conference with students - regie...

Depend on Whole-Class ShareWhole-class share is a formal conference, conducted publicly. In other words, I do exactly whatI would do in a one-on-one conference; the only difference is that all the other students arelooking on, listening, and sometimes (once they have learned how to do so productively) givingfeedback. Having all students “listen in” pays huge dividends, because everyone is being showneffective conference strategies and procedures. Demonstrations like this are prerequisites ifstudents are to be able to respond helpfully to their peers and monitor and improve their ownwriting.

During a whole-class share, all the students gather in the reading/writing corner orclass meeting area, and several students share their writing. I let the students know that ourfirst purpose is to celebrate what the writer has done well and our second purpose is tosupport the writer in moving forward. I make sure students can articulate why we havewhole-class share. When students know and value the purposes, they are more likely toapply the process to their own writing.

I never skip whole-class share in kindergarten and grade one. Studentsjust learning to write need and benefit from having their efforts celebrated.They love sharing their story, journal entry, or poem. Marlene Tucker’s kinder-gartners in Vancouver, Washington, had been writing and/or drawing about anew topic each day, so I demonstrated how to sustain a story over several days.Our sharing involved celebrating each writer’s efforts and helping the writerdecide what to say next, mostly by engaging him in conversation (there is atranscript of two such short conversations on pages 208–210). This is morethan celebration; all students are learning what makes a good story. Theseconferences do not have to be long to be beneficial: in fifteen minutes, we wereable to have twelve conferences.

Kindergarten teacher Marlene Tucker conducts brief conferences beforeand after writing each day. Here are transcripts (including Marlene’s notes)from two of these conferences, one with Mikaela and one with Tristan. (The journal entriesthat prompted the conferences are shown after each one.)

Mikaela’s Journal EntryOn the day we begin writing continuing journal stories, Mikaela reads me what she has writtenso far (on March 11). She is writing about her baby brother.

Mikaela: “My brother sat in his high chair and ate carrots.”

Marlene: I like how you started your story. Tell us more about your brother. He must be ababy because he sits in a highchair.

Writing Essentials by Regie Routman (Heinemann: Portsmouth, NH); © 2005

Conference with Students

E X C E R P Tp . 2 0 7 – 2 1 5

W R I T I N GESSENTIALS

Conference with Students

t e a c h i n g t i p

In kindergarten andfirst grade, try small-group share. Get par-ents or volunteers tohelp you; that wayevery child can shareand receive feedbackin a short time.

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S E S S I O N 9


WRITINGESSENTIALS CONFERENCE WITH STUDENTSEXCERPT, pages 207–215

Mikaela (laughing): It’s so funny, because my baby brother cries at night, so my daddy buyshim lots of food!

Marlene: Oh, tell us more. What happens when he eats lots of food?

Mikaela: It helps him sleep! (Mikaela finds this funny, as do many of her classmates.)

Marlene: Now this sounds like it will be a funny story! (Looking over Mikaela’s writing.) Ican see that you crossed off a word. Tell me about this? (I bring this up to benefit the wholeclass as they listen to our miniconference. I now see less erasing and scribbling, as a result ofdialogue like this. My kids know that crossing out a word is what good writers do when some-thing doesn’t make sense, and that I expect their work to be neat, an easy expectation that haspaid off.)

Mikaela: I crossed this off because I remembered that sat is s-a-t. (She has crossed off the let-ters st.)

Marlene: You also know that good writers cross out what they don’t need and keep going.Let’s read this sentence again. (As Mikaela reads she notices an extra word that doesn’tmake sense. She decides to cross out the word he.)

Mikaela: Oh, I don’t need this word. I should cross it out.

Mikaela heads off to finish her story. (She completes it on March 12.) Notice the carets she hasadded in her last line, evidence of rereading.

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My brother sat in his highchair and ate carrots. Daddybuys him lots of baby food.It helps him sleep.

March, 2004

Mikaela



Tristan’s Journal EntryIt is day 2 of writing continuing stories. During our conference Tristan reads what he had writ-ten the day before (on June 7).

Tristan: “I had fun at my birthday.”

Marlene: Tell us about having fun at your birthday. What was fun about it?

Tristan: Well, my birthday was at my grandma’s, and Payne was there!

Marlene: Payne? From our class? Wow! Tell us what happened. (Tristan decides to write aboutPayne being at his party.) Tristan, I also notice how well you are doing at sounding outwords. You spelled fun and my correctly.

Tristan: I found birthday on the writing folder.

Marlene: This is wonderful! I would say the next step for you, Tristan, is to leave spacesbetween your words. That will make your writing easier to read. Can you try that?(Tristan says, “Okay.”)

On day 3, I have another miniconference with Tristan in whole-class share. He reads his journalentries (June 7 and June 9), and we celebrate his story. I ask Tristan if he wants to add to his storytoday. He decides to write more and says, “I slammed my face in my cake.” The class roars withlaughter as Tristan tells us about his messy face. We also celebrate the spaces he has left betweenhis words.

Notice that these conferences have focused on content first, emphasizing that writing isabout meaningful communication.

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I had fun at my birthday.I played with Payne. Islammed my face in my cake.

June, 2004

Tristan



Use Whole-Class Share as a Venue in Which to Teach

One of the greatest advantages of whole-class share is the amount of teaching that occurs ina short period (see the video teaching points related to two whole-class shares, on pages336–350). It is through whole-class share, writing aloud, and shared writing that I do thebulk of my teaching. Minilessons can be integrated effortlessly in these public forums, andall students, not just the one in the author’s chair, listen and learn.

Here’s how whole-class share works:

� A student reads her piece aloud while the class listens for the overall sense of the piece,the whole of what the writer is trying to say. (Sometimes, to save time, with studentpermission, I read the piece.)

� The student reads the piece aloud again (see photo, page 105) as the class listens forspecific language, things the writer has done well (which are always mentioned first),and things that are confusing. Sometimes I reread it and show the pages face front so Ican make specific teaching and celebration points.

� I and the other students celebrate what the writer has done well. For example:

� Look how Nathan has grabbed our attention right away. Wow! I’m going to read his firstline again. Let’s look at what he’s done.

� Right here, he lets the reader know what his piece is all about. That’s what goodwriters do.

� And here, listen to these words. He doesn’t just say [blank], which is an ordinary way tosay it. These great words put us right there in the moment with him. I can picture it inmy mind.

BENEFITS OF WHOLE-CLASS SHARE

� Is an efficient and productive way to conduct a conference.

� Focuses on celebrating what the writer has done well.

� Provides teaching points and ideas to all writers, not just the conferee.

� Models the importance of rereading.

� Shows all students the power of language by pointing out what the writerhas done—use of ideas, language, form, spelling, spacing, handwriting.

� Models the language of response before expecting students to try it outthemselves.

� Gives reluctant writers confidence to write.� Helps make conferences manageable (they don’t all have to be one-on-one).

� Enables the teacher to see patterns of writing behavior and to plan lessonsbased on those patterns (for example, noticing that many students havedifficulty with organization, leads, and so forth).

� Eliminates behavior problems; the whole class is right there with you.

� Elevates the status of writers, especially those on the fringes.

� Students love it!

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� I make one or two teaching points that will help move the writer forward.

� Let me show you how you can make this easier for the reader to follow. Is it okayif I cut this apart? Okay, I’m going to cut this part here and move it here. [Agood reason to ask students to write only on one side of the paper.] Now,listen to how it sounds.

� I’m going to reread this part again. See if you hear a line that we could cutbecause you already said it somewhere else. Yes, you did say that already. Whydon’t you just draw one line through it. Kids, when you reread your writingtoday, if you have parts that are boring or repeated, you can just cross them outthe way Nathan did.

I often use students as teachers, too. When I see a student successfully doingwhat I’ve taught, I say:

� Meredith, could you show Sam how to cut and paste?� Scott was absent yesterday. Paul, would you show him what we learned about

writing conversation?� I keep track of students who share. (This can be as simple as keeping a copy of

your class list—with the month and days of the week—near the author’s chair.)



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Whole-class share (I am looking on as he reads; usually I just listen)


Show It

On the secondreading, have thestudent’s writingfacing outwards sothe class can see it(spacing, layout,spelling, words, and so on).


Think twice before youwrite on students’papers. If you do, askpermission first. Then,only write what youcan’t read—saves lotsof time. You can moveon to the next student.


Take notes on whathas occurred and whatthe student hasagreed to do. Have thestudent state or writedown what he is to dobefore he leaves theconference. (Ensuresfollow-through ofwhat has been taughtand discussed. Seestudent conferenceforms on the website.)


Listen Up!

Don’t restate children’soral responses; thiscompels students tolisten to each other,saves time, and isrespectful of students’voices.



Teach Students How to Listen

To really listen well requires full, active attention. I explain to kids what I do as I listen for thewhole idea of the piece:

Kids, being able to respond helpfully to the writer means I have to listen really hard towhat the writer is trying to say. I have to block out everything else and concentrate. Onthe first reading, I’m going to listen for the whole idea of the piece. During the secondreading, I might make some notes as I listen for what the writer has done well, exactwords she uses that entice the reader, and also, perhaps, some places where I mightsuggest a few things to help the writer.

You can meet all your state and district standards for listening through teaching writing.Teach and remind kids that active listening is hard work. They will listen if they understandand value its importance, that is, that good listeners:

� Respond helpfully.

� Learn new strategies.

� Get ideas from others.

� Connect new thoughts with their own to come to new conclusions.

Manage Whole-Class Share Effectively

Whole-class share usually takes place at the end of writing workshop, but it can occasionallycan take place at the beginning as a mini- or maxilesson to ensure that all students succeedin that day’s writing. For example, when I have introduced a new genre or assignment andstudents have written a partial or complete draft, I may take the papers home and go throughthem so I can make specific suggestions for students before they continue writing/revising(see the discussion of Derek’s “secrets” story, on pages 343–345 and on the accompanyingDVD, for one example). At the same time, I am also modeling rereading from the previousday’s writing and inspiring ideas for today’s writing.

Some teachers find it advantageous to conference with a small group that has a similarneed. My preference is almost always to include all students; the classroom is easier tomanage, and more ideas are generated. More important, to raise the status of a student in theclassroom, all students need to participate in the celebration and affirmation of the writer.

✐ Write suggestions for students (we write faster than they do).

✎ Limit compliments (allow a few; avoid false praise; move on to suggestions).

✏ Teach and demonstrate on the spot (cut and paste, teach quotation marks, etc.; otherstudents who are ready will also pick up the technique).

✐ Help students with where to go next (for example, say, “So what are you going to writeabout next?”; this saves time for the students at beginning of the next writing period).

✏ Most students love to share. Some days, so that all students can be heard, haveeveryone share with a partner.

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TRY ITAPPLY IT

Orchestrate Who SharesI am always on the lookout for someone who has tried something that I demon-strated in the minilesson: reread carefully before writing, made revisions, usedlanguage in an original way, whatever it might be. Just before students start to writeI say something like, During my roving conferences today, I’ll be on the lookout for kidswho are trying conversation in their writing [rereading before writing again, trying anew lead to attract the reader’s attention]. I’m going to invite those students to sharetoday. I jot those names on a pad of sticky notes I always carry with me. Severalminutes before whole-class share, I approach these students and ask if they willshare their accomplishment with the rest of the class. By recognizing students whohave tried something I’ve been teaching and reinforcing, I am affirming their effortin taking a risk and trying what I’ve asked them to do and also encouraging othersto incorporate “what good writers do.”

Other students who share might include an eager volunteer proud of what hewrote, a student with whom I have a public conversation, a student who hasrequested a conference, or a student who shared the previous day and has followedthrough with the suggestions she was offered.

Sharing is always optional. When a student is reluctant, I ask whether I mayread the piece aloud, and often he agrees. I still ask him to sit right next to me in theauthor’s chair. Most students who refuse to share or sit in the author’s chair lackconfidence as writers. Once that confidence is instilled, refusing to share is a rareoccurrence. (See the story of Max on pages 339–340.)

Prepare to ShareTo ensure that no precious minutes are lost as students stumble over their words,several minutes before the end of writing workshop I say: You have just a fewminutes left. Finish up the sentence (or part) you’re working on, and reread yourwriting. Make sure you can read it easily. Students come to know that if they wantto share their writing, they are expected to rehearse their piece by quietly readingit aloud to themselves or to a peer. Expecting students to reread also gets studentsin the habit of proofreading and rethinking as they write, not just after the writingis finished. Reading the writing out loud aids revision (see pages 124 and 159).

Orchestrate What Is SharedJust as we cannot check every page a child reads, it is not necessary to “hear” everyword the child has written. You don’t want conferences to go on forever. Studentsneed to have time and energy to write. Eventually, too, you want students to getgood at conferencing with their peers and themselves. One of the advantages ofhaving students write short pieces is you can listen to and talk about the entirepiece. When a student has written a long piece, have her choose a short section, suchas a favorite part or part she wants help with (up to two pages or whatever youdecide).

At any conference, we discuss:

� What the writer did well (strengths, successes).� What the piece is about.� Writing for the reader.



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Watch Your Time

If the conference goeson too long, you risklosing your students’attention. (I averageunder five minutes perconference in whole-class share.) For thestudent who needsmore time and help,follow up with a one-on-one conference.


Third-grade teacherMillie Rable uses aclass chart withanecdotal notes (onpage 217) to decidewho shares. Shehighlights the namesof students shewants to share.


Maximize Sharing

On days when youhave just a few min-utes for sharing oryou want lots of kidsto have a chance,have kids choose oneshort part to readaloud: I noticed howproud you are of yourwriting. There aretwenty-seven of youand one of me, so we’lljust have time to hearyour favorite [mostsurprising, funniest,most exciting] part. Or,if you’ve been work-ing on leads: Sharethat opening sentenceyou’re proud ofbecause it’s a grabber.

� Memorable language.� Organization—sequence, sense, confusions.� Teaching points.

Who’s in charge at a conference—wholly or partially—depends on how muchstudents know about conducting a conference and improving their own writing. Aswith everything I teach, I rely on the optimal learning model (see inside front coverand page 221). I do not expect students to know the language and behavior of howto respond to their peers and themselves until they have seen and heard manydemonstrations and had lots of practice with guided support.

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL WHOLE-CLASS SHARES AND CONFERENCES

� Always focus first on what the writer has done well. (Beginning withcelebration affirms the writer and makes it more likely that she will beopen to suggestions.)

� For the first reading, try not to look at the child’s paper. (Listeningwithout seeing the spelling errors, lack of punctuation, and messy hand-writing ensures that we focus on the message.)

� Put your pen or pencil aside. (Sit on your hands, if necessary. Avoid theurge to write on the child’s paper.)

� Know where the child is in the learning model; that is, consider howmuch support the child will require. (Will the child be able to say whathe has done well, what questions he has, what response is needed, or willyou need to model that?)

� Watch your language of response. (Whatever you say to the child, besure it encourages her to continue writing. See pages 230–231 for exam-ples of supportive language.)



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t e a c h i n g t i pKeep students ontrack. Once you’reinviting studentresponse, it’s easy forstudents to take over(That reminds me of . . .).One or two digressivecomments are fine,but then return thefocus to supportingthe writer rather thanlistening to other stu-dents’ experiences.


Conference withEvery Student

If you average just twoconferences each dayduring daily writingworkshop and threeconferences duringwhole-class share,that’s twenty-five con-ferences a week; youwill have met withalmost every student.

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