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
Conferring in First Grade: Reading Illustrations
Katrina Edwards helps a first grader use pictures to help her make sense of confusing text.
Conferring with Spencer: Writing Notebook Topics
Katherine Sokolowski helps fifth grader Spencer brainstorm topics for his writing notebook.
Celebrating and Nudging: First-Grade Writing Conference
Bitsy Parks takes time to celebrate first grader Colson's finished writing, even as she nudges him to try a technique shared in the day's minilesson.
Building a Next-Read Stack
Katherine Sokolowski helps fifth grader Abby build her next-read stack of books.
Digital Revision: Conferring with Aidan
Gigi McAllister helps fourth grader Aidan revise his writing on the computer to flesh out character development.
Brainstorming Writing Topics with Drew
Katherine Sokolowski confers with Drew about writing at home, brainstorming possible topics. In the process she shows how much she knows about Drew's life outside of school.
First-Grade Conferring: A Two-Word Picture Book
Bitsy Parks confers with a first-grade English language learner over a very simple picture book.
Do I Really Have to Keep Conferring Notes?
When it comes to conferring, the million-dollar question is “Do I really need to keep conference notes?” This is a fair question, and one that is best answered by looking...
Conferring Questions
When I first jumped into writing workshop, I was nervous about what to say in a conference. I wanted to get it right, and I didn’t want to look ridiculous....
Best First Drafts
Ruth Ayres confers with fourth grader Nicole and reinforces advice from her mom about striving for accurate conventions in first drafts.
Picture Walks for Comprehension: Conferring with Dylan
Katrina Edwards confers with first grader Dylan, teaching this young English language learner the value of picture walks for comprehension.
Top 10 Conferring Tips
“Everyone has a Top 10 list,” Sam said at dinner. “Mine would be Top 10 Things to Recycle on a Train Layout.” Sam went on to explain that you think...
The Power of Group Conferences in Fifth Grade
A few years ago I read Donalyn Miller’s Reading in the Wild and was struck by two of her “traits” of wild readers: readers have plans, and readers talk to...
Student-Led Conferences from Many Perspectives
In Ohio, teaching third grade has become particularly challenging, as it is sometimes difficult not to be consumed with test scores and test results. We have an Ohio law called...
Previewing a Book with Zoe
Andrea Smith previews a book with fourth grader Zoe in this reading conference.
The Importance of Their Words
Just yesterday, I sat down next to a second-grade boy during his writing workshop. He and his classmates were working their way through their opinion unit, and he was managing...
Conferring, Illustrations, and Emotion in Young Learners
Ruth Ayres confers with second grader Max about the story of his lost dog, and uses a mentor text to demonstrate the power of two-page spreads. Click here to download...
How to Keep Conferring Notes
My husband, Andy, coaches our daughter’s junior league softball team. He is a bit of an extremist when it comes to collecting stats and notes on each player. He keeps...
Finding Clues in Writing Folders
We had just wrapped up our writing celebration—a museum filled with student experts talking and teaching about topics they care about. I was reading through the final published pieces, celebrating...
Table Charts in Second Grade
Melanie Meehan chats with second-grade teacher Nadia Egan about the use of table charts with students.
Inferring and Synthesis: Conferring Over Series Books
Beth Lawson shows how to get the most from a conference about series books in third grade. Inferring and synthesis are discussed, as well as the use of written notes for making meaning from texts.
