If you feel you’re running short on time for any SNAP minilesson, finish the first two steps and save the following two for later in the day or the next day. The first two steps blend fairly seamlessly into each other, so try to do both of them (at a minimum) for any partial SNAP minilesson.
Acting
The third step, A, is for acting on the words by engaging in a brief conversation or some other task using the target words. These activities should be collaborative and engaging. Thus, this segment of instruction generates positive feelings that enhance cognition and increase the students’ enjoyment of language in general. The ultimate goal here is to heighten awareness of words while having fun. This segment should be low-stakes, low-stress, and enjoyable enough for even your most struggling and low-literacy students to engage. You want every student to engage in conversation about words at this step of the instructional sequence.
Producing
Lastly, step P is for producing an original application of the target words. This is the individual practice piece. Each student uses at least one of the target words in speaking, writing, or both. Teachers can integrate useful digital tools well within this segment. And with this closing piece, the minilesson includes explicit instruction, guided practice, and independent practice, all facilitated with the teacher using proven instructional strategies, and all within only a few minutes of precious class time.
Scaffolding
The ladder icon represents ideas about scaffolding instruction for learners who need more support, especially during the independent practice piece (step P) and sometimes also for the guided practice piece (step A). English learners and students with identified disabilities might benefit from the suggestions here. However, you know your students best. If you don’t feel the suggestions the minilessons provide would work well with your struggling, reluctant, or resistant students, devise something that may work better. Keep the ideas that work well; tweak or toss the others.
Acceleration
The rabbit icon represents ideas about accelerating instruction for learners who may already be familiar with the words in a minilesson or who can learn them quickly. The acceleration suggestions help advanced students apply the target words immediately and authentically or use them in novel ways. Most often, acceleration suggestions are made for steps A and P.
Sometimes, this section will share words related to the target words. These are words that students should understand fairly easily but are perhaps more difficult or used less frequently than the minilesson’s target words.
The suggestions in this section help prevent our high-achieving students and those who are especially interested in words from growing bored because instruction is not meeting their specific needs. The recommendations also spark continued interest in developing advanced students’ already well-developed vocabulary. They need to be learning new words, too!
Beyond the Lesson
In some lessons, you will see a section titled Beyond the Lesson. This text provides suggestions about how to apply the content outside the minilesson or after its conclusion. These suggestions appear intermittently throughout the book to extend concepts that have clear and logical cross-curricular applications; however, it is simply not practical to make suggestions for each lesson. Consider with every lesson what you might do to review, apply, or associate the words across the curriculum. Teachers know from experience and from research (Beck, McKeown, & Kucan, 2013; Marzano, 2004) that students need multiple exposures to new words in order to be able to understand and use them.
One minilesson will not guarantee that any student can apply any of the target words; however, it will guarantee that students are exposed to new words in an engaging, low-stakes situation. In order to move the words into your students’ expressive vocabulary (their verbal and written output), consider how you can provide multiple exposures in multiple contexts. You may want to do only one to two minilessons each week, and then commit to using the target words yourself in as many contexts as possible. You’ll see that if you use the words repeatedly in talking with students, they will start to use them, too. Think of how babies learn their first words. We all mimic on the way to mastery. Allow your students to do this.
In summary, each SNAP minilesson is a well-planned, flexible, research-based, instructional segment that teachers, paraprofessionals, tutors, and other adults can apply in varied ways for the maximum benefit to students. The structure can fit any words that you want to teach, whether they are general academic words or content-specific words.
Logistics for Implementing SNAP Minilessons
Before delving into the logistics of teaching the minilessons, it’s important to reiterate that authenticity and flexibility are built into these lessons. In many places in this book, one minilesson could possibly turn into a short series of minilessons. You could take one minilesson that contains five target words and break it into two minilessons. You can also add related words to any minilesson. Each minilesson’s outline or sketch aims to be helpful but again, not prescriptive.
This book is about coulds, not shoulds. I recognize that you will bring your own passion and artistry to each minilesson you choose. This is a critical part of teaching—responding in the moment to what you see in front of you. If a suggested strategy doesn’t sound like it will work with your students, or if it falls flat as you attempt it, adjust it or replace it with your own strategy. Having said that, there are a few basic tenets to follow when implementing these lessons.
Each minilesson in this book should take no more than twenty minutes of instructional time. Instruction needs to move swiftly, and students will need to be familiar with how to transition from a whole-group setting to small groups and to individual work. You should always approach minilesson steps in the order presented (S, N, A, P) and should always include each step. Don’t omit any of these steps. If time runs short, cut the minilesson off wherever you are and continue at a later time in the day, the very next day, or as soon as you can. As noted earlier, steps S and N of the minilesson would ideally be done on the same day to give students an initial understanding of the target words. Steps A and P can then be done together as soon as possible (or even at separate times if time dictates). The key is to do all steps so that students have ample opportunity to add new words to their lexicons.
Conducting Step S
This is the visualization and pronunciation step and consists of brief, direct instruction. Step S should take no longer than three minutes. Teachers should write each word and definition in large, clear print on a chalkboard, dry-erase board, poster paper, or similar surface, or display it via interactive whiteboard or projector. Each word must be clearly visible to every student, so sit in the seats in the very back of the classroom before class to ensure the shortest student who is farthest away can still see the words on the board. Do not print the words on handouts and distribute them.