Conferring Amy D.

I've noticed, in the past and presently, great results come from regular conferring with my students. I've used a few different methods to keep track of individual student notes, but most times I find the forms either cumbersome and lengthy or too small to contain enough information. The other problem I've found is picking up where I left off and having the notes handy for my next conference. My goal now is to use one of the forms this week from our class and find a good way to follow through for weekly conferring. Time and numbers have also been an issue that I'm attempting to improve. My schedule for conferring is Monday - Thursday with a goal of conferring with 4-6 students a day. That can sometimes be a challenge depending on interruptions and needs from other students during Readers/Writers workshop as questions need answering and providing help/encouragement for students less engaged. I hope to have some time to take a look at Shelby's "Confer" app which she uses on her iPad. Students respond very positively when we spend time conferring, so I will continue to tweak my methods to improve timing and note taking!

Conferring -- Steve

Conferring is an essential component of my classroom, as seen in my Argument Writing II seminar with 9th grade students. The students have worked on argumentative structure throughout this seminar, and I am getting to the point where conferring with each student feels like second nature. The students know that this is a time when I will be discussing certain aspects of their writing, so they are usually willing to work on suggestions in order to show growth. For example, I worked with a small group of writers on outlining today during class. Although this was a struggle for some of the students, they worked diligently, took suggestions, and finished the outline in its entirety. I was impressed with what I saw!  It is my goal that these students will have the same success when we confer about reading more next trimester.

One area where I am still struggling a bit is keeping all of the students on task when I am conferring with an individual student. Although I am bouncing around the classroom, it seems like many have questions while I am conferring with other individuals. I may work on establishing even more expectations around writing workshop next week in order to keep the momentum moving forward. Overall, I am impressed with the conferring process this school year.

Conferring - Eileen

Most of my conferring occurs in small reading groups. I know exactly what those students need to work on before starting the group.  This information is collected during previous small group lessons, F&P testing, or observations during O.G. For example my low group needs to work on blending sounds and identifying trick words. Other groups need to work on reading strategies and strategies to solve hard words.  While others are working identifying key information, retelling and thinking beyond the text.  It is during this time that I collect more information to determine how to move my readers forward.  What I need to work on is a tracking system so the information about the students is out of my head and onto a form that I can share with others. At one point I was trying to do this with individual students like I do during writing but I just couldn't keep up. This week I plan to do conferring notes with my small groups and see how that works out.

Conferring -- Laurie

I have been conferring with students in regards to their reading and their writing, but I have not and am still not very good with documenting my every meeting with them.  I know that this needs to change and I fully understand everything about conferring but I get so wrapped up in the teaching part and always say to myself "I'll write it down after" and after never comes.  I can tell you what each small group or individual child is working on but my documentation of it stinks.  I am excited to use the sheet with my groups that are actually reading.  I know I need to improve so I am making it my goal this year during reading groups to be better about documenting my conferring.  I am also excited to use some new language when it comes to asking questions and seeking more information from my readers.

Conferring -- New/Old

Please create a post entitled: Conferring (your name)

As we teach using the Units of Study think about your teaching over the years and how in the past you have learned about your students as readers and writers. (Perhaps this is what you are currently doing as conferring is new to you.) Please post a practice related to this that upon reflection you feel needs to change, has changed, or will change and why. In addition if there is something that you are doing that you have not seen addressed that you firmly believe in or want input concerning post that and explain. This is all about conferring to learn more and move students in their learning.

S&L Response - Karie

This morning we focused on Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.5.  Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail. Together we reread the story Ghost in the House. We then discussed, as a group, the different characters that appeared in the story as well as the spooky noises that they each made. Their job was to then think of a new, different character that they could add to the story to come to the house. Each of them drew their new character and created a noise for them to make and write in the speech bubble. Afterwards, we came back together on the rug and they took turns sharing and describing their new character to their classmates. This closing activity also hit standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.1A Follow agree-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion).

In Kindergarten we are spending a lot of time focusing on Speaking & Listening as we set expectations for large and small group discussions. We are working on taking turns to speak and listening while others speak so we can add onto the conversation. This last part tends to still be pretty difficult, to actually continue a conversation on the same thread.

As the students are not writing independently, it gives us time to be able to do verbal storytelling and expanding on our drawings and ideas by expressing these ideas to others vorally. I try to capture as much of their stories and write them down for them as I can.

S & L Response---Laurie

In 1st grade we do so much reading aloud that it is nearly impossible to steer away from the speaking and listening standard.  We are especially drawn to ELA-Literacy SL 1.2 which is ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.  In order for children to grow as learners, readers and "information gatherers"  it is vital to a read aloud session to have a discussion time.  During this time students and me as a teacher we can discuss all the important information that was given in the read.  For those students that struggle this is a time when they can listen, gather information and possibly find something in their own lives that can relate to what was read. 

Read alouds also lend their way towards ELA-LITERACY SL 1.1 Ask questions to clear up any confusion about the topics and texts under discussion and ELA-LITERACY SL 1.3 Ask and answer questions about what the speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood. 

Currently we are headed into the non-fiction Lucy Calkins reading and writing units so this will be perfect for lots of speaking and listening and offering information and asking clarifying questions.