Mini Lesson

I choose two students to focus on for my mini lesson. I chose them because whereas they are able to read quickly, they still sound a little choppy and do not include inflections when they read. Due to the choppiness of their reading, these students struggle with comprehension questions, more specifically the retelling and sequencing component of comprehension. I have learned this throughout the year by working with them individually in the hallway with comprehension as well as during read-alouds with the whole class.
I decided to focus on sequencing, including the details of the events. This way they can focus on sequencing events as well as retelling main details. The lesson went well. Both of my students were able to complete the sequencing chart and recall details, both with guidance from me. If I were to change the lesson I would try to make it more independent, allowing students to come to conclusions on their own and working with each other to fill out the chart. It was hard not to intervene when both students were wrong about the order of events. If I were to do it again I would start with a more guided sequencing lesson that we do together and use this one as a followup. Since I did not do that however, I would follow up this lesson with another sequencing lesson where they have less guidance from me. Practice with different texts will help them master this concept.

Grade: 2nd Mini-Lesson Rationale: Some of my students struggle with sequencing events in a story. This lesson is designed to walk them through sequencing as well as understand the importance of sequencing in stories. Objective for this lesson: While reading Stone Soup, students will be able to discuss the events of the story at the halfway point and at the end of the story. They will be able to explain the details of each event to the group as well as discuss the events of the story. Materials & supplies needed: Stone Soup by Ann McGovern Sequencing Chart

Procedures and approximate time allocated for each event • Introduction to the lesson (_3__ minutes) Today we are going to read stone soup. There are a lot of things that happen in a story. These are the events of the story and they happen in a certain order. Tell me what you did this weekend (both students share). Retell the story mixing up a few of the events and ask student if it is right. When they correct me respond with “it is important to remember the order of how things happened”. When I changed the events it changed the story right and didn’t make sense? Pay attention to what is happening in the story Stone Soup. • OUTLINE of key events during the lesson (_15__ minutes) Begin reading story, stopping after the halfway point and ask students for events so far. Ask students what is happening, recalling details from the events in the story. When the story is finished I will pass out a sequencing worksheet with a space for each event that happened in the story. Students will be asked to fill put the sequencing chart as we discuss the events of the story. When a student proposes an event we will discuss as a group if that is the next event or not. We will do this for each event in the story. • Closing summary for the lesson (_3__ minutes) Why is sequencing important? Would the story be different if the events were in a different order? It is important to remember the order of events every time you read something. Next time a story is read in class, focus on the order of the events in the story. Assessment: The assessment will consist of the worksheet and discussion we fill out. Students will be able to explain the events in detail as well as support why that is the next event. Students will have to explain their ordering if it is questioned by another student. This will tell me if we need to work more on sequencing in the future based on how their skills are in this area.