Eastern Illinois University EC/ELE/MLE Department Denise Reid

1. Think of things you have done. 2. Think of things that could happen. 3. Think of things that you want to do. 4. Think of places you have been. 5. Think of things you want to know more about. 6. Write about something that you know how to do. 7. What problems need solving in your life (the world)? 8. Who might have solutions? 9. What’s a kind of writing that you would like to try?

 Choose a topic from your list.  Free write for five minutes.

“If you can keep only one thing in mind, and I fail at this half the time, it is that we are teaching the writer and not the writing. If the piece of writing gets better, but the writer has learned nothing that will help him or her another day on another piece, then the conference was a waste of everyone’s time. It may have done more harm than good, for such conferences teach students to be dependent on us.” Lucy McCormick Calkins

 Self Conferences Goal: Become an independent reflective reader/writer.  Peer Conferences Ask the author questions about the piece of writing. Ask author to clarify ideas.  Group Conferences Members of the group provide the author of the piece as to how they were effected by the piece.  Teacher-Student Conference Content/Form/Process/Evaluation

 should be natural.  require good listening and honest reactions.  require listening.  require modeling.  require guiding.

“Think about the person that will be reading your writing.”  Where does the writing sound good? Build on strengths.  Are there any places where my reader might get confused?  Have I left out information?  Reread with pencil in hand.  Don’t fixate on spelling mistakes.  Reread it out loud. Ralph Fletcher 200

 Pointing: Providing positive, specific feedback -What part jumps out at you? -What parts do you like? -Could you picture any parts in your mind?  Questioning -Ask questions always using “I”. -Was there a place where you had just a sketchy mental picture and wanted more? Peers never evaluate a piece of writing, but give the writers “feedback”.

1. The writer reads out loud. 1. Listeners focus on the content. 2. Listeners ask questions to learn more. 3. The writer teaches the listener about the subject. 4. The writer makes decisions about what to do next.

Before you ask for a conference, your job is to consider what you need help with. (ideas, language, images, organization, coherence, a part of the piece, a sense of the whole?) Tell the responder what you want response to:

When you agree to confer with a writer, your job is to help the writer think and make decisions about writing: Ask what he/she needs help with. Listen as the writer reads, try to understand the writing, then tell what you heard. If there are parts that confuse you, you don’t understand, or you’d like to know more about, ask the writer about them. Write down ideas as you think about them. Ask the writer what he/she plans to do. Give your notes to the writer.

“It is easy to list questions in a book and harder to ask them in real classrooms. The questions put the spotlight on the writer, and too often as teachers we hesitate to give away control. We look at a student’s rough draft and have the urge to take it over, to make it match our expressions.” Lucy McCormick Calkins

CONTENT: Questions extend and develop the writing adding details. FORM: Questions encourage experimentation with the design, genre, sequence, or emphasis. PROCESS: Questions focus on the writer about how the writer writes. EVALUATION: Questions analyze strengths and weaknesses of the writing.

 The author’s chair (when published)  Share with group of peers.  Publish a newsletter.  Publish in real magazines or journals.  Publish online.  Post on bulletin board.

In the Middle: New Understandings about Writing, Reading and Learning by Nancie Atwell (1998). The Art of Teaching Writing-New Edition by Lucy McCormick Calkins (1994). How Writer’s Work: Finding a Process that Works for You by Ralph Fletcher (2000). Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide by Ralph Fletcher and Joann Portalupi (2001). A Fresh Look at Writing by Donald H. Graves (1994). Writing Essentials by Regie Routman (2005).