Conferring
The teachable moment is what we live for - is there anything more magic than reaching a reader or writer with exactly the right words at exactly the right time? We've bottled some of that magic in the resources that follow, with print guidelines and scores of video examples from master teachers.
Latest Content
First-Grade Humor: Conferring with Jude
Katie DiCesare confers with first grader Jude. He is inspired to use humor in his writing by Captain Underpants.
Personal Narratives and Memoir: Conferring with Bode
Ruth Ayres confers with Bode about the difference between personal narratives and memoirs, and the value of mining the writing journal for topics.
Fluency and Comprehension Conference
Aimee Buckner confers with fourth grader Amanda about her reading comprehension and fluency, encouraging her to use a sticky note to track thinking around a focus question.
Conferring About Illustrations
Ruth Ayres encourages a young writer to emulate a favorite illustrator.
Revising Writing: Fourth-Grade Conference
Tony Keefer confers with fourth grader Sydney about revising her writing and transitioning to a new genre early in the year.
An Organizing Tool for Writing
Ruth Ayres gives fourth grader Allie an organization tool for brainstorming memoir possibilities early in the year.
Fourth-Grade Reading Conference: Focusing While Reading
Aimee Buckner helps fourth grader Isaiah focus his reading early in the year in this quick conference.
Fifth-Grade Memoir Writing: Conferring with Wesley
Ruth Ayres confers with fifth grader Wesley about his personal narrative on scouting.
Book Choice Conference in Kindergarten
Mandy Robek has a book choice conference with Drew. This is the first installment in her kindergarten conferring series.
Conferring About Illustration in Kindergarten
Ruth Ayres confers with five-year-old Abby about her apple illustration early in the school year.
Home and School, Fiction and Nonfiction: Eighth-Grade Conference
Katie Baydo-Reed confers with an eighth-grade student moving between fiction and nonfiction texts, and gives advice about which books are appropriate for home reading.
Conveying Messages with Cover Art
Ruth Ayres confers with fourth grader Braden about the importance of inviting cover art for the book he's written about a vacation.
Mental Images: Connecting Reading and Sketching
Sean Moore confers with second grader Teague, masterfully demonstrating how to move between instruction and celebration when conferring with a child who struggles with reading.
Conferring About Independent Reading
Karen Terlecky confers with Alex, a fifth grader who needs help choosing books for independent reading.
Visiting the Doctor: Conferring with Alexis
Ruth Ayres confers with first grader Alexis about her visit to the doctor for a shot. The conference focuses on illustrations and labeling.
Conferring About Word Learning
Sean Moore teaches second grader Mikhail some strategies for learning words in a conference.
Drama and Two-Page Spreads: Conferring with Max
Ruth Ayres confers with second grader Max about the drama of losing his dog, and the value of using two-page spreads to tell a story.
Conferring About Lemony Snicket and Vocabulary
Aimee Buckner confers with fourth grader Samantha about reading a series and tackling challenging vocabulary at the same time in this brief video.
More Sophisticated Mysteries: Conferring with Yuki
Franki Sibberson confers with fourth grader Yuki to expand his reading options into more complex series and mysteries.
Collecting Ideas in the Writer’s Notebook
Ruth Ayres confers with third grader Jade about the importance of the “collecting” phase for writers.
Previewing a Book with an Eighth Grader
In this brief conference, Katie Baydo-Reed chats with an eighth grader as he previews The Wednesday Wars
Conferring with Sebastian
Katie DiCesare chats with first grader Sebastian in this one-minute conference, then shares her reflections on where Sebastian might go next in his reading.
Tracking Characters: A Conferring Tip
Aimee Buckner teaches a fourth grader a strategy for using a sticky note to keep track of characters when there are multiple narrators in a novel.
Rereading for Writing: Conferring with Jack
Katie DiCesare confers with first grader Jack, using rereading to help him rethink the title of his story and possibilities for revision.
Powerful Conferences
Ruth Ayres explains how deciding the purpose of conferring in advance can lead to more powerful conferences.
Better Reading Conferences
Katherine Sokolowski describes how she worked over the past few years to initiate better reading conferences.
Writing a Strong Ending: 4th Grade Writing Conference
Tony Keefer confers with fourth grader Tommy to help him write a stronger ending.
Reporting and Crafting: Conferring with Ezra
Ruth Ayres confers with Ezra about revision — using a mentor text to help him move from reporting to crafting in his writing.
Kindle Highlights: Conferring with Nicole
If you’ve ever used a Kindle reader, you might be fascinated by the highlighted notes of other readers. Franki Sibberson uses those notes in a conference with Nicole.
Partner Reading Conference in First Grade
Katie DiCesare confers with Jack and Praneel about their partner reading.
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