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Before You Teach, Ask This One Question

Recently, I was talking with a group of 4th grade teachers who felt stuck. "We want more time to meet with students where they are," one said. "But our whole-group lessons run long, leaving no time for conferences." 

I hear this all the time. Whole-group teaching takes too much time, leaving little room for the responsive work—small groups, conferences, real-time support—that actually moves learning forward. 

Years ago, I filmed myself teaching students how to read independently. The lesson ran too long. When I watched it back with the sound off, I could see the exact moment I lost them. Around minute 7, their bodies told the truth: shifting in seats, eyes wandering, pencils tapping. 

Here's what brain research shows: working memory holds only a small number of new ideas at once. After about 10 minutes of instruction, students start to disengage. It's part of how the brain processes and how learning works (Medina, 2008). 

So what do you do when you know your lessons run too long? 

Start with: What You Want Students to Walk Away Knowing 

Before you teach your next lesson, ask yourself one question: 

“At the end of this lesson, what should my students be able to DO?”

Not what will you cover. Not what's on page 47 of the program. 

What should they be able to do? 

Write it down in one sentence. Try to make it specific enough that you could watch a student and know whether they can do it or not. 

"Today, I want students to be able to…"  

Here's what happens when you do this: 

If you CAN write it clearly, you know what you're teaching. And that means you can watch your students during the lesson and make responsive decisions: Do they need what's next? Do all of them need it? Should I keep going or pull a small group? 

If you CAN'T write it clearly, that's valuable information. If you can't state the teaching point in one sentence, there's no way students will learn it. That confusion is a signal to pause and clarify for yourself first. 

This simple question—"What should students be able to do?"—is where responsive teaching starts. 

Once you know your teaching point, everything else becomes clearer. 

WHERE WE'RE HEADING

Over the next few weeks, we'll unpack a teaching structure that makes responsive decisions easier. We'll connect this teaching point to what comes next: how you release students to practice, how you support them while they work, and how you bring it all together. 

For now, it starts here: knowing your teaching point clearly. 

Next week: The 30-second move that happens after your brief lesson—the one that makes practice actually stick. 

This is Component 1 of a teaching structure most teachers have never seen. More coming. 

-Gail

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