How do I plan a comprehension mini-lesson?

Every reading or writing mini-lesson needs to include we teach in reading or writing needs to include the four steps of explicit instruction:

1. Introduce the skill.
2. Demonstrate the skill through teacher instruction (I do).
3. Support students as they interact with the skill (We do).
4. Close the lesson.

When planning whole-class reading comprehension lessons, my Comprehension Planner can help you to stick to this four-part process with fidelity.

Incorporate Inference
When executing the four steps of instruction on any comprehension standard, it is important to remember that they all require inferring. Thus, each whole-class comprehension lesson should be tied to Roz Linder’s Silhouette Head.

Step 1: Introduce the Skill
Start the week's mini-lesson by introducing the specific target skill using the accurate academic vocabulary term (e.g., We are going to learn how to infer a character's perspective.). Keep the skill “mini” by making sure it’s short and focused. Incorporate the Silhouette Head as a focal point for the first several days, introducing the same target comprehension skill throughout the week.

Step 2: Demonstrate the skill through instruction
After naming the skill, explain the specifics of the skill by YOU (the teacher) doing the work. YOU execute a Think Aloud while reading a passage (Reading Voice) and putting details together (Thinking Voice). For students, this is the I Do, You Watch & Listen portion of the mini-lesson.

To help you plan and present the I do, consider using Think Aloud cards, a 16-card deck of "I" Statements (e.g., I'm wondering if... But then I... This makes me think that...). Holding the cards up while you're talking reminds students that Step 2 is YOUR show.

It is crucial that you plan out this portion of the mini-lesson. If you attempt to wing it, the mini-lesson will likely go long or you will start asking questions of the class. When this happens, the “I Do” bleeds over into Step 3 (We do) prematurely. Step 2 is all about teaching the thinking.

Plan out your Think Aloud
Note that the Comprehension Planner has two pages. The top of the second page includes a space to identify the text details that lead to the answer. Slowing down and reflecting on your process allows you then to show students explicitly how you made the inference.

Keep in mind that the entire four-step mini-lesson process is to be only 15-20 minutes. There will be facets of the skill that the students need to know that you will NOT reveal during the initial lesson. The key is to break up this skill into a multi-day series to keep it from getting too long and too in-depth on the first day.

Step 3: Foster interaction—We Do
On the back side of the Comprehension Planner, plan how to guide the students through a parallel experience by doing the exact same type of thinking with a different text, excerpt, passage, etc. Make sure to point out all of the key points you demonstrated in Step 2—but this time, invite the students to help you do the work.

Treat the We Do with the same attention that you gave the I do. Expect to guide students' Thinking Voices. Although you will give students time to Turn & Talk, anticipate that you will do most of the work because they are still in the early learning stages of the skill. Redefine We do to mean I do another one; you help.

Step 4: Closure—Wrap it up

After the 7 or 8 minutes in Step 2 and the 7 or 8 minutes in Step 3, Step 4 needs to close the lesson quickly. Reiterate the comprehension skill that will be the focus for the week. Secondary teachers may lead students into working on a task related to the new skill. But, for most elementary teachers, end with an invitation to think like this during classroom library or when reading independently.


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