CHAPTER 7: Focusing Lessons: Incorporating Literacy Strategies
What is a focus lesson? A focus lesson targets instruction in one area and emphasizes strategies used in authentic situations. Another term that may be more commonly used is "mini lesson". Basically, this type of lesson teaches a critical skill, then allows time for students to practice that skill. One example from the previous post might be explaining the what the journaling prompts mean. Looking back at all of the previous chapters in the book (or the blog posts), the following can be turned into focus lessons:
Literature Circle Procedures
- How to choose a book
- How to start a discussion quickly
- How to listen attentively
- How to keep the conversation going
- The role of a discussion group member
- What to write in your response journal
- What to do when you don't understand
- What to do when your group finishes
- How to mediate conflicts
- How to spice up a lagging discussion
- How to tie projects back to the book
Reading, Writing, and Response Strategies
- How to predict what is going to happen next
- Asking yourself or the text questions
- Comparing and contrasting
- Choosing a topic for your journal
- Elaborating with details
- Developing criteria for effective writing
- Incorporating ideas from your post-it notes
Literature Qualities - Story Structure, Literary Elements, Memorable Language, Genre Characteristics
- Story structure (climax, endings, problems)
- Memorable language (action verbs, simile/metaphor)
- Literary elements (character, plot, tone)
- Genre characteristics (fantasy, poetry, legend, biography)
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