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Conferring during Independent Reading

RISE Community School

+Outcomes

Teachers will: Understand the rationale for one-on-one

conferring Identify the four ways to teach during a

conference Know how to use a teaching conference

protocol to support and monitor students’ reading development

Analyze sample conferences Develop conferring points for current unit of

study

+Norms

Be fully present and listen attentively

Be open to new learning

Use technology for on task purposes

Decrease side conversations

+Conferring to Move Beyond “Silent Reading”

When our students are finally, blissfully, engaged in Sustained, Silent Reading, -we never thought it would happen! – we at first want to simply lean back in our chairs, smile and congratulate ourselves. At long last, our kids are all on their way! After all, we know that consistent, engaged reading begets stronger and more thoughtful readers. Now, they are all reading; we’ve done our job.

But then we lean forward. Is that all? Our students are mostly able to choose books, and they now have time in school to read. Is that all they need? We start to feel uncomfortable. Okay, maybe that isn’t all, but what more? What can we offer them that is worth disturbing the silence, that is worth interrupting their engagement with texts?

Lucy Calkins, Foreword to “Conferring with

Readers”

Lucy Calkins, Foreward to Conferring with Readers

+Turn and Talk:Conferring with students: Why should we do it?

+Four Types of Conferring

+ Architecture of a Teaching Conference

Research

•Data•Observation•Comprehension Conversation•Listening to the student read

Decide

•What strategy to compliment•What strategy to teach•How you will teach the strategy

Compliment

•A new, emerging strategy•Do not compliment a strategy the student has already mastered•Names the strategy and its steps

Teach

•Demonstration (High Support)•Coaching (Medium Support) •Explanation & Example (Low Support)

+Conferring with Students: When do you do it?

+Reading Workshop Conferences: Two examples

Transcript: conference with Ramon

Video: 2nd Grade, independent reading time

+Establish Whole-Class Reading (Big) Goals for Instructional Unit

Develop a Whole-Class Study Overview Plan To identify target skills for reading unit of

studyTo identify a “big” overarching reading

skill goal for conferring and the strategies to teach the skills

+Develop a Whole-Class Study Overview Plan

+Develop a Whole-Class Study Overview Sheet

Process1. READ the introduction at the beginning of the

reading unit of study and the teaching points at the end

2. IDENTIFY and LIST skills and strategies to be taught on the Strategy Overview Sheet

3. CHOOSE one“Big” Unit Goal (skill) to teach/reinforce during conference

4. IDENTIFY Calkins’ strategies to teach target reading skill

5. DEVELOP research questions to asses students’ knowledge of strategy

+Annotating

+Example of Completed Strategy Overview Sheet

+Planning Time: Develop a Whole-Class Study Overview SheetProcess

1. READ the introduction at the beginning of the reading unit of study and the teaching points at the end

2. IDENTIFY and LIST skills and strategies to be taught on the Strategy Overview Sheet

3. CHOOSE one“Big” Unit Goal (skill) to teach/reinforce during conference

4. IDENTIFY Calkins’ strategies to teach target reading skill

5. DEVELOP research questions to asses students’ knowledge of strategy

+Grade Level Share Out

Your Big Goal (skill) for conferencing

An example of one strategy that supports the goal

A question or prompt that will help the teacher identify the student’s level of proficiency with the strategy

What mentor text or other materials you might need on hand to demonstrate the teaching point

+Next Steps Use your skills and strategies overview sheet to confer

with students

Record your conferences using the Conferring Notetaking Sheet

+Feedback