November Share

The focus of this month's literacy share was conferencing with students in the reading and writing workshops.
Reading conferences:
- On books at child's independent reading level.
- Meet with each child once per six day cycle or once per 5-day week.
- Keep checklist/records of each meeting with each child.
- Listen to child read; take notes about expression and errors.
- The conference can be about reading strategies and reading comprehension.
- Can use the reading checklist that is in Guiding Readers and Writers Grade 3-6 Teaching Comprehension, Gerne, and Content Literacy by Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell.
Writing conferences:
- Roving conferences: teacher goes to each student's desk and "checks in" with him/her. The teacher can begin by asking, "What are you working on as a writer today?" The child shares his writing. The teacher gives a praise point and then a teaching point. The teaching point should be related to the subject of the minilesson for that day's writers workshop. The teacher then moves on to another student's desk. Roving conferences aren't as in-depth as conferences that the teacher conducts at a set spot (a table, the teacher's desk, etc.)
- Conferences: the teacher calls a student over to a set spot (like above) and again asks what the students is working on as a writer. This conference is more in-depth than a roving conference. The teacher should still include a praise point and a teaching point, but should delve more deeply into what the student is doing as a writer in relation to that day's minilesson. The conference can focus on both craft and convention.