“Conferring with children is an art. It is an active process wherein we sit side-by- side with children, put ourselves in the moment, listen carefully, and reflect and respond in ways that encourage and nudge them forward as learners. I believe that conferring is one of the most significant actions we take as teachers: it serves to individualize our instruction, move children from guided to independent practice, and provide daily opportunities to know-really know-our students. When teachers and children confer about books and big ideas, it puts us both in the active roles of teaching and learning.” -Debbie Miller

June 25, 2013 Kathryn DiMeo, Ed.S.

Components of Workshop (45 – 60 minutes total) Mini-Lesson (5-10 minutes) Independent Practice (10-40 minutes) -Conferring -Small Group Work Mid-workshop Interruption (1-2 minutes) Partnership (5-10 minutes) Share (5-10 minutes)

A conference is a conversation between a learner and a coach. -Lucy Calkins

WOW! WONDER? Conferring? WHAT IF? Think of this as possible suggestions for improvement. What if, you did this instead?

Conferring provides data and information to inform future conferences and small groups. Conferring allows a teacher to differentiate lessons specifically focusing on the needs of the child. Conferences allow the teacher to encourage what the child is approximating and teach him/her what they need next, naturally working in his/her zone of proximal development. Conferences give learners instant feedback.

 As a rule of thumb at least 50% of your students’ independent reading time (It’s time to push yourself more!)  For example, if your students independently read for 30 minutes, you should be able to confer with 3 kids (about 5 minutes each) and meet with at least one strategy group for minutes (if you are not doing a strategy conference—push to add this in)  You do NOT have to give same time to all students  If you got to 3 kids a day, it would take you about 2 weeks to get to 30 kids

Research.. Decide... Compliment... Teach... Link...

Prompt with questions that begin the conversation, discover what they are doing as a reader, let the child do the TALKING. Samples: How’s it going? What’s up with your reading lately? Tour me through your sticky notes? I just saw you stop and do some work on this page. What was going on with that? Wow! You are changing as a reader, how is that feeling different? What new work have you been doing as a reader? Last time, we talked about... Are you having any problems as a reader today? How did you figure that out? Challenge: Linger longer, learn more!

“I can live for 2 months on a good compliment.” -Mark Twain Make it matter. Give a real compliment with specific language. Compliments should encourage and motivate the reader. Check out your previous notes Consider the mini lesson work Look for what they are almost doing but not quite Make it a paragraph. “Don’t skimp on the compliments because they build students’ confidence, making the teaching point more accepted in the next part of the conference.” Ayres and Shubitz Day by Day

Name your teaching point Explicitly teach (choose a teaching method) Regardless of the method you choose; some active involvement; “you try it” is necessary What will make the biggest difference in this child’s life right now?

Research.. Decide...Compliment.. Decide... Teach ****Demonstration! ***Example and Explanation ***Coaching/Guided Practice **Inquiry (avoid during a 1 on 1 conference) * Amount of support the teaching method offers the reader.

Name the Teaching Point (set the stage) I am going to teach you.... Watch me as I.... Think aloud and go through process step by step... Name the Teaching Point Again (restate what the child should have noticed).... The reader tries strategy out that he/she observed while the teacher coaches....

Ask what did I teach you today? Write it in the student’s reading notebook? Leave it on sticky note? Bookmark?

WOW! WONDER? Conferring? WHAT IF?

“ Conferences are not little personalized reiterations of the minilesson! Instead, conferences are opportunities for new teaching, and often that teaching will not relate to the minilesson as much as it relates to the child’s ongoing direction as a reader, to the skills with which the child is not proficient, and to the work that the reader’s book asks the reader to do” Calkins, Guide to a Reader’s Workshop, 61 (emphasis added )

 Previous conferences  The child’s reading life (diet and attitude)  The child’s place along the pathways of the unit you are teaching  Assessments  Conversations  Sticky Note Work

 Levels  Genre Comprehension Skills  Common Core -Grade 1 RL 6---Identify who is telling the story at various points -Grade 2 RL 9—Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story by different authors of from different cultures  Unit of study: What are the skills are kids need to be successful in this unit? Series (books if we know them well) Our own reading!!

Spy on yourself as a reader When you are not engaged, why not? What do you do to keep yourself engaged? What can we teach kids to help them be/stay engaged? Without Engagement...

Do I really have to take notes? Think about your visit to the doctor... Shouldn’t you take notes?

When You Confer...

Want More? Keystone to Conferring by Patrick Allen A Guide to Reading Workshop by Calkins (pgs 59-72) Conferring with Readers by Serravallo and Goldberg Teaching Reading in Small Groups by Seravallo The Continuum of Literacy Learning by Fountas and Pinnell Genre Prompting Guides by Fountas and Pinnell (F and NF)