Re: ESIA FRIENDS - I Need Your HELP

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I also don't have any research for you, sorry and phooey.
And I’m not sure I understand your dilemma, but here is my
thinking. It’s probably clear as mud.

I think in order to keep mini-lessons mini and focused, as
ML's are to focus on only 1 skill using 1 strategy, I use text
students have already seen so that they are focused on the
skill and strategy I’m modeling, not the “story”. Now the text
could come from books that have been previously read, read
alouds, interactive read alouds, science text, social studies
text, articles, etc. Sometimes I do whole group mini-lessons
and sometimes I do small group mini-lessons, because luckily,
I am not mandated (shhhh….don’t tell anyone) to do guided
reading all the time. Sometimes I use mini-lessons for a
particular reciprocal reading group or a particular literature
circle group.

For me, interactive read alouds are whole group, longer
lessons that focus on modeling comprehension strategies and
the deeper structures of text. The format of interactive read
aloud moves through the structure of teacher reading/modeling
with some instances of student activity (turn and talk, think-
pair-share, etc), gradual release through shared reading, and
a fluency and writing component (maybe.) Once we've used a
text for an interactive read aloud lesson; it goes in the pile
of texts that I might pull for a mini-lesson, but it might or
might not be the text I use for my mini-lesson that day.

I have a 10-15 min. read aloud time carved out at the end of
the day for the 1st 9 weeks to read and introduce our mentor
texts for the year. We just enjoy the story at this time.
Later in the year, I’ll use this time to read books with
curricular tie-ins, read alouds that will provide background
knowledge for upcoming reading, science or social studies
concepts or read alouds that will reinforce skills we’ve
already covered. I’m front and/or back loading the students so
to speak. For example, we’ve been discussing personification
this week, a new skill for my students. Later this year, I
will read My Life With the Wave, to revisit personification. I
just read The Wretched Stone and The Stranger to use later in
the year for inferring.

(Disclaimer: Please assume all lessons are implemented using
the most effective, engaging and exciting student-process
centered methods available with only the bare minimum of
teacher-centric, compliance based structures needed to make
our day organized and productive. - sorry couldn’t help
myself.)

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