Engaging Mini-Lessons that Link to the Larger Picture By: Mindy Smith

Engaging Students Why do you think some students complain about writing? How can we make it more interesting?

Engaging Students “Teachers set the tone that values student curiosity and thinking and respects all voices and visions. We work hard to build a community of thinkers, expressers, listeners, and learners, a community where kids and teachers care and wonder about each other’s interests and ideas and take time to talk about them, think about them, and explore them.” (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007) Harvey, S. & Goudvis, A. (2007). Strategies that work: Teaching comprehension for understanding and engagement. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Instructional Practices “Variety is the spice of life! We design instruction that will keep our kids interested and matches the task at hand.” (Harvey & Goudvis, 45) Harvey, S. & Goudvis, A. (2007). Strategies that work: Teaching comprehension for understanding and engagement. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Focus in on the Standards While the main focus may be on a large idea, such as a narrative or informative piece (no matter the form), there are small pieces that all link together that need to be in place. For example, students need to know how to write arguments. There are many pieces to writing an argument, such as claims and counterclaims. Without knowing each part, the student is unable to effectively create the whole. Another example would be that students are to develop narratives. To do this, they must be able to use ideas such as perspective, dialogue, and show/not tell details. If they are able to grasp the smaller concepts, they can use them to create the larger.

Activities/Mini-Lessons We are going to do a couple of the lessons that I do with my students to help them grasp different ideas. Sometimes these lessons occur at the beginning of a lesson, while other times they occur at the middle or end. I try to look for various sources to add in engaging lessons.

Activity One We are going to do an activity that deals with perspective. I have had my students complete this activity to see how the different perspectives change the view of the story and how it affects mood and tone. Once students have completed this activity they have a better understanding of how they can use a specific point of view in their writing to make it more effective.

Activity One Recap This lesson focused on point of view and how it can affect different aspects of writing. The students are connected because the video and/or books can be selected to match connections and interests. You could use other texts and videos based on age and student group. Students could then use these practices in their own writing to effectively engage their audience. Thoughts on this activity?

Activity Two I used this next activity with my students. We were working on arguments and I did a mini-lesson on counterclaims. Let’s give it a try. Once completing this activity, students had a better understanding of counterclaims. They understood that there will always be others who will argue against you and you must anticipate those arguments.

Activity Two Argument Activity: The following activity from “On-Demand Writing: Argument” by Angela Hilterbrand. Ideas were taken and adapted from Mrs. Hilterbrand’s professional development sessions that I attended. 1. Pretend you are selling a product. 2. One person takes on the role of a seller and the other a neighbor. 3. Write this dialogue back and forth. Anticipate arguments and have rebuttals for the neighbor who does not want to purchase flowers. Hilterbrand, A. Mr. or mrs. Grump—anticipating arguments in On-Demand Writing: Argument.

Why I Believe My Engagement Activities Work for Me They allow students to become engaged. They allow for students to work collaboratively. They are linked to ideas they are familiar with.

Explo How can I link these ideas to informational writing and to my science writing? While I am still currently looking for many ideas, I have found a few. We are going to try one now.

Explo: “Images are a great way to engage students, but become especially useful when dealing with struggling readers and writers.” (Saul, Kohnen, Newman, & Pearce,178) We are going to put into practice one of the activities that the authors discuss. 1. Take two minutes to go outside and take a photo of something found in nature that uses photosynthesis. 2. Using the picture, create a caption of your observations with photosynthesis in mind. Next steps: 1. Pictures would be displayed on a bulletin board and on an online source. Students could use these to get writing ideas.

Explo: Any additional ideas on how I could use engaging lessons in science and/or informative writing?

References Harvey, S. & Goudvis, A. (2007). Strategies that work: Teaching comprehension for understanding and engagement. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers. Saul, W., Kohnen. A., Newman, A., & Pearce, L. (2012). Front-page science: Engaging teens in science literacy. Arlington, VA: National Science Teachers Association. Ideas used from: