LambReads

Five mini-lessons to use while students work on writing their own fable. Excerpts from fables and folklore are provided for teacher modeling as well as opportunities for guided or independent student practice. Mini-lesson topics include characteristics of a fable, conveying a message or lesson, writing interesting hooks, using specific nouns, and proofreading.

This is a writing unit for a personal narrative. It includes a writing prompt and eight mini-lessons for organizing ideas, writing hooks, using specific nouns and vivid verbs, differentiating homophones editing. Mini-lessons include examples from literature for teacher modeling and guided practice opportunities for students.

This graphic organizer makes an analogy between writing a paragraph to a burger. The first sheet allows for teacher modeling and/or student practice with adding details (meat, cheese, lettuce) to a topic and conclusion sentence (the bun). The directions explain that just like you cannot build a good sandwich without ingredients to put between the bread, you cannot build a good paragraph without interesting details. Topics for this activity include friendships, computers, and reading. The se

Multiple meaning words are often confusing for students, especially English Language Learners. This activity directs students to think of several definitions or contexts for one polysemous word (i.e. run or light). Students create a wheel using two paper plates, one with a cut out window. They can use words and/or pictures to demonstrate knowledge of multiple meanings.

This writing project includes two mini-lessons to use while students work on writing an essay about the states of matter. The first mini-lesson addresses brainstorming and organizing ideas. The teacher can model webbing and creating an outline about the scientific method before students explore the topic of matter. The second mini-lesson tackles linking paragraphs to make the message clear.

When students write a set of directions to inform readers about a process, they often must revise for clarity. This mini-lesson includes an example for teacher modeling and a prompt for guided and/or independent student practice. As a bonus it also includes 3 multiple choice questions and 1 short answer problem for test taking practice or comprehension assessment using the model set of directions.

This is a planning sheet to help teachers consider four essential questions in instructional planning– What do you want students to learn? How will you know they have learned it? What will you do for students that struggle? What will you do for students that demonstrate mastering of the target skills/strategies?

This is a planning sheet to help teachers consider all essential components of a balanced literacy reading/language arts block of instruction. Word knowledge, vocabulary, comprehension and writing are all addressed in this planning sheet.

Isabel Beck, Margaret McKeown, and Linda Kucan suggest that teachers select 3-4 tier two vocabulary words in read aloud books to discuss with students. In their book, Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction, they suggest that teachers prepare questions to guide the oral discussion of vocabulary to help students build deeper understanding of words. This sheet provides three words and sample questions that could be used with the book, Testing Miss Malarkey by Kevin O'Malley.