Today I read a few pages from Peter Johnston's book, Choice Words. You know this book, right? If not, it is a small, powerful read that can change your teaching life forever. (If you click on the link, you can preview the book online.) In the excerpt I read, Johnston writes: Of course, if students… Continue reading Keep Learning
Category: conferring
Conferences are dialogues.
[Conferences] are not mini-lectures but the working talk of fellow writers sharing their experience with the writing process. At times, of course, they will be teacher and student, master and apprentice, if you want, but most of the time they will be remarkably close to peers, because each writer, no matter how experienced, begins again… Continue reading Conferences are dialogues.
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Throwback Thursday: Conferring
Check out some of our past posts about all aspects of conferring.
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A Little Conferring Secret
Often, one of the things people mention after observing me confer is my wait time. I shouldn't be surprised by this because it has become a typical response to my conferring style. However, I'm still a little surprised each time someone mentions my wait time because it is something that has become part of the… Continue reading A Little Conferring Secret
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5 Reasons to Keep Conference Records
Conference records hold you accountable for meeting with everyone. I know there are lots of students who need you. I know there are students who you think won't get going until you talk with them. I know, I know. However, the fact of the matter remains: EVERYONE deserves individual conferences with you. By keeping notes… Continue reading 5 Reasons to Keep Conference Records
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Conferring
Deb Gaby said this to me last week: Conferring is the heartbeat of workshop. I have to agree. Conferring is the way we gauge if our instruction is effective. It is the way we figure out what the writers in our classrooms need next. Without conferring we lose the pulse of workshop. Without conferring, workshop… Continue reading Conferring
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A Secret to Conferring
I like to figure out why writers make the choices they make. It's fascinating to learn about writers' processes, just as it is fascinating to gain insight into the processes of the writers in our classrooms. I think one of the secrets to conferring is to remember that every action reveals who our students are… Continue reading A Secret to Conferring
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21st Century Research
This is the view from the beginning of my day. Our middle schools are working toward an Academic Learning Fair. We are being intentional about considering Common Core standards and making shifts to meet the needs of 21st century learners. Today Shelley Kunkle invited her students to BYOT -- Bring Your Own Tech. Most took… Continue reading 21st Century Research
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Working Together to Help Struggling Writers
I'm working on a presentation, "Getting Started with Writing Workshop," for a group of 3rd - 6th grade teachers I'll be working with later this month. I've made a list of non-negotiables I'm going sharing with them. They range from writing is taught daily to kids need time to write to students need to go… Continue reading Working Together to Help Struggling Writers
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Best First Draft
When students move from their notebook to draft, I encourage them to write their best first draft. (Click here to see other posts I've written about best first drafts.) Something that I'm always curious about is the way conventions come into play during all parts of the writing process. As I've been teaching kids to… Continue reading Best First Draft
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Topic Choice
So often, we run into students who say, "I don't know what to write about." We work to help them develop topics. We make lists of writing ideas. We encourage them to explore writing territories. They find possible stories. What I've been realizing lately is often my topic choice has more to do with what… Continue reading Topic Choice
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Raise Your Glass: The Making of a Wedding Toast
My brother-in-law is getting married this Sunday. Marc, my husband, is his brother's best man. As is tradition at most weddings, Marc will be delivering a toast at the reception. Last weekend Marc had a cohesive draft of the toast prepared. He asked me for some feedback. I read it through and was tempted to… Continue reading Raise Your Glass: The Making of a Wedding Toast
