Madesen Shippman

09/16/2015

Teaching Reading: Mini Lesson Format (Calkins, 2001)

Targeted Literacy Strategy or Skill: Inferring
Grade level: third grade
Objective: The student will be able to use context clues from the title, illustrations, and text to expand
their vocabulary
Common Core State Standard/ PASS Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from
nonliteral language.
Prior knowledge: (What students already know)
They know how to use the dictionary to find the meaning of words.

Observations/Rationale: (Before Lesson) What did you notice in your students work that let you
know this lesson was necessary? (This will be an approximation this semester.)
The kids are getting frustrated when they are reading and dont know the meaning of a word and dont
want to take the time/ have the time to look up the definition in the dictionary.

Materials Needed: Fly High:The Story of Bessie Coleman by Louise Borden and Mary Kate Kroeger,
large four column think-chart (Word, clues, inferred meaning), copies of think sheets for kids
Lesson from (Name your source including page number): Strategies that Work pg. 139
Mentor Text: : Fly High:The Story of Bessie Coleman by Louise Borden and Mary Kate Kroeger
Student Groups (whole/small group/partners): whole group- partners
Mini Lesson Format:
Connect (AKA~ Anticipatory Set, Engagement/Pre-reading):
Listen to the sentence I am about to read I will advocate to the manager on behalf of Erin because I
think she deserves the job. Can anyone tell me what the work advocate means without getting up and
using the dictionary? If so, how did you do that? If not, would you like to be able to? If I had read you
more than one sentence you might have been able to by using the other sentences or words to be able to
understand what the word advocate. And that is what I want you to learn today. That process is called
inferring. I am going to read you this book titled Fly High:The Story of Bessie Coleman by Louise Borden
and Mary Kate Kroeger and we are going to try inferring the meaning of some words as a class. When I
read a word you have never heard before I want you to quietly raise your hand. I will finish the page I am
reading and we will add the word to this inferring chart.

Teach (Model/Explain)
(Starts reading book. And comes across the word Pullman porter) Here is a good place for me to
show you what I want you to do as I finish reading. I dont know what the word Pullman porter
means so will write it on the left column of the inferring chart. And now I will read a few more

sentences that give me an idea of what this word means. (reads a bit more.) From those sentences
and the pictures I see a train and a man and that is what i read about I will write those ideas in the
clue section of the chart. I have a reason to infer that a Pullman porter carries luggage for train
passengers so I will write that in the inferred meaning section of our inferring chart. Thumbs up if
you understand what I want you to do? (Clarifies directions if any questions and continues reading.
When a hand shoots up in the air I finish the page and write the word on the chart under the Word
section, and then I quickly decide what the best way to infer this word is.) (Do this process for the
next two words as a class.)

Active Engagement (AKA~ Check for Understanding: students try it out, teacher observes):
Now we are going to switch this up a little bit. I am going to pass out think sheets for everyone
then finish reading. When we pass a word you have never heard I want you to raise your hand, just
like before. But, instead of inferring as a class we are going to turn and talk with a partner and
together you will infer the meaning. I will read a few more sentences like I did on the previous
words and show you the picture but I want to see you infer on your own! (Continue what I did
when the whole group was working together- checking back with the students after each word to
make sure we are all on the same page.)

Link (AKA~ Closing the Lesson [with accountability for the skill/process])
Does everyone see how much easier it can be to infer the meaning of the word by using your
brains and what is in the book instead of going to find a dictionary or myself? Keep these charts I
passed out in your reading folder. Every time you are reading and come across a word you dont
know get your inferring think chart out and write down what your guesses are that you found using
the clues from the book. After a while, you will be able to infer without using the chart!