One of the biggest draws of implementing a Reader's Workshop at any grade level is the time that can be dedicated to conferring with readers.
I used to teach a 20 or 30 minute reading lesson every day with lots of teacher directed instruction, and every student would practice on the same class text. This presented immediate issues. First, not every student could read the text independently, so I had to scaffold and support A LOT. Secondly, it was time consuming and took up a large portion of our reading time.
While I still sometimes do a 20 or 25 minute lesson when introducing a new mentor text or new concept, most of my teacher directed lessons are very short (5-10 minutes), and the rest is "practice" time where students practice what I modeled with a text of their choosing. This means that students have a lot more time to practice, and they are practicing on texts at their own level. This eliminates the reading level issue, since everyone is choosing a text they are comfortable with, and this structure frees up a significant amount of time for me to work with individual students.
This is how I break down the time:
- 5-10 minute mini-lesson
- 30-35 minutes practice
- I Do:
- confer with students
- Students Do:
- practice skill or strategy with evidence of thinking
- choice independent reading
- literature circle reading
- partner reading
- 20 minutes small groups
- I Do: meet with small groups
- Students Do: meet in groups, choice independent reading, literature circle reading
*I should note that we do our Writing Workshop between the 30 minutes of practice and 20 minutes of small groups, so students are not reading for 50 minutes straight.
Skill/Strategy Conferences
Most days I do a quick mini-lesson with me modeling a strategy that students could use to practice a skill. On these days, I try to touch base with students on the skill or strategy. I try to be quick and efficient with these conferences. My goal is to get an idea where each student is at with the skill and to make an instant decision. If a student is showing good evidence of meeting the standard we are working on, I move on very quickly. If a student is almost there, but might need one quick strategy, I spend 2-3 minutes teaching and helping them apply the strategy. If a student is significantly struggling with a skill, I support for several minutes, but then put the student in a group to work more in depth on the skill or strategy.
Example: Analyzing an Author's Claim
What I'm looking for:
- students can identify the claim of a text
- students can explain how the author supported claim
- students can analyze the claim
10:00-10:05: I model my thinking as I analyze the claim in our mentor text. "Well, I think the author has enough evidence to support her claim because she used a variety of sources. Here she uses a quote from an expert. Here she cites a study from the American Academy of Pediatrics. I know that's a reliable source, and it is relevant to her claim..."
10:05-10:40: Students look at their own text (I provided them with about 10 articles to choose from) and start writing in their notebooks. Once students feel that they have sufficiently analyzed the claim, they move around the room with a book. They are either reading a book for fun, for literature circles, or for a reading partnership they set up themselves.
I start moving around the room conferring with students. First, I check in with C, who has already identified the claim of his text (kids should be playing real sports instead of video games). C thinks that while the author has some good reasons, she could have supported her claim better. She relies mainly on personal experience, which he doesn't think is especially convincing. I agree and move on.
Next, I go over to N, who had easily identified the claim of her article the day before (marine animals all move in the same way). I ask N to explain how the author supported her claim. N states that she gave examples of animals. "What examples?" I ask. "Ummm, I don't remember." While I read the article, and N is correct that the author gave examples, her answer gives me hesitation. I prompt N to go back into the text and look closer. After a quick rereading, she is reminded which animals the author used an example. She also notices that the author cited a study where marine animals' movements were tracked. I explain to N that going back into a text multiple times can help us come away with new understandings. She agrees. At this point, N was successful with support. I will watch her more closely to make sure she transfers this strategy without prompting.
Next up is E. E has written "Claim" in her notebook with the title of the text next to it. As an ELL and the lowest reader in my class, I ask her to explain what a "claim" is. She turns to our "Analyzing Claims" anchor chart and reads the definition to me. Using our anchor charts is a great strategy, and I compliment her on it, but I'm also unable to discern if she knows the meaning, so I say, "I like to think of the claim as the idea the author wants to prove to me." E nods but doesn't respond. I say, "Where might you look for the claim?" E responds, "I could look at the title and the introduction." With my prompting and support, E looks back in the text and we revise the claim she wrote in her notebook. At this point, I have spent about 5 minutes with E and have provided a lot of support. I decide to move on, but plan to meet with her in a small group within the next few days.
Throughout the rest of our reading time, I continue to move from student to student. Some students are in a corner reading, but have left their notebooks on their desks for me to look at. If a student's response looks good, I move on. If I have questions or concerns. I go meet with the student.
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| Checklists are a simple but effective tool for keeping these quick conferences organized. |
Independent Reading Conferences
While my strategy/skill conferences are guided by standards, I also do another type of conference, which I call my Independent Reading Conferences. These are guided by whatever texts students are choosing to read during their independent reading time. These conferences are especially important at the beginning of the year when I am getting to know each student as a reader.
At the beginning of the year I primarily look for three behaviors:
- students are finding good fit, high-interest books/texts
- students are focused and/or have strategies for refocusing during independent reading
- students are reading a lot
If a student is not exhibiting one of these behaviors, that will be the focus of the conference no matter what the student's reading level is or how late in the year it is.
Throughout the year, I will shift my focus depending on where the student is at.
Example:
I call M to my table to meet with me. I would normally ask for a summary, but she is reading her literature circle book, so I know about where she is at in the book, and I am also reading it, so I know what is going on in the book. "So, what are you thinking about as you're reading this section?" I prompt. M says that is encountering some difficult words. This is consistent with what I know about M as a reader. She is an ELL and is reading at grade level, but has some gaps in her academic vocabulary. "What do you do when you get to a word you don't know?" I ask. She explains that she rereads the sentence or section to try to figure it out, but if she can't, she puts a sticky note there. If she later figures out the word, she takes the sticky note out. I say, "Wow, I am glad that you are putting effort into figuring those tricky words out. While I know it can be frustrating to come across words you don't know, it also means that you are learning new words!" M smiles, and I continue, "It seems like you have found a strategy that helps you, but also remember that you don't need to understand every single word in order to understand the book--especially in this book where there are some words from other languages." M agrees. At this point, I ask M if she connects with any of the characters. She launches into a long explanation where she explains that she is really connecting with one of the narrators, who is starting school in America after moving from India. M says that she started school in America when she was in 2nd grade. It was much different from her school in Syria, and she had the same feeling as the main character of feeling dumb and frustrated. As M and I continue to talk, not only am I getting to know M as a reader, but I am getting to know her as a person. That is truly what I love about meeting with students individually.
Key Takeaways
- conferences can serve different purposes
- conferring provides students with responsive and individualized instruction
- conferring can help teachers connect with students
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