The groundhog told us it will be an early Spring, but it looks like Texas missed the memo. A winter storm is headed our way this week and I am thoroughly confused. But it won’t stop me from talking about all the Spring things in the classroom! March is next week (if you can believe it) and I am looking forward to fun reads on basketball, leprechauns, Mardi Gras, and much more! If you’re a bit unsure of how you’ll be transitioning your instruction for March, then I have a suggestion for you. Insert March reading mini-lesson ideas using a themed read-aloud, related directed drawing, and an easy reading response sheet.
Mini-lessons are used for introducing a larger lesson or skill by breaking it down into smaller sections. A great way to use them is by identifying an area your students may be struggling with, like finding facts and using a short amount of time to focus only on that skill. Using a simple reading response printable is a great way to focus on one important skill or topic. When you add the directed drawing, students are able to connect an object, place, or person with what they’ve read. And you keep their attention by breaking up the seriousness of what is being taught.
For reference, I want to show you how I would pair some of my favorite March picture books with a directed drawing and reading response, so you can:
I’ll be using directed drawings from my March Directed Drawings pack and reading responses from my 90 Reading Responses for Any Text resource as references for these reading mini-lesson ideas! (P.S, surprise FREEBIE below!)
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If your students need a little extra practice with forming questions about the text, in March, I love a good read-aloud about Spring! Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring by Kenard Pak is perfect for teaching this skill because students will want to know more and more about the changes that come in the new season. The Rain Cloud Umbrella directed drawing will help students visualize what happens with the weather when Spring arrives.
If you need a themed idea for March, Mardi Gras is perfect! Especially when you need a fun way to keep students engaged in pulling facts from a story. This would be a great opportunity to introduce a nonfiction reader. Plus, I’m 100% certain that your students will love playing around with the Mardi Gras mask drawing. You could even cut it out and loop strings through for them to wear!
When making connections, using related directed drawings goes a long way! Directed drawings help the students connect the text to a certain object, place, or person. So, when it’s time to build their own connections to the story, the drawings help prompt them on what they’ve seen in their own lives. In March, we go all in for March Madness! Salt in His Shoes is a great read about perseverance and working as a team, based on the life of Michael Jordan, it is perfect for helping your students identify their own experiences with not giving up and working alongside others. The Basketball drawing, in reference to teamwork, helps drive the idea.
When it comes to describing characters, sometimes I like them to be loud, mystical, and bright! Leprechauns definitely tick the box and students are so intrigued by their pots of gold. For this example, we use the book That’s What Leprechauns Do, a fun tale with a mischievous little Leprechaun that students are sure to love. Big personality characters are great for identifying character traits. And using a Leprechaun directed drawing allows students to express what that type of character looks like.
And just for you, I’ve included a bonus FREE directed drawing for St. Patrick’s Day. The Leprechaun wouldn’t be complete without his pot of gold! Grab it below.
If you need some additional St. Patrick’s Day picture book ideas, check out THIS post.
Sometimes you want students to reflect on books they’ve read. Having students identify their favorite book is a great way to assist students with writing small summaries about the text and how they make them feel. It’s also a great opportunity to learn a little bit more about them! This Student Reading a Book directed drawing is perfect because students can customize the title to the book they’re writing about. This is a great activity for celebrating Read Across America!
Celebrate the change of seasons with one of these fun March reading mini-lesson ideas! By building a lesson using a fun picture book, directed drawing, and reading response sheet, students can understand larger pieces of information and reading comprehension skills by consuming them in digestible chunks.
If you’re looking for any of the directed drawings mentioned in this post, you can find them HERE. For even more reading response prompts, check out the Reading Response Printables for Any Text resource with over 90 templates right HERE.
Have a wonderful March, friends! But don’t forget Your FREEBIE!
Fill out the form below to grab your Pot of Gold!
Hey, y’all! My name is Amy Lemons and I am passionate about providing students with both engaging and effective standards-based Math and ELA lessons.
Sample a day of Rooted in Reading with these lesson plans and activities for Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, and Grammar!
2 Responses
Hi Amy!
I already bought your March Rooted in Reading and it has several of these activities with the exception of the basketball DD. Is there a way to purchase just the activities to go along with Salt in His Shoes?
So sorry! Those are not available separately from the units.