Ross 1

Amy Ross

Dr. Clarice M. Moran

ENG 3580: Fall 2020

4 Oct. 2020

Mini Lesson Reflection

The mini lesson assignment was a great learning experience for myself and as well as the

rest of the class. This assignment allowed me to dig deeper into what teaching writing is like and

how to make it effective for different audiences. Teaching English is not all about reading and

responding, sometimes, it is more critical than that and involves more thinking. I thought my

mini lesson explored this part of writing. Argument writing should be taught using real world

skills and ideas so that students can take what they learn into the real world. Teaching argument

writing alongside persuasive writing was an extra step I took in order to further students'

knowledge on what makes an argument rather than what makes a statement.

In the lesson I presented Monday on September 28th, I Introduced argument writing with

an informative video and then went on to explain what argument writing is and how it compares

to persuasive writing. After getting the information out of the way, I directed my students to a

comparative activity where they were able to categorize possible essay topics to either being

argumentative or persuasive. After the first activity the students were able to use what they knew

to come up with claims on their own using supportive evidence from the mystery example I

included and then wrap up their thinking with a conclusion. The students were able to share

along with their peers what they came up with and it was clear to me that all of the objectives

were met by all of the students who had participated.

 Ross 2

During the lesson I was appreciative for all the students who participated in the activities

and in the class discussion when I asked clarification questions. I believe I did a good job with

getting the students interested in what they were learning with a hook video and fun interactive

activities to promote self contribution with learning. I also would consider my presentation

deliverance to be sufficient and clear to my students on what points I wanted to get across to

them. Lastly, I thought my conclusion of the lesson would be a great learning experience if i had

a whole class to teach it. The applications used in this lesson would be beneficial to students for

their whole learning career. Developing arguments and using substantial evidence to support it is

a skill that a student will never not be using.

After reading all of the peer feedback forms and considering what the “students” who

participated in this lesson thought about it, I have come to a couple conclusions about what

would make this lesson more clear and effective for all. During the lesson I used a

comprehension activity before getting to the final activity. I had students sort essay topics into

whether or not they were argumentative or persuasive. A student wrote on the peer feedback

form “I feel like Amy could improve the activity by telling the students why the right answer is

right, and why their answer doesn’t exactly fit.” I absolutely agree. Because of time constraints, I

felt a bit rushed and I did not feel like I could exactly get through what I wanted to if I would

have done this. Another student pointed out that the video I had provided was maye too long and

too fast to comprehend all of it. I feel like I could choose another video that fits the content and

still effectively introduce the topic well. If I could find a shorter video, I could use that and then

be able to explain further, to the students, why their answers were correct or wrong in the first

activity.
 Ross 3

In the future If I ever get to use this lesson again, I will definitely find a shorter and better

video to hook my students in or maybe just not use a video and introduce the topic myself.

Another thing I will consider is explaining each type of writing into further detail and making

sure students understand that as well. Overall, I feel as though this experience helped me gain

insight into what teaching writing consists of and why it is important to students and to teachers.