Do you read a whole book during focus lesson?

[Amy_Doss]

When you are doing a focus lesson do you read the whole book? I know it is best to keep the lesson short? BUT, how do you do that if you read an entire book which may take 10 minutes itself? I see them get wiggly and inattentive but how can you teach story elements, problem solution, etc... if you don't read the whole book?

[the2sisters]

I know we often worry about reading the whole story at once, so here are a couple of ideas. I'm sure you have a separate time when you do read alouds. Plan to read the book you want to use for your lesson at a time prior to (even the day before) the lesson. That way, the kids can enjoy the book for itself, and you can do a quick retell before the lesson.

Depending upon the strategy you are working on in your lesson, just reading part of the book can be fine--even a part of that lesson--like for predicting, inferring, cause and effect etc. Then at another time--or for the next mini-lesson, you can continue the book.