Snapshots: Literacy Minilessons Up Close

By Linda Hoyt

Visualizing during reading. Choosing just-right books. Using a table of contents. Peer editing. What do these strategies have in common? They're all tools of skilled readers and writers. And there's no better way to teach them than through minilessons. Minilessons provide strategic, focused instruction that children can put to immediate use. They capture interest without risking boredom.

Linda Hoyt, author of the popular Revisit, Reflect, Retell, returns with the definitive guide to conducting minilessons across the literacy spectrum. Linda covers oral reading, guided reading, independent reading, and writing, providing more than 170 of her best minilessons for understanding individual words and whole texts, fiction and nonfiction.

For each "Snapshot," Linda guides you through a process for gradually handing over responsibility to your students: Demonstration: It's important to communicate the goal of the lesson to your students. Then, using one of the book's many reproducibles or your own text, model what you want them to do, explaining how you arrive at decisions. Make your thinking as transparent as possible so students will understand how to apply the strategy. Guided and Independent Practice: Give students the chance to try the strategy, perhaps in pairs, small groups, or teams--with you as coach. From there, allow them to apply the strategy in their personal work as you assess them for what they're doing well and where they need support. Reflection: Students must think about the strategy, to promote its long-term use. What did we learn? How did the strategy work for us? How else might we use it? Linda includes "Key Questions" within each Snapshot to get you and your students started. Snapshots is essential for making the most of even the shortest moments of your day. It will help you broaden your students' vision so they can see the many functions of literacy and apply them in real and meaningful ways.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 032500272X
• ISBN13: 9780325002729
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: Heinemann Educational Books
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 8.5" x 11.0"
• Grade Range: Kindergarten to Grade 5

Customer Reviews

Snapshots!

This is a great book for educators to use as a guide to conduct minilessons. It has many minilessons that vary from reading to writing. It also discusses how to conduct minilessons and why to use them. It is also an easy read and enables teachers to get a better idea of what a minilesson is.

Teachers, Teachers!

Do your mini-lessons tend to become maxi-lessons? Then this book is for you!! "Snapshots: Literacy Mini-Lessons up Close" written by Linda Hoyt is a great resource for all educators. The book contains many examples of grade appropriate mini-lessons geared toward reading, writing, and much more! This book will help teachers conduct mini-lessons within the classroom. It provides practical strategies that help to support a balanced literacy model.

Minilessons Galore!

This was an excellent book with 174 minilessons for teachers to use for reading. There are nine chapters in the book; however, only four chapters are usable for upper grade teachers. Middle school and high school teachers would probably not find these minilessons useful. The four chapters that could be beneficial for upper grade teachers include minilessons for literature discussions, independent reading, informational texts, and writing ideas. I teach fifth grade, and I was able to get some ideas and use some of the reproducibles from this book. If you are looking for a myriad of minilessons for a large range of grades (K-5), then this is the book for you!

Awesome literacy find!?!?!

This book is filled with practicle strategies that help to support a balanced literacy model. It read very quickly. My favorite chapter was titled: Reading Strategies Alive!!. It has great reproducibles that helps to support students' flexible use of all good reading strategies. Other chapters inlcude: phonemic awareness, comprehension, independent reading, nonfiction text, writing and guided reading. The entire book is filled with excellent reproducibles that do not need to be changed at all for use in you classroom. I have used many of these reproducibles with my reading students.