaping deep comprehension. These lessons use the five-step format described above. Each lesson is described in detail which makes them easy to follow.

Lesson Titles

· Rereading When Meaning Breaks Down
· Previewing or Surveying a Text by Using the Blurb on the Back Cover, The Inside Flap, and the Table of Contents
· Asking Questions Before, During, and After Reading
· Reading Aloud to Clarify Thinking
· Using Knowledge of Text Structure, Text Genre, and Writing Conventions
· Using Text Aids to Illuminate and Extend Meaning
· Marking Texts and Recording Notes
· Using Context and Parts of Words to Infer Meaning
· Writing in Reading Logs
· Discussing Ideas and Impressions with Others

“A mini-lesson provides a language model for arousing a reader’s attention. Students learn from the experts-their teachers-about the comprehending process. The teacher spotlights particular strategies used by good readers, then provides students with both guided and independent practice.” (page 107) I am convinced that this type of mentoring process will work as we strive to improve literacy. However, we must understand that “mini-lessons can introduce students to problem-solving strategies, but the comprehending process requires that the readers coordinate a range of comprehending strategies as they work to construct deep meaning.” (page 98)

Chapter 7: Creating Literature Discussion Groups

Literature discussion groups are simply small group conversations about books.

Theory: There are several different theories about literature discussion groups.
1. Britton feels it is a joint responsibility of all involved to keep interest and attention of the group.
2. Mel Levine in a "Mind at a Time" says that talking about books is a crucial behavior for shaping reading comprehension. Levine says discussion requires the reader to think in images.
3. Rogoff's Theory of Apprenticeship Learning - teacher presents the learner with problem-solvng opportunites, encouraging deeper levels of thinking. The teacher is the observer and determines when to and not to join the group.
4. Vygotsky's Theory of More Knowledgeable Others - Teacher must use language as an instructional tool for activating thinking.
5. David Wood's Theory of Contingent Scaffolding - The teacher scales the help. The teacher knows the students, models and guides participation using adjustable prompts.

Book discussions must be modeled by the teacher early on because a book discussion may be too abstract for students who have no experience. Book discussions may last for several days depending on the length of the book being discussed.

7 Components of the Framework of Literature Discussion Groups

1. Introduction and Selection of book - The teacher introduces several books for the students to put in order of interest, 1-3, and then the teacher using the students input selects the first book to be read.
2. Silent reading - The students then find a comfortable spot to read independently.
3. Teacher conference -The teacher conferences one-on-one with each student to check for comprehension and guide student thinking to a higher level.
4. Group discussion - The teacher periodically convenes the class for a group discussion of the book. The needs of the students should regulate the degree of support the teacher gives.
5. Peer discussion -Students are encouraged to continue discussing texts after they leave the group.
6. Text Mapping and Focus Groups - Teacher's role is to prompt the students to think analytically about the text. Use of story maps and discussion of author's style and text features is vital.
7. Literature extensions - Simply a list of activities to round out the reading. May include read another book by the same author; write a letter to the author; interview the main character, etc.

Chapter 4: Teaching for Strategic Processing

According to the World English Dictionary, metacognition is the process of thinking about one's own mental processes. As I read through this chapter I found myself thinking about MAX strategies. For those of you not familiar with Dr. Forget, he believes that it is a teacher’s role to “facilitate active learning by students.” MAX strategies provide students opportunities to practice reading in ways in which they are able to monitor their own comprehension, recognize when they do not comprehend, and know what to do to correct the situation if comprehension fails to occur. Dr. Forget’s strategies are like the problem solving strategies discussed in this chapter. They are strategies that if developed will improve a readers level of comprehension. This chapter explores how readers apply specific strategies to monitor, sustain, and extend their understanding.


Strategies for Regulating Comprehension
“Deep Comprehension requires readers to plan, select, direct, and orchestrate the various cognitive structures and processes available to the them in order to attain a particular goal. This involves readers’ making deliberate choices, including about the selection of particular strategies for figuring out words and the amount of time to spend on particular aspects of reading.” (page 38)

Two external behaviors that are signs of internal processing:

1. fluent and expressive reading (consist of 3 interrelated elements)(refer to Figure 4.2 on page 40 for further information)
   *speed (retrieval rate – is not an indication of comprehension)
   *rhythm (phrasing and orchestration)
   *flexibility (implies the reader understands how to self-regulate, or pace, the reading according to changing purposes and needs.)
2. efficient and economical self-corrections
   *outcome of higher level thinking
   *self-correction must happen for learning to occur
   *self correction behavior is the ultimate act of constructing meaning
   *Important questions to explore to provide teachers with a framework for exploring how our teaching may (or may not) be encouraging effective self-correcting strategies.
   ****How often do our readers self correct?
   ****What appears to trigger the self-correcting activity?
   ****How long does it take for a reader to solve the problem?
   ****Is there a change in the rate and efficiency of the reader’s self-correcting behaviors?

10 Most Important Strategic Behaviors (Comparable MAX Strategy)

1. Rereading.
2. Previewing or surveying a text. (Previewing)(Pre/Post-learning Concept Check)
3. Asking questions before, during, and after reading.
4. Reading aloud to clarify thinking. (Paired Reading)
5. Using story structure, text genre, and writing conventions.
6. Using text aids to illuminate and extend meaning.
7. Marking texts and recording notes. (INSERT) (Sensible Sentence Highlighting)
8. Using context and part of words to infer meaning.
9. Writing in reading response logs. (Focus Free Writes)(Student-Generated Graphic Representation)
10. Discussing ideas with others. (Think, Pair, Share)

Thoughts/Questions for Discussion:

Analyze your own reading behaviors and discuss. What are the most important strategies you use to construct meaning?

How can we as coaches help teachers better understand these strategies/processes and implement the strategies in their classrooms?