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
Fantasy Reading in Eighth Grade
Katie Baydo-Reed confers with an eighth-grade student who is reading The Hobbit.
Helping Richard Revise
Karen Terlecky coaxes Richard to cut extraneous material from his writing by highlighting the strengths of his narrative first in this video from her fifth-grade classroom.
Catching Up with Tommy
Karen Terlecky meets with Tommy, a boy who has flown under the radar for a few weeks in her fifth-grade reading workshop.
Second Grade Whole-Class Share: Adding Details and Descriptive Language Part 4
In this final video from a four-part series, Sean Moore asks students to share their writing with peers and the whole class. Links to the first three videos in the...
Second Grader Student Mentor Text: Adding Details and Descriptive Language Part 3
In this third video from a four-part series, Sean Moore has a student share his writing as a mentor text for the class.
Second Grader Conferring: Adding Details and Descriptive Language Part 2
In this second video from a four-part series, Sean Moore confers with a student about adding details to his writing.
Value-Added: Moving Assessments from “Inflicted” to “Student-Owned”
I looked at Michael’s latest reading reflection and sighed. It was January, and he was still struggling to make progress in his ability to demonstrate deep thinking about his independent...
Tracking Thinking While Reading
Melissa Styger confers with a fourth-grade student using a template to help students track thinking and comprehension. The template is a simple two-column organizer that students have available during their...
Mixing Information and Narratives
In this conference from a second-grade classroom, Sean Moore helps Mia flesh out her writing on friendship with examples.
Peer Conferring: The Modeling Phase
Lucy Calkins makes no bones about it: “Research is really clear that even just five minutes of conversation about books ramps up comprehension.” It’s those three words ramps up comprehension...
Conferring in First Grade
This video from Katie DiCesare's first-grade classroom demonstrates a range of conferring in the midst of writing workshop -- from quick on the fly conferences, to small group brainstorming of ideas, to more sustained instruction of individual letter sounds and concepts.
Conferring, Rereading, and Comprehension
Aimee Buckner confers with Brendan, who is rereading Hoot and needs some strategies for holding his thinking.
From Reading to Writing Informational Texts
I first met Sal and Anthony in Mrs. Bean’s second-grade classroom on a Monday afternoon. It was about 45 minutes before school let out, and the class was finishing up...
Enlisting a Student as Coteacher
In this second video in a two-part series, Sean Moore invites second grader Isaiah to present his learning to the class.
The Blank Page and Better Teaching
I would be a better teacher if. . . Have you ever thought these words? I would be a better teacher if . . . I’m sure everyone has...
Conferring to Coteaching
In this first video in a two-part series, Sean Moore confers with second grader Isaiah. Sean prepares Isaiah to share what he is learning later in the writing workshop.
Revising My Recording Form for Writing Conferences
Writing conferences—the one-on-one conversations we have with students while their classmates are busy writing—are the most important teaching opportunities we have in the writing workshop. —Carl Anderson in Assessing Writers...
More Conferring and Fewer Groups in Kindergarten
My teaching life was missing something. I couldn’t put my finger on it for two years. I kept asking myself, What is missing that I have always done in my...
Coaching in Kindergarten: Conferring
What's in a name? For kindergartner Maria, it's the start of learning how letters and sounds work. In this coaching session, Joan Moser of "The Sisters" helps Daniel understand how to use a child's name as a beginning point for teaching letters and sounds.
From Playing to Drawing to Writing in Preschool
Kelly Petrin guides Drew from playing to drawing and finally writing during this conference in her preschool classroom.
Never Say Never: Motivation to Read from an Unlikely Source
Second grader Joe struts into my intervention room wearing a football jersey and a bored look. The only spark I get is when he talks about Michael Vick and the...
