Checklist

Today I taught a mini lesson about Checklists.  I came up with a mini checklist for my first graders based on the example Melissa showed us.  Last week I copied it on the bottom of their writing paper without telling them what it was for.  Today, I (finally!) told them what those smiley faces were all about.

Boy oh Boy!  If I have learned anything about teaching Mini Lessons from this Institute it would be:

"Only drop one magic capsule at a time in the water!"

As I was teaching the lesson, my mind was going a million different directions thinking about how to teach them to reread their story, color the correct face, check their writing before coloring the face, and how to go back and fix their mistakes if they forgot a period, capital letter, beginning middle or end etc. (does this even make sense?  To sum it up:  I was overwhelmed with all the things I thought I needed to teach them that day).  Then I remembered to ask myself "What one thing do you want your students to take away from your lesson?"  I was able to just let go of the fact that they wouldn't be able to do it all right away.   I only gave them just one thing to put in their pocket to take with them!

What one thing are you working on teaching your students?