Minilessons

How do I use minilessons in my classroom?

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Minilessons

Do you want quick lessons that teach concepts or skills? Each 10-15 minute minilesson presents a concept and engages students in an activity. Minilessons are optimized to display on your interactive whiteboard, smart phone, or anything in between.

Minilessons Writing

Writing

Adjust voice for audience and purpose.

Communication Situation

Think of the sender, message, medium, receiver, and context.

Improve students' media literacy.

Chemcial Cause Effect

Analyze causes and effects of any topic.

US Gov Line Diagram

Analyze parts of a topic with a line diagram.

Photo of a blue exam book

Practice studying the parts of a test prompt.

Question Mark

Teach students to collect key details.

Teach students to form better questions.

twin sheep in a field

Help students avoid double subjects.

Traffic Light

Learn how to choose precise connecting words. 

Close Reading

Closely read with SQ3R.

An image of the planet Venus

Combine sentences for better flow.

Abraham Lincoln

Compare yourself to a president.

Presidents Venn Diagram

Analyze similarities and differences.

a tree blown over by strong wind

Help students sort out its and it's.

Image of the underground railroad

Correct capitalization.

Plane taking off

Correct capitalization.

California landscape

Insert end punctuation in the paragraph.

A tornado in a field

Make subjects and verbs agree in number.

Bison walking on the snow

Make subjects and verbs agree in number.

Engage in a written conversation.

Help students build command sentences.

Emergency Medical Response Flowchart

Chart a process.

Computer Lab Pie Graph
Teach how to make a pie graph.
black and white bow tie tuxedo

Match language with purpose and audience.

High school male cheering

Develop a main claim.

Illustration of boy writing his name in a frosty window

Use shared inquiry to develop personal narratives. 

American barber pole

Use shared inquiry to learn their, there, and they're.

Stick figure contemplating apples vs oranges

Study argumentation/persuasion.

Life Map

Help students gather ideas for narratives.

hieroglyphics

Teach elaboration with levels of detail.

Street Art

Learn how to add new details to sentences. 

Cheeseburger cooking on a flaming grill

Help students practice elaboration.

Cheerleaders at a high school football game

Add detail to sentences.

Egyptian Deities Cigarette Ad

Evaluate advertisements.

Evaluating Sources of Information

Evaluate sources with a checklist.
 

Westward Pro Con List

Analyze good and bad with a pro-con chart.

Image of the liberty bell

Correct run-on sentences.

Picture of Dorothea Dix

Fix sentence fragments.

illustration of squirrel looking through a telescope

Help students write strong focus statements.

Forming a Thesis

Focus on part of your topic.
 

Teach possessives and contractions.

girl freewriting

Have students freewrite for topic ideas.

Searching for Workplace Idioms

Find idioms on the Internet.

FDR quote

Imagine being a president's pet.

If I Were President

Think about being president.

Young adult writing on a notepad

Tips for starting and maintaining a learning log.

Floating on Air

Use idioms literally in a sentence.

Making the Abstract Concrete

Make concrete representations of abstract ideas.

Aristotle Statue

Appeal to ethos, logos, and pathos.
 

Say What?

Find and fix malapropisms.

dolphins

Devise creative solutions for impossible tasks.

Pilots interacting in a plane cockpit

Help students self-evaluate their writing. 

Stop Sign

Pause and reflect on your reading or learning.

Shocking Puns

Create puns using literal idioms.

Teach quotation marks with end punctuation.
 

Listening and Note Taking

Take a listening survey.
 

Reading as a Writer

Learn how to discover writing strategies from reading models. 

Photo of two young girls sledding

Energize students' writing with vivid verbs.

Illustration of sleeping dog

Identify and replace general nouns.

Selecting Topics

Use broad subjects to find specific topics.

Stamp of Mark Twain

Practice sentence modeling.

Marie Curie Time Line

Use time lines for critical thinking.

Illustration of boy reading giant book

Use shared inquiry to read fiction.

Using the Right Word

Practice spelling and usage.

Journal Writing

Help students begin journal writing.

Photo of a runner crouching at the starting line of a track

Practice five strategies for starting a story.

Photo of an open walnut shell

Practice one-sentence summaries.

Prepare students for how-to or process writing.

Gathering Context Clues

Learn about context clues for vocabulary.
 

Plot Line

Understand the plot line.

Memory Aid

Create memory aids for usage.

Use this video to help students think critically.

Response Sheet Example

Teach students to write peer responses.

Illustration of a flying fish jumping over a boy in a rowboat

Add a narrative touch to formal writing.

Open book with imaginary landscape

Use apostrophes with contractions and possessives.

Anteater

Use commas in series.

Fireworks

Use commas in dates and addresses.

Rain on a window

Use commas with numbers and interjections.

Context Clues

Learn new words with context clues.

Lights at field

Use hyphens in compounds and fractions.

Colorful fabric from a southwestern rug

Use numbers correctly.

parallel yellow stripes on road

Teach students to write using parallel structure.

tennis racket, badminton racket, shuttlecock, tennis ball

Teach students to analyze writing assignments.

illustration of man and horse imagining history

Help students gain a historical viewpoint.

illustration of girl writing and thinking

Help students see from readers' perspectives.

illustration of girl and boy working together

Help students improve empathy.

Gollum paddling in underground river

Use quotation marks with titles and quotations.

Smoothy integrate sources in your writing. 

an image of the recycling symbol

Use the right word.

illustration of a clock character holding a pencil

Teach about chronological transitions.

a line of apples transition from unfocused to focused

Help students add information and emphasis.

Words in the Wild

Search the Web for correct usage.

Comparing Apples to Oranges

Practice usage with a game.

A GROUP OF MEN AND WOMEN, WITH A GUIDE, WHITEWATER RAFTING ON THE PATATE RIVER, ECUADOR

Help students show instead of tell.

Two ice skaters glide along a frozen river

Help students write realistic stories.

a diary

Have students creatively narrate.

Kascinski's World Famous Hot Dog Stand Plaque

Inspire students to write family stories.

Image of plates and silverware

Use this prompt to spark students' creativity.

Create a dialogue with a historical figure.

Quill and Ink

Learn how to write a list poem.
 

Dalmatian dog lifts his head up and sniffs

Help students write a free-verse poem.

Vintage symbols of various arts

Review a song, dance, poem, or piece of artwork.

smartphone in female hands taking photo

Help students narrate and describe.

Creepy old house in the woods

Inspire students to collaborate in writing.

A GROUP OF MEN AND WOMEN, WITH A GUIDE, WHITE WATER RAFTING ON THE PATATE RIVER, ECUADOR

Teach students to use sensory details.

Illustration of a notebook and pencil

Teach student to freewrite for ideas.

Mop

Assign this prompt to spark students' creativity.

Minilessons 21st Century Skills

21st Century Skills

Communication Situation

Think of the sender, message, medium, receiver, and context.

Review media for point of view.
 

Improve students' media literacy.

Teach students to think about audience.

Help students think about sources.

Chemcial Cause Effect

Analyze causes and effects of any topic.

US Gov Line Diagram

Analyze parts of a topic with a line diagram.

Photo of a blue exam book

Practice studying the parts of a test prompt.

Question Mark

Teach students to collect key details.

Teach students to form better questions.

illustration of thermometers with different levels

Help students express intensity of emotion.

Mascot

Create a memorable class mascot.

Abraham Lincoln

Compare yourself to a president.

Presidents Venn Diagram

Analyze similarities and differences.

Buckingham Palace

Use spatial awareness to improve memory.

Engage in a written conversation.

Develop a growth mindset.

an image of a planning sheet

Help students plan projects.

Rubric Sheet

Create a quick rubric for any project.

Help students build command sentences.

Computer Lab Pie Graph
Teach how to make a pie graph.

Ask critical questions to detect fake news.

Image of an unbalanced scale

Practice detecting bias.
 

High school male cheering

Develop a main claim.

Illustration of boy writing his name in a frosty window

Use shared inquiry to develop personal narratives. 

Word cloud

Use shared inquiry to find word origins.

Stick figure contemplating apples vs oranges

Study argumentation/persuasion.

Evaluating Sources of Information

Evaluate sources with a checklist.
 

Westward Pro Con List

Analyze good and bad with a pro-con chart.

Read news from an unbiased point of view.

FDR quote

Imagine being a president's pet.

If I Were President

Think about being president.

Young adult writing on a notepad

Tips for starting and maintaining a learning log.

Making the Abstract Concrete

Make concrete representations of abstract ideas.

Aristotle Statue

Appeal to ethos, logos, and pathos.
 

dolphins

Devise creative solutions for impossible tasks.

Pilots interacting in a plane cockpit

Help students self-evaluate their writing. 

Stop Sign

Pause and reflect on your reading or learning.

image of a boy being bullied at school

Help students recognize bullying.

Luring the Unsuspecting

Learn to spot logical fallacies.

What Did You Say?

Learn to spot logical fallacies.

nine faces with expressing different feelings

Create mindfulness of facial expressions.

six images showing different body language

Create mindfulness of body language.

Marie Curie Time Line

Use time lines for critical thinking.

Low angle view of a male athlete performing a pole vault against the sky

Help students set and reach academic goals.

Illustration of boy reading giant book

Use shared inquiry to read fiction.

Help students improve problem solving.

Journal Writing

Help students begin journal writing.

Starting Stories with Suspense

Inspire storytelling with original story starters. 

Photo of an open walnut shell

Practice one-sentence summaries.

Teach students to think about context.

Clock

Change one small thing to change history.

Teach students how to analyze messages.

image of the brain showing the brain stem, limbic system, and cortex

Teach brain parts and functions.

Use this video to help students think critically.

illustration of man and horse imagining history

Help students gain a historical viewpoint.

illustration of girl writing and thinking

Help students see from readers' perspectives.

illustration of girl and boy working together

Help students improve empathy.

Two teenage girls holding balloons with facial expressions outdoors

Replace negative with positive self-talk.

A GROUP OF MEN AND WOMEN, WITH A GUIDE, WHITEWATER RAFTING ON THE PATATE RIVER, ECUADOR

Help students show instead of tell.

Two ice skaters glide along a frozen river

Help students write realistic stories.

Television illustration

Create a synopsis of a book, TV show, or event.

Writing a Fictionalized Diary

Have students write a diary entry of an everyday object. 

Image of plates and silverware

Use this prompt to spark students' creativity.

Create a dialogue with a historical figure.

Creepy old house in the woods

Inspire students to collaborate in writing.

Mop

Assign this prompt to spark students' creativity.

Minilessons Social-Emotional Learning

Social-Emotional Learning

a woman's hand squeezing a stress ball

Teach deep pressure to calm students.

illustration of thermometers with different levels

Help students express intensity of emotion.

Develop a growth mindset.

Practice kindness - inspirational advice on a vintage slate blackboard

Help students be kind to each other.

child crayon drawing of beautiful day and princess girl

Help students draw their feelings.

girls dancing and jumping in mid-air

Connect movement to emotion.

Track the ways your intuitions guide your decisions.

Calm your body and mind by voicing your feelings.

showing hand signaling to stop

Help students learn refusal skills.

image of a boy being bullied at school

Help students recognize bullying.

nine faces with expressing different feelings

Create mindfulness of facial expressions.

six images showing different body language

Create mindfulness of body language.

Low angle view of a male athlete performing a pole vault against the sky

Help students set and reach academic goals.

group of diverse young students standing together in classroom

Teach students strategies for staying safe.

image of the brain showing the brain stem, limbic system, and cortex

Teach brain parts and functions.

clouds spelling, "just breathe"

Teach 5-5-5 breathing to calm students.

Open a line of communication between body and brain. 

illustration of man and horse imagining history

Help students gain a historical viewpoint.

illustration of girl writing and thinking

Help students see from readers' perspectives.

illustration of girl and boy working together

Help students improve empathy.

Two teenage girls holding balloons with facial expressions outdoors

Replace negative with positive self-talk.

an image of a cat lying on its back

Use progressive relaxation to calm students.