A Teacher's Guide to Writing Conferences K-8
Teaching writing is tough. Responding to students' writing can be even tougher. Writing conferences are a way to help both you and your students find joy in the writing process. And too, conferences can help you provide one-on-one instruction that covers a wide range of writing skills and strategies. Helping students become better writers is what writing conferences are all about.
How can I get started with conferring or improve my conferences?
How can I fit conferences into my busy writing workshop schedule?
How can conferences help me meet the diverse needs of student writers?
Helping students become better writers is what writing conferences are all about. In A Teacher's Guide to Writing Conferences, Carl Anderson explains the underlying principles and reasons for conferring with students, and how to make writing conferences a part of your daily routine. With clear and accessible language, Carl guides you through the three main parts of a writing conference, and shows you the teaching moves and intentional language that can be used in each one. He helps you understand:
- how to get started with conferring, or improve your existing conferences
- how to use conferences to meet the diverse needs of your student writers
- how to fit conferences into your busy writing workshop schedule.
More than 25 videos bring the content to life, while Teacher Tips, Q&As, and Recommended Reading lists provide everything you need to help you become a better writing teacher.
Contents
- Part One: What Is a Writing Conference?
- My First Writing Conference Was a Disaster
- Writing Conferences Happen in Writing Workshop
- What Is a Writing Conference?
- Why Confer?
- Part Two: Start by Discovering What the Student is Doing as a Writer
- Invite Students to Talk About Their Writing
- What Will Students Talk About?
- Five Scenarios That Happen After You Ask, "How's It Going?"
- Try It Yourself: Studying Your Conferring
- Part Three: Assess and Decide What to Teach
- Recognizing Patterns Is the Key to Good Decision-Making
- Writing Patterns and Teaching Points
- Try It Yourself: Building Your Knowledge of Writing Patterns and Teaching Points
- Part Four: Then Teach Powerfully
- Move One: Give Feedback
- Move Two: Deliver a Teaching Point
- Move Three: Coach
- Move Four: Link to Independent Work
- Studying the Four Teaching Moves in a Transcript of a Conference
- Try It Yourself: Improving Your Conference Teaching
For many years as the author of bestselling books such as About the Authors, Study Driven, Already Ready, and In Pictures and In Words, co-author Katie Wood Ray gave teachers resources and professional development that transformed writing instruction and helped children discover a lifelong love of writing. Katie is now an editor for Heinemann Books and the series editor for Classroom Essentials.
Audio
Praise for A Teacher's Guide to Writing Conferences K-8
"With the videos included in this book, learning does not stop on the last page of the book. The art of teaching is taking something and creating a wonderful lesson that brings the learning to life. This is what the videos do for the book." Lesley Miller, Director of Title I and Literacy, Frankfort, IN
"Carl does an excellent job of showing all the possibilities when conferring with writers. His teaching point library is probably the highlight of this book for veteran teachers. Excellent!" Jill Hatcher, Literacy Coach
"This would have been invaluable to me in my first years of teaching. Not just the text, but as a way that teachers can talk to students, in ways that move the learning forward." Tia Frahm, Assistant Professor
"I struggle with writing conferences, and this book was filled with helpful problem solvers. The many strategies offered quick and useful tools to support my teaching and the young writers in my classroom." Tiffany Jewell, Montessori Teacher