Carl Anderson demystifies conferring in A Teacher’s Guide to Writing Conferences: Grades K – 8. The book’s content can initially be digested on a weekend afternoon thanks to its easy-to-navigate structure and beautiful design. Be prepared to read this book with sticky notes and a pen, rather than a highlighter, since every page has practical advice. To really dive deep, you’ll want to set aside more time so you can view and take notes on the 25 videos that showcase Carl conferring with young writers at every grade level the book covers. After you’ve read the book and watched the videos, you’ll have taken a master class on conferring with young writers.
A Teacher’s Guide to Writing Conferences: Grades K – 8 begins by explaining what writing conferences and why conferring an essential part of writing workshop. The next three chapters help readers understand how to research, decide, and teach a child a new strategy that will help him/her become a stronger writer in every conference. And if that’s not enough, there are dozens of possible teaching points (in chapter three) that serve as a menu, of sorts, to help you teach into writing process patterns (i.e., rehearsal, drafting and revising, editing, publishing) and qualities of writing patterns (i.e., focus, structure, detail, voice, conventions). As a result, Carl’s new book is an enduring gift for writing workshop teachers.
I thought a Q&A with Carl would be the best way to show, rather than tell, you (See what I did there?!!?) how rich of a resource his newest book is. Read through Carl’s responses to get a better sense of how his book can help you grow at conferring.
Stacey: How’s It Going? was the book about conferring that influenced me most since I read it. What inspired you to write a new book about conferring?
Carl: I’ve wanted to write again about conferring for many years. Since How’s It Going? was published nearly twenty years ago, I’ve given countless workshops on conferring, and visited many schools where I’ve demonstrated conferences, and coached teachers as they conferred. All of these experiences have helped me to get even better at explaining the how-to’s of conferring—and have also helped me get much better at conferring myself. So when Heinemann suggested I write a Classroom Essentials book on writing conferences, the opportunity to update what I wrote about conferring years ago was too good to pass up. Also, teachers have continuously asked me if I have any conference videos available. While there are some that are part of my Heinemann firstHand series, Strategic Writing Conferences, they are all of fourth graders. A Teacher’s Guide to Writing Conferences gave me the opportunity to include videos of writing conferences I had with students in every grade, K-8.
Stacey: I know your daughter, Anzia, was the illustrator for A Teacher’s Guide to Writing Conferences, Grades K-8. Would you talk a bit about how you feel Anzia’s illustrations enhance the reader’s experience when interacting with this text?
Carl: When Heinemann described the new Classroom Essentials series to me, they explained that these books would be gorgeously designed in ways that would enhance the meaning of the text. I proposed that we dramatize the various conferring “moves” with illustrations of teachers talking with students. I felt this would be something readers would find visually pleasing, and would be much more accessible than written transcripts of the “moves.” Fortunately, Anzia, who is an art and urban studies major at Brown University, was available to do the work. I think they’re an amazing feature of the book—and I’m not just saying that as a proud dad!
Stacey: What advice can you offer to teachers who are new to conferring in a writing workshop who want to confer well, but feel overwhelmed by how much needs to be fit into a short 1:1 writing conference?
Carl: I think the trick to getting started with conferring is to not worry about getting better at every single aspect of conferring at once. For example, new teachers might first work on supporting students’ talk in the beginning of conferences, which will help them figure out what students are trying to do as writers. To do so, they can try out some of the strategies I discuss in Chapter 2 of A Teacher’s Guide to Writing Conferences. Once they feel comfortable supporting student talk, they might then work on improving their assessment skills, which I discuss in Chapter 3, and improving their conference teaching points, which is the focus of Chapter 4. I’m not saying this is the exact sequence that new teachers should follow, just one sequence. For example, after reading the book, and watching some of the videos, a teacher might decide that improving her conference teaching points is the best place to start.
Stacey: Speaking of new teachers, what are the most important classroom management principles they should have in place so conferring can happen without disruptions?
Carl: In general, I think it’s critical that new teachers have a clear image in their minds about what happens in each part of writing workshop (mini-lesson, independent writing, and share session) and how they want things to unfold in each part–and that they explain these things to their students during the first few weeks of the school year. Once I was able to do this with my own students, years ago, I found that my workshops ran much better, because my students knew exactly what was expected of them. Specific to conferring, students should know that they shouldn’t interrupt their teacher while he is conferring (unless there’s an emergency). This needs to be an iron-clad rule, as interruptions break the flow of a conference, hurting both the teacher’s and student’s concentration. Finally, it helps for teachers to be proactive and explain how to do all of the things independently that could cause students to interrupt a conference. For example, students should know where writing supplies are kept, and how to sign out for the bathroom, so they don’t need to ask the teacher about these kinds of needs while she’s conferring.
Stacey: How can wait time work to a teacher’s advantage in a writing conference?
Carl: After we ask the student “How’s it going?” at the beginning of a conference (or a similar open-ended question that invites students to talk about what they’re doing as writers), it’s important to give students some wait time. Don Graves suggested we give students upwards of 10 to 15 seconds to consider what they’re going to say! This wait time puts the responsibility on students to get involved in the conference. And it gives students an opportunity to think about what they might say. When we sit down next to them, students are in the world of their topics, and they often need some time to become present with us in the conference, and start to talk about what they’re doing as writers.
Stacey: You talked about kids who respond to “How’s it going?” by talking about what they’re doing as writers (pg. 49). Would you provide some quick tips for teaching kids that conferring is about what they’re working on as writers?
Carl: In Chapter Two, I describe five scenarios that we could face after we ask “How’s it going?” In the first scenario, students are able to describe what they’re doing as writers, and what they bring up is something we want to make the focus of the conference. In general, the best way to help kids become able to talk about what they’re doing in conferences is to give mini-lessons on the student’s role in a writing conference. Often, kids are confused about what they’re supposed to do in response to the question, “How’s it going?”, and a class discussion can help clear this up. It can help to role-play conferences in these mini-lessons, and/or show some videos of conferences to the class (like those in A Teacher’s Guide to Writing Conferences), so students can get a clear image of their role. Some teachers make a chart of things students might talk about in conferences, usually things that have been the focus of the current unit of study.
Stacey: In Scenario 2 (pg. 47), you talk about how to deal with things students tell you that you don’t want to “get behind.” Would you talk more about this so teachers know that even though students guide the first part of the conference, teachers can still steer a student in a different direction.
Carl: Scenario 2 is when a student talks about a kind of writing work he’s doing as a writer, but we don’t want to make that kind of work the focus of the conference, perhaps because we know there are other, more important aspects of writing that the student needs to learn about first, or because the work the student talks about is better left to a later stage in the writing process. When this happens, it’s okay to steer the conversation towards something else that the student is doing as a writer that would be a better use of conference time. And there’s a really simple strategy we can use to steer the conversation in another direction—we can ask, “What else are you doing as a writer?”
Stacey: You write about “patterns of approximation” (pgs. 66-67), and how recognizing patterns can help teachers decide what to teach in a writing conference. Could you discuss this?
Carl: Once we know what kind of work a student is doing in a writing conference, our next step is to read their writing to see how the student is approximating that kind of work. Since many students make similar approximations, we can call them “patterns of approximation”, and being able to recognize these patterns in conferences helps us make quick and accurate teaching decisions. I think the best way to learn to recognize these patterns is to read student writing outside of writing workshop, preferably with colleagues, and ask these questions: “What kind of work do we see this student is trying to do?”, “What does this student understand so far about doing this kind of work?” and “What does the student need to learn to be better at this kind of work?” I should also mention that Chapter 3 of A Teacher’s Guide to Writing Conferences includes charts that list typical writing patterns, and possible teaching points that we can give in response.
Stacey: Voice is hard to teach. Would you share a few ways you’ve found successful to help students write with an authentic voice?
Carl: One way to teach voice is to explain to students that writers “code” texts in ways that cue readers to give texts voice when they read them aloud, or to themselves. Punctuation, for example, is used by writers to let readers know when to make their voice get louder or softer, or speed up or slow down, just like musical notations help musicians know how to play a piece. Various sentence structures also signal readers to do similar things. The best way I know of teaching voice is to look at mentor texts with students, and point out various voice techniques (e.g. punctuation marks such as the exclamation mark or ellipsis, or sentence structures such as short or long sentences), and discuss the effects that they have on readers.
Stacey: Would you talk about the importance of giving feedback about a student’s emerging strengths?
Carl: We preface our conference teaching points by giving students feedback. The best kind of feedback isn’t about something random that we’ve noticed that the student is doing. Instead, it’s a combination of naming what the student already understands about doing the writing work she’s doing, and then what she needs to learn in order to do that work better. This kind of feedback gives the student the message that she’s someone who has some strength as a writer, a strength that she can build on by trying out what we teach her in the rest of the conference. I think it’s important to keep in mind that students learn better when they feel we see them as people with some strengths already!
Stacey: Could you talk about the four methods of teaching during a conference you discuss in Chapter 4 (pgs. 104-105)?
Carl: In the book, I name four ways we can teach in a conference. First, we can demonstrate a strategy e.g. we might read some of our writing aloud, and show a student how we listen for punctuation errors. Second, we might show a student our writing from a stage of the writing process, such as our writer’s notebook, or one of our drafts with revisions, so that the student can see the kind of work they can do in that stage. Third, we can show a mentor text and use it to teach a student about one of the craft techniques the author of the text used. Or fourth, we can ask a child to study a mentor text, and describe what she notices about a craft technique, which, by reading the text “like a writer,” she is able to teach herself. Once we decide what to teach in a conference, we choose one of these methods to use in our teaching point.
Stacey: In Chapter Four, you write, “many teachers don’t include strategies in their teaching points.” Would you explain why teaching strategies is crucial when conferring with student writers?
Carl: When we teach in a conference, we need to explain what the thing is we’re teaching, as well as how to do it. For example, we first explain what dialogue is, and then a strategy for how to write it. Without a strategy, the student is left without the means to do what we’ve taught them. In my work in schools, I’ve noticed that coming up with these strategies is hard for a lot of teachers. That’s not because the strategies are that complicated, but because, as adult writers, we’re often not aware on a conscious level of what strategies we use when we write. To develop my own repertoire of writing strategies, I’ve had to study my own writing process and ask myself, “How exactly do I do each kind of writing work that I want to teach children?” I’ve also learned some strategies by reading about the ones other writers use (such as the members of The Beatles!), and by reading professional books on the teaching of writing (many of which I cite in A Teacher’s Guide to Writing Conferences).
Stacey: How do you suggest teachers check in with students after conferences (pgs. 110-111)?
Carl: I think it’s critical that we check in with students the same period we confer with them, usually after the following conference. Checking in gives students the message that they’re responsible for following through on conferences, and also gives us a chance to see how students did in response to our teaching. If something went awry, then we can sit back down with the student and teach them some more. I don’t think it’s a good idea to check in with students a week later, or even the next day. I want to check-in with them when their thinking about what I taught them and how trying it went for them is freshest, and that means just 5-10 minutes after the conference is over.
Stacey: How do you recommend teachers analyze and study their writing conferences when they videotape or make a voice recording of their conferences?
Carl: First, read A Teacher’s Guide to Writing Conferences, and watch several of the videos! Then, identify one aspect of conferring that they would like to analyze in their own conferences e.g. how well they support student talk, the quality of their feedback, the clarity of their teaching points, etc. Then, they should watch or listen to their video or voice recording with that one aspect of conferring in mind. Watching and listening like this should give teachers some ideas for how they can work on this aspect of conferring in subsequent conferences. Over time, teachers can analyze more video or voice recordings, with other aspects of conferring in mind, and gradually get better at navigating every part of writing conferences.
…..
Photos (used in this post) by permission of Heinemann Publishing 2018.
…..
Giveaway Information:
- T
his giveaway is for a copy of A Teacher’s Guide to Writing Conferences: Grades K – 8. Many thanks to Heinemann for donating a copy for one reader. For a chance to win this copy of A Teacher’s Guide to Writing Conferences: Grades K – 8, please leave a comment about this post by Friday, October 12th at 11:59 p.m. EDT. I’ll use a random number generator to pick the winners, whose names I will announce at the bottom of this post, by Monday, October 15th.Please be sure to leave a valid e-mail address when you post your comment, so I can contact you to obtain your mailing address if you win. From there, my contact at Heinemann will ship your book out to you. (NOTE: Your e-mail address will not be published online if you leave it in the e-mail field only.)If you are the winner of the book, I will email you with the subject line of TWO WRITING TEACHERS – ANDERSON. Please respond to my e-mail with your mailing address within five days of receipt. Unfortunately, a new winner will be chosen if a response isn’t received within five days of the giveaway announcement.
Comments are now closed.
Thank you to everyone who left a comment on this post. Andrea Willadsen’s commenter number was chosen so she’ll receive a copy of Carl Anderson’s new book.
TWO WRITING TEACHERS 
Thank you for this thorough interview with Carl about his newest title on conferring. There are so many valuable nuggets in this one space! I love how Carl gives Ts permission to dive right in, and not worry about getting everything just right. This is especially important for new teachers or teachers new to the workshop model. Our district has begun the process of adopting the UofS this year with lab classes-a full rollout is planned for next school year. The videos at every grade level specifically focusing on the conferring sound invaluable as we learn best from seeing the steps in action. I look forward to the chance to study Carl’s work! Thanks for facilitating this offer! Good luck fellow contestants!
LikeLike
Thanks for this interview with Carl. I love the sound of his new book and am so thrilled that it includes more videos of him at work!
I think one of the most difficult parts of the conference for many teachers, as Carl said, is the requirement for deep content knowledge in order to know what to work on to move the child forward as a writer. I’m looking forward to reading this book to find out what recommendations he has for building this.
LikeLike
Carl’s point about sharing the what and how of a writing strategy resonates with me. I love students’ reactions to this kind of sharing in a conference. It’s like you’ve let them in on a secret. When they “see it” or “get it,” they are eager to get back to their writing. Eager to read more!
LikeLike
This book, A Teacher’s Guide to Writing Conferences: Grades K – 8 would definitely provide strategies to help students with their writing by providing teachers ways to improve their conferencing during Writer’s Workshop.
LikeLike
Great Q & A! Can’t wait to share it with teachers. Conferring often feels like a daunting task and this begins to demistify it and break it down.
LikeLike
I am teaching Writing to 40 third grade students this school year (using the Workshop Model!). I’d LOVE to win a copy of this book because conferring with writers during Independent Writing Time is an area I need to improve upon. Thank you for this opportunity! 😊
LikeLike
I would love to read this book! I’m a new 4th grade teacher and I think this would be a great resource to help my students and myself!
LikeLike
Wow! This looks like such a treasure. Thank you for previewing this valuable text with us all.
LikeLike
My building has focused on writing for the past 3 years. Our focus this year is on improving feedback/feedforward and conferring. I can’t wait to read Carl’s newest work! This would be the perfect resource for my library as an instructional coach to both inform me and provide an additional resource for my teachers.
LikeLike
What a great interview with Carl Anderson. As a literacy coach, writing conferences is a common goal for my coaching cycles at the middle school where I work. This book will definitely become a resource for myself and my colleagues.
LikeLike
I think conferring is one of the hardest parts of teaching. I am constantly learning how to do this better, and books such as this one can be so valuable in the process.
LikeLike
Thank you for all you work! Simple but effective ideas in this post!
LikeLike
I would love Carl’s new book!
LikeLike
I’ve been so excited for this new book by Carl Anderson! Conferences has been one of the biggest needs for the teachers I coach and another great resource from Carl will be a big help. Love the Q&A format of this blog as well!
LikeLike
I have Carl’s first book, and it was so helpful in having personal and effective reading conversations with my students. I am excited for his new book. Thank you for this post!
LikeLike
Thanks for sharing this interview, Stacey! This is our 4th year doing workshop and my goal this year is to improve my conferences. This book would be a real asset.
LikeLike
I’ve found myself in numerous conversations lately with teachers of writers- about… conferring. So happy to be able to share your post and hopefully this book with them. I love what Carl says about patterns of approximation, four ways of teaching, and teaching voice. Conferring may get easier with practice, but it is something we can always get better at and learn more about how to conduct effective conferences. I am curious, does he write about record keeping in this new book? It is something we continue to struggle with, and yet it can be so very helpful in the long run. Can’t wait to read this.
LikeLike
I don’t have the book in front of me right now, but if memory serves me right, you can see some of his record-keeping forms in the book. And he does give tips about when to take notes.
LikeLike
I’m in front of the text now. Check out page 114.
LikeLike
This is perfect timing! We have just returned to the writing workshop model in my fourth grade classroom. I am struggling with time management with conferences. I am not meeting with as many students as I had been planning on. I can’t wait to read this book to help focus and improve my conferences!
LikeLike
I am a third grade teacher and love writing workshop, but struggle so badly with conferring. I want to meet with every kid every day, and that is not a practical approach. I have a lot to learn. Can’t wait to get a copy of Writing Conferences !
LikeLike
Looks like a great book and I love the easily digestable format
THANKS!!!!!
LikeLike
Having this book would be fantastic. I struggle the most with conferring and need help.
LikeLike
Definitely attempting to confer more this year with students. The little that I have done makes a huge difference in student writing. Carl’s book looks amazing and perfect for me right not!
LikeLike
How’s It Going? 2.0! Another book added to my list. Thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I always gain so much from Carl’s work. I’m really looking forward to reading this book,
LikeLike
Can’t wait to get this in my hands! As a coach,I have used “how’s it going?” with any kid, any subject ever since reading his book. They will tell you the truth and that one question has led me to some interesting tidbits. This book sounds like it will be the next game changer!
LikeLike
Another must have book for me to get! I was lucky enough to meet Carl when he came to our school and will learn from him again in January in Hong Kong. Checking in with writers the same period you confer with them was a brand new idea to me last year and it makes so much sense!
LikeLike
Thanks for sharing this book and your Q & A with Carl, Stacey. Conferring is always the scariest part of WW for me, perhaps because I know that’s when the magic happens. Anyway, this book sounds like something that would benefit me as an experienced teacher as well as one that I could share with my team of new teachers.
LikeLike
frustrated that the images did not enlarge when I clicked on them…I would really like to see the charts in detail:(
LikeLike
Not sure why that happened. Email me (See “Contact” page for my address.) and I’ll help you out.
LikeLike
Until this year, I’ve looked at Carl’s work through the eyes of a Second Grade teacher. I’m excited to revisit his training now that I’m teaching fifth grade. It changes my expectation – I need to raise the level of my thinking and practice.
LikeLike
I need to learn how to do writing workshop better. I really have no clue. Conferring is one part I have in place, and I’m thankful for this post for these ideas already!
LikeLike
Carl has been consulting with my district. I really enjoy watching him confer with writers and putting them at ease. He certainly has a gift with writing conferences! I’d love to win a copy of this book- especially since I’ll be seeing him in a few weeks!!
LikeLike
I liked how you mentioned ideas to teach voice. It’s so difficult because children just want to put the punctuation marks everywhere. I also live the idea of showing videos how to conference.
LikeLike
Thank you so much for this in-depth interview! I’ve been working to improve my conferring skills and this seems like the perfect book to guide me on this quest!
LikeLike
So excited to read more about conferring with students to improve their writing!
LikeLike
This post was so helpful. I can’t wait to read Carl’s book and use his strategies. He is such a wonderful mentor to teachers that want to improve their writing workshop.
LikeLike
Because I have read some of Carl’s work already, I am eager to get his book! I’ve always thought that conferring is one of the most challenging aspects of writer’s workshop. I can’t wait to learn more from Carl!
LikeLike
Two years ago I set a goal to get better at conferring. It’s made such a huge difference in my writers!
LikeLike
Wow! I am so excited this book is available. Conferring with my kindergarteners is always something that I struggle with. I’m super excited to hear that there are videos for all grade levels, and I think the pictures will add a lot of value to the book. Either way I will be getting this book, as I know it will support my conferring during writer’s workshop.
Samantha
sbrimeyer@solon.k12.ia.us
LikeLike
Conferring is the heart of the workshop!! I am so excited about this amazing resource! I can’t wait to use it to support my colleagues as we work to develop our conferring skills.
LikeLike
Love Carl Anderson from way back when he was coming to my district! Can’t wait to read his newest book.
LikeLike
I am excited to read this information about Carl’s new book! This will be a great resource for teachers of writing!
LikeLike
I was fortunate to get the opportunity to study with Carl at Teacher’s College. His guidance really helped me learn how to confer with students.
LikeLike
I read Carl’s first book, and this one seems even more explicit and supportive. I can’t wait to share this resource with the teachers I support!
LikeLike
I will definitely be checking out Carl Anderson’s new book! As a new ELA consultant for my school board I think it will be a valuable resource in helping to support teachers.
LikeLike
This looks like a must have as a writing coach. I can see myself using it to help improve my coaching and possibly leading a book study with my staff!
LikeLike
One of the goals for our school plan is writing. I’m looking forward to reading the book and watching the videos. New and veteran teachers would benefit from learning more about conferencing with students. Thank you for the interview.
LikeLike
How great that Mr. Anderson has written this. I’ve loved his other books!
LikeLike
This looks like a fabulous resource! When I was new to Writing Workshop I read How’s It Going often to get ideas and refine how many conferences went. This year, our focus at my school site in conferencing…this would be a perfect book to study together as we approach this work. Excited!
LikeLike
Your review/conversation with Carl inspires me to read/use this book for my next Teacher Book Club. What a wonderful way to focus on conferring and inspire both new and veteran teachers side by side. I’m excited to view the videos, which will also be SO helpful!! Thank you for sharing!! I can’t wait to get started developing PD sessions for the teachers I work with!
LikeLike
Thanks for the glimpses into the book and Carl Anderson’s thoughts. Conferring is so important. This will be a rich resource for all.
LikeLike
Thanks for this interview! As an instructional coach at the elementary level, I am always looking for powerful resources that include K-5. It also sounds like a resource that can be used with individual teachers, PLCs, or large group PD as needed.
LikeLike
Carl’s book “How’s it going?” changed my life 20 years ago. I own 3 copies of it; one for school, one for home, and one to lend out to colleagues. The ideas and ways Carl has guided us to give students effective feedback in conferences have stood the span of time; they are that good!
I’m excited to read this new book and see Carl in action!
LikeLike
I have a feeling you’ll be doing the same thing with this book, Barbara.
LikeLike
I would love to win this book to get better at conducting writing conferences!
LikeLike
Oh my goodness, what an incredible resource!! Thank you for sharing this gem. One way or another, it’s ending up in my classroom!! (kweller@discovercompass.org)
LikeLike
Super excited for another book by Carl Anderson!! He’s been my “go to” for writing conferences and the new one looks incredibly user friendly and practical. Thanks for this post, and the Q&A. So helpful!!
LikeLike
This book sounds like just what I need. Even as a veteran teacher, conferring is still something I struggle with. Can’t wait to read this!
LikeLike
This is fantastic! I love Carl’s practice of checking in with a student 5-10 minutes after conferring and not waiting a day or two. This is something I can easily implement that is sure to have lasting impact on student confidence and accountability. Can’t wait to get my hands on this resource!
LikeLike
This is fantastic! I love Carl’s practice of checking in with a student 5-10 minutes after conferring and not waiting a day or two. This is something I can easily implement that is sure to have lasting impact on student confidence and accountability. Can’t wait to get my hands on this resource!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am SO excited to read this book! Conferring is one of the hardest things for me as a new teacher. I am hoping that this book will help 🙂
LikeLike
I really am eager to read this book, especially the section on classroom expectations during writing conferences. This seems essential! It is easy to have a writing conference when there is only 1 student in the room, but what to do when there are 20 other students?! Looking forward to reading your book.
LikeLike
I’m anxiously waiting for my copy of this book to arrive. Thank you for a little preview. I noticed in an earlier post that you mentioned a “conferring menu”. Would it be possible to still get a copy of that just to have an idea of what one looks like? I would have requested on that thread, but the comments were closed I’m sure due to how long ago it was! Conferring is the hardest part of WW workshop for me as a newer writing teacher so I try to get my hands on all resources possible. Thank you so much! wendy.rampy@lipscomb.edu
LikeLike
I would be happy to. Just email me at stacey{at}staceyshubitz{dot}com since I won’t be at my computer until much later today (& I don’t want to forget to send this to you).
LikeLike
I especially love the suggestions for how to improve student answers to the question,”How’s it going?” This seems like such a powerful teaching tool! I’m excited to give it a try and might have to get the book one way or another.
LikeLike
I would love to win this book! I think the illustrations of the conferences (by Carl’s daughter no less) will really enhance the scripts. Can’t wait to read this!
LikeLike
Oh my, this looks like a must read! I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy!!
LikeLike
I’m a reading specialist who works with many elementary teachers in a writer’s workshop model. This book would be invaluable to all of us!
LikeLike
Thank you for helping us learn of Carl Anderson’s new book. Your Q&A section provided us with some great insight into what we can expect from the book. SO helpful! Despite being a small school (K-12 enrollment around 850 students), we are fortunate to have a PK-5 Literacy Coach on staff FT. I am going to talk to her about previewing this book to see if we would use it in our next team book study. How fun would it be to be able to hand her a FREE copy of the book as a gift to thank her for her commitment to our learning around teaching literacy! Kim leads book studies each year, and we have about 80% participation of staff. The groups meet after school and beyond contract time, which, I think, shows their commitment to being lifelong learners and heroes of literacy instruction for their kids. Last year we dug into Jennifer Saravello’s Writing Strategies and Reading Strategies books in our book studies. Thank you again for the information about Carl’s book and the opportunity to receive a FREE copy.
LikeLike
This book is excellent for a book study!
LikeLike
This looks like such a rich resource for both beginning and established teachers! Thanks for sharing a great interview and overview of the book, Stacey.
LikeLike
This is so relevant to me, as our school is just starting an investigation into writing conferences through our PLCs. I think many of us feel we know how to confer, but conferences can be so much more powerful if we follow Carl’s ‘discover, assess, decide, teach’ process. I’ll be getting the book…one way or another!
LikeLike