Choice Lit Topic: 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.
Results
Drawing to Learn: Conferring with Luis
In this four-minute video, Andie Cunningham confers with Luis during writing workshop. Luis is a six-year-old English language learner whose passion is drawing.
Working on Accuracy and Fluency: Conferring with Colin
Joan Moser confers with Colin, a first grader who is working on the skills of fluency and accuracy.
Conferring Close-Up: Test-Taking Strategies (Part 2)
Andrea Smith leads her fourth-grade class during word study time as they analyze a math word problem. In this video, she chats with two girls who are considering the word problem. This is the second video in a three-part series.
Fluency in Focus: Conferring with Jake
Gail Boushey confers with Jake during reading workshop. Jake has a goal of working on fluency in his reading. Click here to download the workshop guide. COMMON CORE CONNECTIONS: RF.1.4....
Conferring with Eddie
Eddie is a six-year-old student who speaks Cantonese as his first language. In this conference with Ruth Shagoury, there is little English spoken, and yet there is much communication through gestures and shared history.
Conferring with Emily
In this conference with six-year-old Emily, Ruth Shagoury looks for a way into a conversation by using Emily's drawings, previous writing, and interests. Emily's first language is Hmong, and she is experimenting with Chinese characters in her writing.
Conferring with Anna
Anna is a five-year-old student in an Oregon kindergarten classroom who speaks Vietnamese at home. In this conference with Ruth Shagoury, she shares writing about her classmates and a snake, testing out her growing knowledge of the alphabet, sounds, and the purposes of writing.
Conferring About Stamina in 3rd Grade
In this conference with third-grade student Jeffrey, Beth Lawson helps this young reader think through the importance of developing stamina to get through the first 50 pages of a book. Beth connects the conference to a wall chart the class developed earlier in the year.
Next-Read Stack: Conferring for Independence
Next-Read Stack conferences take up much of my conferring time with some students. Because engagement in text is key for every child, I make time to support the students who...
Listen In: Maya is a Chapter Writer
William Strunk and E.B. White produced a no-nonsense writing book in the 1950s titled The Elements of Style. I have the third edition that sits by my desk. In the...
Fluency in Focus: Conferring with Jake
Gail Boushey confers with Jake, a seven-year-old who is setting a reading goal of developing fluency. After the conference, she debriefs with Joan Moser.
Conferring About Thesis Statements
In this conference with a 4th grader, Beth Lawson talks about supporting details for thesis statements. This is part of the video series from Beth's room on essay writing.
Conferring About Chunking Words in Second Grade
Sean Moore confers with a 2nd grader who is learning the strategy of chunking words in reading. Notice how Sean focuses the student, refers to previous conferences, and previews an...
Conferring with Tweens: Boys and Series Books
In this conference from a 6th grade classroom, Katie Doherty confers with a boy who is reading a book from a series she is unfamiliar with, Bec which is Book...
Stuck on a Thesis: Conferring
In this conference with a 4th grader, Beth Lawson works with a student who has chosen a challenging essay topic and is struggling to develop his thesis.
Stop and Track: Conferring with a Fifth-Grade Reader
In this conference with a 5th grader, Aimee Buckner shares two strategies -- one to use when putting a book away between readings, and another to help keep track of...
“And Then and Then and Then”: Moving Students from Retelling to Thoughtful Response
Katie Doherty confers with sixth grader Kristina during reading workshop. Kristina is new to the classroom, and Katie demonstrates how to gently move a student from retelling to more thoughtful...
Listen In: Knowing When You’re Done
The plan was for Hailey to decide the content of this writing conference. By the spring, she'd engaged in so many conferences that she knew how to have grand conversations...
Listen In: XBox Game Writing
Cody begins the conference with, "I have a piece that I just finished," and he's off and reading. Can this be the same student I conferred with who had no...
Listen In: Magnifying a Moment in Writing
When second-grade teacher Linda Karamatic pulled out Sammi's folder during our meeting, she commented on how delighted she was to see Sammi finishing some pieces. There were several workshops at...
Scaring Up Better Narratives Part 3
Aimee Buckner leads a lesson on brainstorming topics in writer's notebooks using the mentor text Some Things Are Scary. In this final installment of a three-part series, Aimee continues to...
