Kimberly Granato

EDR 317
MiniLesson
Prof.JagieloManion
Objectives:
Students will be able to brainstorm common characteristics that will form a main idea.
Students will be able to identify the main idea.
Formative and Summative Assessment:
Students will have met the objectives if they are able to correctly identify the main idea that has been displayed.
They will also meet the objectives if they are able to compile a group of images that come together to form an
overall main idea.
Materials/Standards:
Blank paper
Markers
Post it notes
CC.1.2.1.A
Identifythemainideaandretellkeydetailsoftext.
CC.1.2.1.G
Usetheillustrationsanddetailsinatexttodescribeitskeyideas.
Introduction:
Tell the students that today they will be learning about how to create and discover the main idea. This skill is
helpful when reading new books, or even watching movies. Without knowing the main idea it would be hard to
understand the plot line of the story, that is why being able to decipher the main idea is a useful skill to have.
Relate this to prior knowledge by asking the students if they ever experienced a time when they did not
understand what was going on in a story. Then ask if they can explain why they think that they did not
understand.
Teaching Model:
Model this concept to the students by doing an example with them. On the top of a large piece of paper or a
smart board, write the main idea of your drawing so the students know. Then ask the class to raise their hand
and name objects or activities that correlate to the main idea that is being described. Draw what the students
have stated on the board until there is enough to cover the board.
Guided Practice:
Explain to the students that they will repeat this same activity except in small groups. Each student will draw
their own main idea picture, while omitting the main idea at the top of the page. The other students in the
group will then have to guess what each others main idea is and write the guess on a post it note. After
everyone has presented and guessed, the students will open up their guesses and see who was correct. If there is
an incorrect answer the student who drew the picture will explain why their images correspond to the main idea.
Independent Practice and Application:
Students will break off into small groups and practice by creating their own main idea chart. They will also use
the concepts that are drawn by the other students to try to guess what the main idea is of that drawing.

Closure:
Explain to the students that the skill that they have just learned and practiced, is the skill that they will use while
decoding the main idea of a story. Students should gather different concepts through out the story that they
think are important and make a list of them. From there, the students will decide what they all have in common
to come to the main idea.
Differentiation:
This mini lesson supports students who are below level because instead of having to read and comprehend what
the main idea is through text, they can express it via their own drawings and come up with a main idea on their
own. To support students who are above level, this mini lesson challenges them to create their own main idea
while pulling together different concepts that relate to the topic. Since they are free to choose their own main
idea they can pick a topic that is challenging to them. ELLs are supported because this mini lesson requires
them to draw pictures that are universal to all languages and cultures.