Skip to content
Start My 3 Free Days $0 today · cancel anytime

Micro Lessons

3 micro lessons, covering cause and effect, base 10, parts of speech, plus 3 more topics. How teachers use these

Micro Lessons

3 micro lessons, covering cause and effect, base 10, parts of speech, plus 3 more topics. How teachers use these

Micro Lesson
Micro Lesson1st GradeIdentifying Cause and Effect Micro Lesson

Lexy teaches kids how to find the cause and the effect, one step at a time. Kids practice with friendly hints, then show what they know in a 5-question quiz. Quiz scores go to HFT Classroom automatically.

Micro Lesson
Micro Lesson1st GradeDetermining Place Value Micro Lesson

Lexy teaches kids how to find the hundreds, tens and ones in a number, one step at a time. Kids practice with friendly hints, then show what they know in a 5-question quiz. Quiz scores go to HFT Classroom automatically.

Micro Lesson
Micro Lesson2nd GradeUse the Prepositions Micro Lesson

Penny teaches kids what a preposition is and how to pick the one that tells where, one step at a time. Kids practice with friendly hints, then show what they know in a 5-question quiz. Quiz scores go to HFT Classroom automatically.

From our teachers' playbook

Small lessons, big lightbulb moments

What is a micro lesson?

A micro lesson teaches one skill, start to finish, in about the time it takes to sharpen a pencil. Kids see the idea modeled, try a few examples with read-aloud support, and get instant feedback on every answer. One skill per lesson is the whole trick: determining place value, or finding cause and effect, or using prepositions. Because it is short and focused, it fits right into a center rotation, a pull-out group or homework, and kids finish feeling successful.

How we use micro lessons in a real classroom

A micro lesson works best when it is part of a plan, not a filler. These are the three ways we lean on them.

Watch it, then try it

Start the place value lesson on the board with the whole class and pause after the modeled example. Ask, "What is the 7 worth?" before anyone clicks. Then send kids to try the rest on their own device while you pull a small group.

Why it works: handing over the work step by step, from teacher to student, is one of the most widely used teaching frameworks (Pearson and Gallagher, 1983).

Determining Place Value Micro LessonTry it withDetermining Place Value Micro LessonMicro LessonsOpen it →

Finish with a quick check

Right after the cause and effect lesson, hand out three sticky notes. Kids write one cause and its effect from their own day, like "I forgot my coat, so I was cold." Ten seconds of reading tells you who got it and who needs another go.

Why it works: pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than rereading it, one of the strongest findings in learning research (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).

Identifying Cause and Effect Micro LessonTry it withIdentifying Cause and Effect Micro LessonMicro LessonsOpen it →

Come back to it next week

A micro lesson is short enough to repeat. Run the prepositions lesson on Monday, then replay it the following Monday as a warm-up. Kids who struggled the first time usually breeze through the second, and that confidence boost is real.

Why it works: short practice spread over several days beats one long session, according to a large review of learning research (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).

Use the Prepositions Micro LessonTry it withUse the Prepositions Micro LessonMicro LessonsOpen it →

Questions teachers ask about micro lessons

How long is a micro lesson?

Most take about 5 to 10 minutes. Each one teaches a single skill, so kids can finish in one sitting without losing focus.

What grades are micro lessons for?

They are written for elementary students. Read-aloud support helps younger or emerging readers work on their own, and older kids can move through them independently.

Can students do micro lessons at home?

Yes. They run in the browser, so they work well for homework or a quick review with a parent. Kids get feedback on every answer, so they are not practicing mistakes.

Do micro lessons replace my teaching?

No, they support it. We use them to preview a skill, review it later, or give extra practice to a small group while we work with another one.