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Kelsey Mercadante
READ 436
Comprehension/Writing Minilesson
When I experienced the Story Impressions Method for fiction books in READ 436, I was
automatically enthralled! As I was handed the story words and told to create a title from the story
words, I was automatically engaged. I loved the opportunity this method offers students to be
creative. It was fun to create and write a prediction of the story, just from viewing a few story
words. When Dr. Sullivan read the fiction story, June 29, 1999, I fell in love with the fun,
entertaining, and out-of-this-world story. Since I enjoyed this activity so much, I decided to
recreate this activity and use it for my fourth grade practicum class. I thought the fourth graders
would love this amusing story. I talked to my cooperating teacher, and she said she loved the
idea! She wanted me to conduct the minilesson as a whole-group instruction. Since the book was
read as a read-aloud, June 29, 1999 was an instructional level book that was appropriate for all of
the students in the class. Some of the words in the story were challenging, but the listening level
was appropriate for the class. This engaging, but appropriate book selection was perfect for
progressing the childrens comprehension.
My pre-reading activity for my lesson was the story words activity that consisted of a
prediction wordlist of fifteen words. Key words and phrases were selected to reflect the story
content. They were arranged vertically to indicate order. The students and I discussed any
unfamiliar words that they did not know. I provided a sheet of the story words with each of their
meanings on the document camera so the students could see the definitions of the words. I then
told the students to use the wordlist to create a title for the story. After the students created a
story title, I told them to write down a few sentences that describe their prediction of the story
before hearing it. Some students said that they did not know what to write, but I told them that a

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prediction is just your thoughts, and that there is no right or wrong answer. The pre-reading
activity I had the students do set a purpose for reading by allowing them to predict and see how
their predictions related to the story. Many of the story words were familiar to the students such
as research, experiment, weeks, vegetables, float, ground and supper. These particular words
activated prior knowledge of the students since the students knew the meaning of these terms.
After the students finished writing their prediction, I told the students while I read the book, they
are to follow along and check off each story word when they hear it. I told the students that the
story words were in order of the story. This activity represented the during reading activity. This
activity helped the children engage in the text and follow along with the story. It also caused the
students to actively listen to the story as they checked off the words when I read June 29, 1999
aloud to the class. After I read the story, I had the children write a summary of the story and say
how their prediction was different from the actual story. The post-reading activity integrated the
new information with what the student already knew by having the students write about how
their prediction related to the content of the actual story.
It was very interesting to see how the students responded to this minilesson. When I told
the students to create a title for the story based on the wordlist, many said that they did not know
what to write, because they did not know what would be a correct answer. The students also
responded the same way when I told them to write their prediction of the story. I had to take time
to explain to the students what a prediction is, and how there is not an incorrect answer for a
prediction, as long as it relates to the story words. I told the students to be creative when creating
their story titles and predictions. Some students were very creative, while others were simplistic.
When the students engaged in the during reading activity, some students seemed to worry when
they missed a word, while others had no problem checking off the words on the list. I had to

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calm the students who missed a word by saying it was okay if they happened to miss a word, as
long as you are following along as I read. The students seemed to really enjoy the book. They
thought it was funny when the aliens ended up being the cause of the falling vegetables. Overall,
the students did a great job summarizing the story and comparing it to their prediction. The
student predictions were reasonable and the summaries explained the story while also describing
how their predictions were different.
If I did this again, I would discuss the concept of a prediction before the lesson so
students realize that there is not a correct or incorrect answer that I am looking for. I would tell
students that as long as their prediction relates to the story words, then any prediction is great! I
would encourage students to use their imagination and create a prediction that connects the story
words. By telling the students this information upfront, the students will have a clearer
understanding of the pre-reading activity. Before reading the story, June 29, 1999, I will tell the
students to try their best to check off each of the story words as I read them, but if they happen to
miss one, it is okay. I will tell the students to focus on what the story is about in order to
summarize after the read aloud. By telling the students this information upfront, I will not have
to pause the story to tell students it is okay if they happened to miss a story word that I read. By
stating this information before I begin each of the lesson activities, the activities will run
smoother and support the learning of the students by clarifying questions. It would also be a
good idea to ask students if they have any other questions when moving from the pre-reading
activity to the during reading activity, to the post reading activity to clarify any confusion.
When I incorporate comprehension and writing instruction in my future classroom, I
hope to conduct lessons involving individual, small group, and whole class instruction. It is good
practice to attend to students who may need more support by providing them with individual

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instruction. When I use small group instruction, I will divide students into three reading groups
based on their reading levels. There will be a low, middle, and high achievement group that I will
each meet with. I will create equalized group names to value judgment. I will use the
Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) data I collect from each student that will tell me
where students are developmentally in their reading to plan lessons as well as how I group the
students. I will also have an organized scheduling for comprehension instruction. For example, if
I have three groups, I will always meet with my middle-level group first, so students do not
know which group is the high achieving group and which group is the low achieving group.
When scheduling my comprehension and writing lessons, I will always make sure to schedule
pre-reading, during reading, and post-reading activities, so students will be active readers.
I plan on always making sure the readability of the text is appropriate for the students in
my classroom. I will make sure students know how text works before we engage in
comprehension activities. For example, I will make sure to bookwalk narrative and expository
texts by explicitly teaching structures and how to navigate. All of the students in my classroom
will be active readers! I will make sure the students always approach reading with a purpose by
having them engage in pre-reading activities such as story words, anticipation guides, K-W-Ls,
brainstorms, and contrast charts. I will make sure students always think as they read by providing
them with during reading activities such as contrast charts, K-W-Ls, character/story maps,
timeline/summary notes, and response logs. Lastly, I will make sure students assess whether they
understand the story by having them integrate new knowledge with old knowledge by engaging
them in post reading activities such as response papers, think-pair-share discussions, redoing
anticipation guides, plot organizers/timelines, Venn Diagrams, and other activities.

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I plan on creating a variety of activities that I can implement in my future classroom to help
students with comprehension. The materials I would need for comprehension and writing lesson
would include books, specific charts and organizers for certain reading activities, and other
handouts that would go along with the activities discussed earlier. The students will always
produce a written product for each comprehension and writing lesson they experience.