ASSIGNMENT SEVEN: Student Writing Conference - Choose one or two children (classroom students, relatives, neighbors...) to conduct an informal conference with. You may choose to use one of Regie’s formats, your own or the one below, which I use in a conferring notebook. You need to find a system that will work for you. Example 1 (and below) is the format I use for each writing conference that I hold with students. Keep in mind that while you are conferring with students, the majority of other students should be writing!
(Note: If you aren’t currently teaching please find a school-age child to do a conference with. We believe you will find it is worth the effort.) Student Name: Date:
? (Question- Teacher asks)- “What are you
working on today in your writing?”
C (Compliment)- Compliment the student on one
strategy they are using well.
TP (Teaching Point)- What is one
strategy/point/goal you can teach this student to
move them forward?
FNT (For Next Time)- What needs to be a focus
during the next conference/what were set goals?
ASSIGNMENT SEVEN: After completing your one or two conferences, please reflect on how well they went and how they will impact your whole group, small group and independent instruction in your classroom. Post your reflective response to the blog.
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Ashley Madison
ReplyDeleteAssignment #7
Student Writing Conference
(The DVD won’t even go in my computer, my only DVD player, so I am skipping six for now, but will watch it at my sister’s and come back to it.)
Well, since it is summer, and I live next to an apartment complex filled with children, I decided to go over there and ask them about writing. I asked if they like it, what they like about it, what they don’t like about it, and what they would want to improve. It was really fun. The children range in age from 4-13, and are bilingual (Spanish). They all thought it was really cool that I was “interviewing” them, and also thought it was funny that I, the teacher, was doing schoolwork. My son (10) is also working on a rap for his summer writing (can you imagine having a writing teacher for a mom?), so we conferenced about that, too.
The kids next door are mostly younger than the age I teach, but I always find it interesting to see where and when likes and dislikes about school develop. When I first asked them if they like writing, the younger ones said they do, especially stories, but hate spelling tests because they “can’t spell.” The older boys “hate” writing because it’s “boring” or “hard,” while the older girls like it because it’s “easy.” I told them that my favorite part about being a writing teacher is how I get to know students really well because I read things they write. I always go to literacy night at their school, because my son goes there, too, and I told them that I have read some of their reports, stories, and poems that were on display and was really impressed. Each of them wanted to know, “Did you read mine?” I told them to tell me about something they had written that was on display, and I did actually remember a couple of them. They loved to hear that, and my compliments. When I asked about what they wanted to improve, again, they said their spelling. UGH! I told them about how I remembered the things they had written because of what they were about. It was really fun. I asked if any of them keep a summer journal or diary, and none of them do! I may have to go notebook shopping for the neighbors! I also asked about their skills writing in Spanish and encouraged them to work on them—maybe send a letter or postcard to a relative in Mexico or Bolivia. As far as their goals, again, they referenced a desire to improve in spelling, and one of them wants to write a book! Yay!
My conference with my son about his rap was fun, too. I followed the format on this assignment. What I noticed and complimented him on was how he repeatedly read his rap out loud to make sure it had good rhyme and rhythm. I am always encouraging my students to read their writing out loud. He was writing on scrap paper so, as a teaching point, I asked if he was going to “publish” this in any way. He said no, but I encouraged him to take it to the next level. I told him I could look for some online poetry contests/ displays/ sharing opportunities, and that motivated him to continue to revise it and eventually publish it. So that is our goal.
For the writing conference I met with my 8 year old nephew. He was very excited to write for his aunt.
ReplyDeleteI asked him to write about anything of his choice. He said, “Should I write about a topic?” “I said yes.”
He wrote about getting his orange belt in Tai Kwan Do. After he wrote I complemented him on the title. I told him that it gave a good idea of what his story was going to be about. I also complemented him about his choice of words. I expressed how interesting it made his story. The suggestion I made to him about making his story better was to give even more details about what happened on the day he got his orange belt. He had only given one specific detail about that and shared numerous things about black belt participants. I suggested he write about what else he had to do. My nephew told me the sentences he could add and I said that would give the reader a wonderful idea of what he had to go through to earn his orange belt. I asked him if he liked writing. He said it was ok. He liked writing on Monday’s because he could share what he did over the weekends and the expectation is to write a full page. He seemed to struggle with ideas other than that.
This was a worthwhile activity. It helped me feel comfortable when I do one on one writing conferences.
I did my conference with 2nd grader named Jenna that I tutor during the summer. She is writing a story about kids who challenge neighborhood bullies to a basketball game. If they win the game, the bullies have to leave them alone. I complimented her on her ideas/content. I told her that great writers write about what they know and she knows a ton about basketball! Then the teaching point we focused on was sentence fluency. On her report card that is one area where she is lacking. So we went through her story and circled the different ways that she started sentences and varied the beginnings. Then counted up the words in each sentence to make sure there were some that we short and long. Lastly, we read the story a few times and just listened to how it flowed and if there were better ways that she could say things. Our goal for next time is to have her do a quick write and see if she can use some of those strategies without my help.
ReplyDeleteI loved the simple format of the writing conference above. I am a fan of anything that is easy to implement and that I will actually use. The whole process went well with Jenna. Starting out with questions and a specific compliment was very effective. The part that I am still pondering is how to use this as a whole class lesson or even in small group instruction. I was wondering if I could train students to have this type of conference with each other where they simply ask their friends what they are working on and give a compliment. I don't think I would have them do the last few steps of a teaching point and a goal but I am curious about having them do the first 2 with each other.
I really enjoy conferencing with students/children. Student dialogue helps me to understand them as human beings and provides insight to sticky spots in their writing. I find that often merely having students read their writing aloud (or I read it aloud if they seem reluctant) enables them to correct much of their work. How does it sound? Often when we internally read what we write, we may honestly not notice the confusing parts of our writing (I know that often happens to me!).
ReplyDeleteBeginning a conference with an affirmation about the student's writing sets the tone of the conference. When you start on an upbeat note, the student is more relaxed and more willing to share their work. (There is nothing worse than accidentally putting off a student!) I believe that continuing to note the positive helps the students gain confidence in their writing and they are more open to any suggestions I may have for them to change their writing.
The writers I conferred with were definitely at different ability levels. What if guided writing groups could be conducted, similar to guided reading groups? Students could be provided with scaffolded instruction in areas that would benefit their writing the most. I have found that often, struggling writers provide me with great teaching feedback and provide topics for future writing mini-lessons.
Conferring with students not only allows me to get to know my students better, but also alerts me to holes in my teaching and/or their writing abilities. Writing conferences are a key aspect of a good literacy program, providing much needed feedback.
Today I met with Xander who was in my first grade class last year. He is very intelligent and loves to write informational books. Some of his favorite topics to write about are rocks and minerals, animals, and insects. Today we met at his daycare and we wrote a little book about a trip he had taken to Disneyland with his parents.
ReplyDeleteWhile Xander was writing I thought about what I should focus on as a celebration and what goal would be most beneficial to improve Xander’s writing. I started out with what I liked. Xander had included some dialogue in his story which made it a lot more interesting. I told him it was a really great way to make the reader feel like they were along on the trip. I could tell that the feedback I gave him made him feel really good because it was so specific. I also referred back to his writing and read it aloud to him which reinforced how much I enjoyed the dialogue.
I decided to focus our goal on descriptive words. Xander has a very extensive vocabulary, but hadn’t included many descriptive words. I reread a sentence “Disneyland was nice.” and asked him if he could think of a more interesting word than nice. Immediately he said “fantastic!” We discussed how authors want to make their writing interesting and one way they do this is to use descriptive words. Xander understood and felt proud to think of a more descriptive word on his own.
I felt that the writing conference was very positive for both of us. Xander seemed to enjoy being part of the conversation about what was good and where he could improve. I want to begin writing conferences in the fall because I think they will be more meaningful to students than written comments. I look forward to helping students see their strengths as a writer and build a love of writing.
Thanks Ashley, Leah, Regina, Mariah, and Molly. It was great to read about your writing work with kids!
ReplyDeleteAshley – I’m sorry that your DVD wouldn’t work. That’s the first time we’ve had anyone complain about it…I’m wondering if you got a faulty DVD? Let me know if you have problems viewing it at your sister’s. it’s great that you had such a wealth of children to work with, and I’m sure your Son appreciated your support :) That’s a great idea to try and get your son to try and enter his rap into a contest…good luck!
Leah – It sounds as though you had a great conference with your nephew. Giving the suggestion about trying to write MORE, or explode that important moment, is perfect for his age. I’m glad you felt successful with the assignment!
Regina – It sounds as though Jenna is actually an advanced writer for second grade. Choosing fluency as you teaching point sounds like a perfect choice for her. It’s great that you are able to support her with something she was deficient in last year. I also agree that getting kids to work with each other on their writing would be a great goal for next year.
Mariah – I would highly recommend grouping students together that have similar writing needs for guided writing, just as you would with guided reading. The overall classroom environment and your positive feedback go along way with kids being willing to take risks with their writing work.
Molly – That’s great that you were able to reconnect with one of your students from last year. From what you wrote, it sounds as though you had a very effective conference with Xandler, and both your compliment and teaching point seemed to be right on target. Best of luck as you continue to confer with students this coming year!
I did my writing conference with a student who will be entering first grade next year.
ReplyDeleteIt was difficult for Zach to get started. I am not sure that he has had the freedom to choose his topic before. It took some suggestions and reassurance from me that he could in fact write about whatever he wanted before he began.
Once Zach got started I noticed that he was really concentrating on stretching his words and spacing. That being said he didn't seem to care much about having his voice come through. So I decided quickly what my writing conference points would be.
When I asked him what he had been working on he said he was writing about the field trip from the day before to John's Incredible Pizza. I told him that was a great idea and I couldn't wait to read about the trip. After we read through his writing together I complimented him on his spelling. It was nice to be able to read each word because he had used the sounds he knew. It also helped that he put spaces in between his words. I told him readers really appreciate it when authors write so they can read easily. He seemed very proud that I called him an author. I told him he had wonderful readability.
Zach's writing was a bit boring. The standard - I did abc. I did xyz. Etc. So after we finished talking about his mechanics I asked Zach to just retell what happened on the field trip. His spoken version was much more interesting than his written version. I would say, "Wow! That sounds fun. Tell me more!" I asked him if he would like to insert any of the details he had just shared with me in his writing. I assured him I would support him with this. He said yes. So we picked to details to add that I wrote on a sticky note. I modeled on his paper how to add a carrot and write more.
I suggested to him that the next time he writes that he share his ideas aloud before he writes. His writing will then include all of the fun details he really wants to share.
It was interesting to do a writing conference with a child that I didn't know very well academically speaking. I suppose conferences that happen early on will be a bit like this. But I feel I know Zach much better now and it helped us build a relationship. I am looking forward to doing that with my students.
I think I will work on setting up a writing conference page like the one from the book. I really like it!
Thanks Allison for sharing your reflection on your writing conference. That’s wonderful that as a pre first grade writer, he had control over spacing. Writing more (revising) was a great teaching point for Zach. Best of luck conferring with your first graders this coming year!
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