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
Quick Writing Conferences in Second Grade
In these brief writing conferences with second graders, Sean Moore reinforces an earlier minilesson on using descriptive language.
Questioning Questions: Rethinking Prompts for Reading Conferences
Reading conferences are an important part of the teacher’s work during independent reading. The conversations we have with students during this time are meant to provide us with valuable information...
Getting to Know a Young Reader
Deb Gaby confers with Kendall early in the school year, artfully mixing conversation with assessment of reading skills and preferences.
Notebook Sketching: Conferring with Sarah
Aimee Buckner confers with Sarah about sketching in her notebook.
Catching Up with Anna
Because reading workshop and book clubs are such a big part of my reading curriculum, it is crucial that kids keep up with the work. To do that, they need...
Making Time for Individual Conferences
I called Courtney over for a reading conference in early November. I had called her over to check in about a few things, but before she had even sat down,...
Guiding Principles for Conferring
As I confer with students in writing workshop, I have a few guiding beliefs that govern how I approach students, what I say, and what I teach. These six tenets...
Making Memories Stick: Tutoring Kirk
Memory tasks challenge some children. Teachers might assume that demonstration, copying, reciting, and repeating tasks are sufficient. Yet for some children our instruction does not stick. We try alternatives such...
Moving Away from Bed to Bed: Conferring with Ty
Ruth Ayres confers with fourth grader Ty about his personal narrative, and works to move him away from a "bed-to-bed" approach in his writing.
Conferring About Characters in First Grade
Katie DiCesare confers with Vidhi about the main character in her independent reading book.
Dictation in Fourth Grade: Conferring with Donovan
Beth Lawson confers with Donovan, a fourth grader who needs help getting his ideas on the page.
Visualizing Plot Points: The Roller Coaster Conference
Beth Lawson helps a fourth grader visualize the plot of the mystery he is writing by using the visual of a roller coaster.
Addressing Conventions: Conferring with Jack
Katie DiCesare works with a first grader on the strategy of rereading one’s writing to address conventions and revise the title and ending.
Conferring About the Author
Beth Lawson confers with a fourth grader about her "about the author" blurb, a great chance to learn more about students' home passions.
First-Grade Humor: Conferring with Jude
Katie DiCesare confers with first grader Jude about the humor in his underpants "hero" writing.
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
In this brief conference, Aimee Buckner confers with Amanda about her fluency and comprehension.
Conferring About Illustrations
Ruth Ayres confers with a third grader who is preparing to add illustrations to her story. The mentor text she uses is The Pain and the Great One.
Revising Writing: Fourth-Grade Conference
Tony Keefer confers with Sydney about revising her piece.
An Organizing Tool for Writing
Ruth Ayres shares a visual organizing scheme with Allie for organizing her personal narrative writing.
Fourth-Grade Reading Conference: Focusing While Reading
Aimee Buckner helps fourth grader Isaiah focus his reading early in the year in this quick conference. Isaiah is reading Morning Girl by Michael Dorris.
