Samantha

Boyd
November 17, 2014

Comprehension/Writing Minilesson
To be taught on October 29, 2014

Materials needed:
-Story Words
-Here They Come! By: David Costello childrens book, which is an instructional
level for 3rd grade
-Paper for their writing activity
-Pencils for their writing activity

Pre-reading activity procedures: 5 minutes total
-Story words will be posted on the SMART board while students are seated at their
desks.
-The teacher will explain that the words on the board come from the book the class
will read, and that they need to think about the words to try and figure out what the
book is about.
-Students will have 1.5 minutes to think about the words to themselves.
-Students will do a partner activity where they will talk to the people sitting beside
them about what they think the book will be about for 2 minutes.
-The teacher will call on 5 students to share their ideas about what they think the
story will be about.

During-reading activity procedures: 10 minutes total
-The class will transition to the reading carpet in the classroom to begin the read
aloud.
-In looking at the cover of the book the class will discuss what they think the book
will be about.
-Throughout the reading, the teacher will pose questions about the pages and the
story:

-Page 1 after a party to be What do you hear as I read these words?
(Rhyming)

-Page 3 after about to arrive Who do you think the guests are going to be?

-Page 9 after with cinnamon rolls Why does the ogre have cinnamon
rolls? (For the party/cookout)

-Page 13 after really swinging Is this story going anything like you
expected it would?

-Page 15 after made out of straw Why would he have to watch out if hes
made of straw? (Hell catch on fire)

-Page 19 after creatures of all Who has an idea of who they think the
scariest creatures are?

-Page 20-23 Look at the pictures and discuss what is happening

-Page 30 after Halloween night Who were the scariest creatures?
-The teacher will ask if anyone predicted a story close to what the class read.


Post-reading activity procedures: 15 minutes total
-While still on the carpet, the teacher will explain that each student will be writing
their own new ending to the story in two pages or more. They can work until time is
up.
-The class will discuss what the ending of the story was so everyone will be clear on
what they cannot write about.
-The teacher will emphasize that it has to be a new ending, not a new beginning or
middle.
-The class will go back to their seats, pull out some paper, and begin writing.
-The teacher will check that the students have two pages of writing before they are
finished.

Comprehension/Writing Minilesson Response Paper

The pre-reading activity, story words, set a purpose for reading the book

because after seeing the words, the story was a mystery. They wanted to see what
actually happened and if they were close in their thinking. This helped get them to
pay attention during the read aloud as well since they wanted to see how their
thoughts matched up. The students responded well to this. When I told them to
start thinking about the words as I read them aloud, hands shot up. Having them
talk to their neighbor about their idea was great because it made sure everyones
idea was heard. This is something I will do in the future for sure. It really helps get
them excited for the story. I originally didnt plan to read the words aloud to them,
but since they were so small on the board, I decided it would be best.

During the read aloud I posed many discussion questions getting them to

interact with the book and the pictures. Having them answer discussion questions
throughout the book kept them intrigued and engaged. It was interesting to see that
there were three students in particular in my second class that wanted to answer
every question. The students really liked the book. In my first class no one guessed
anywhere near what the ending was or how the story went, but the second class had
some close ones. When I asked, Who has an idea of who they think the scariest
creatures of all are? I had one student in the second class guess correctly. The
students were impressed.

Finally, the writing and assessment portion of the lesson plan was successful

as well. I had them write a new ending to the story starting with, Here come the
scariest creatures of all Some of them had a really difficult time with this, but the

majority of them were okay. I gave the book to some of the students when they
were struggling to write something. I also overestimated their skills quite a bit. A
two page new ending is not appropriate for a third grade classroom, so I changed
that mid-lesson to a one page ending in the first class. In the second class I had them
just write until they felt that their endings were completed. I didnt give them a limit
or a requirement on length and they seemed to do better with the assignment. This
activity integrated the new information from the book with what they already knew
about the vocabulary and the way Halloween books usually end. They were able to
make up a new ending knowing what they know about Halloween and scary
creatures.

My cooperating teacher was making some great suggestions on how to make

the lesson more appropriate for their general level, so I used what she was
suggesting to tweak the lesson. Having students write until they were done was
much better than having them write two pages. Only a few students made it to the
second page at all. I did have one student that wrote over six pages though. He
wrote more of a story rather than an ending, so talking to him about really thinking
about the directions before he gets writing would be good. Also allowing for more
creative writing assignments would be especially beneficial for him. He clearly has a
desire to write and make up stories, so he needs time to do that. I also made a
change with stating exactly where to start their new ending in the second class after
I realized there was a struggle and confusion with that in the first class.

As much as I love to write, its going to be difficult for me not overwhelm my

students with writing. While I want to show them how great writing can be, I do

need to make sure Im appropriately including it their classroom experience. In

order to implement writing and comprehension, I will need to first have assessment
data like the DTRA and running records to help me arrange them in groups based on
their fluency and word study levels. Using comprehension assessments like DIBLS
is also important to consider. A student could have great word study skills, but need
extra help in comprehension. Comprehension should consist of about 30-40% of
their instruction time and writing should be about 20% for transitional and
instructional readers. Each lesson will have a pre-reading, during reading, and post-
reading activity. All three are essential to a good lesson. I will need a variety of
materials to work with my students on comprehension and writing. First, having
plenty of leveled books to read is the most essential component. If Im having every
student do the same activity all the time, I am not meeting his or her individual
needs as a reader. I will also need plenty of ideas to make them excited about what
we are doing. Just having materials is not enough to create a successful lesson.

Story Words for Here They Come!

Fright

Bump

Scariest

Cinnamon rolls

Woods

Someplace

Party

Marsh

Feet

Singing

Thunder

Swinging

Alive

Straw

Greeting

Bitten

Scarecrow

Pie

Carving

Squished fish

Bat

Sparkle

Hat

Delivers