Connect (Mini Lesson)

Upon beginning a mini lesson, it is important to connect with students. During this brief introduction to the teaching point, teachers work to bridge what students already know with what they are about to learn. This is the time when teachers will remind students about previous learning or ask students to share what they know about the intended focus of the prepared mini lesson. For example, if a teacher is planning to introduce visualization, she might connect by asking, “When you read, what is going on in your mind?” or “When we read aloud the book Tough Boris by Mem Fox yesterday, we talked a lot about how we pictured Boris von der Borch in our heads. Did you know that those pictures that we get in our heads when we read help us to become better readers? Do you know why?”