Transcript Mapping the Year - Wachusett Regional School District

Conferring with
Readers
Marcia Uretsky
CACD, Tufts University
July, 2008
Uretsky, CACD Tufts University, July
2008
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Workshop Goals- Day 2

Dual Roles of Reading Conferences
 Reading
Surgery
 Support Focus Lessons
Language to Support Comprehension
 Conferences to Help Students Select “Just
Right” Books
 Small Groups Based on Conference Notes

Uretsky, CACD Tufts University, July
2008
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The Architecture of Readers’ Workshop
Focus Lesson
-Interactive Read Aloud
-Shared Reading
(Whole Class)
Read and Confer
(Individual and
-Independent Reading
-Small Group Reading
Small Group)
Group Share/
Wrap-up
(Whole Class)
-Share
-Reinforce
-Celebrate
-Discuss
Uretsky, CACD Tufts University, July
2008
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Dual Role of Reading Conferences
Reading Surgery
 Teach the reader, not the text
Support Curriculum
 Coach student to apply strategy taught in
Focus Lesson
Uretsky, CACD Tufts University, July
2008
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Conference goals for the teacher:
To coach the student to think actively
 To assess what the student knows and
needs to learn
 To teach the reader
 To motivate the student to read more and
to apply the strategies taught

Uretsky, CACD Tufts University, July
2008
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Conference goals for the student:
 To
apply reading strategies.
 To develop metacognitive skills
 To talk about books in a variety of
ways, (e.g. author’s craft, character
development, preferences).
Uretsky, CACD Tufts University, July
2008
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Focus Lesson Planning Sheet
Focus
Lesson Topic
Materials
Connection
Explicit
Instruction
Guided
Practice
Send Off [for
Independent
Practice]
Conferring questions to help students
actively apply focus lesson topic.
Group Wrap
Up
Uretsky, CACD Tufts University, July
2008
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Yearlong Unit of Study Calendar For _____
SAMPLE (p. 1)
Unit of Study
Focus Lesson Topic(s)
Launching Readers’
Workshop



We are all readers! (building community)
Procedures and Routines for Independent Reading
Review: Just Right Books & Genres
Reading is Thinking
(strategy)

Reading IS Thinking; Readers monitor their inner
conversation.
Readers think in different ways
Readers create sensory images
Thinking changes as you gather more information
Readers use information from the text to support
their thinking
Readers talk to develop their thinking





Making Connections
(strategy)




Folktales
(genre)
Possible Conference Questions
We all have schema
We use our schema to make connections to our
reading
We connect to how characters feel
We connect to understand a situation
Immersion: (Develop schema for genre)

Definition of genre

Characteristics of folktales

Noting characteristics in texts
Study:

Making connections between texts

Folktales are stories that reflect a culture

Inferring theme

Reading Like a Writer- structure/language
Synthesizing what we learned about folktales

Talking like an expert about a genre with a partner

Reading a folktale like an expert to an audience
Uretsky, CACD Tufts University, July
2008
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SAMPLE (p. 2)
Yearlong Unit of Study Calendar For _____
Month
Unit of Study
January
nonfiction
strategies
February
Poetry
Focus Lesson Topic(s)
Possible Conference Questions
March
April
author study
May-June
Uretsky, CACD Tufts University, July
2008
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Small Group Action
Record units of study you currently teach
on curriculum map.
 List focus lesson topics.
 Brainstorm conference questions that
would encourage students application of
lesson.

Uretsky, CACD Tufts University, July
2008
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Conference notes are
a source of information
to organize small
group instruction.
Uretsky, CACD Tufts University, July
2008
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Planning for Strategy Instruction
What are the strategies
strong readers use?
What does the
focus lesson look
like?
What text will I
use?
Ongoing Assessment
Running Records
Conferencing
Observation
What strategies do
the students need
to learn?
How many students need to
learn that strategy?
What component of the
Balanced Literacy Model will I
teach through?
Uretsky, CACD Tufts University, July
2008
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Conferences as the source of information
to organize small groups.
Partner work:
 Think about students at your grade level.
 What are typical patterns of need you find
in your students?
 Identify patterns for small group
instruction.
Uretsky, CACD Tufts University, July
2008
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Ways to Organize Conference Notes
What is Important
User friendly. Not unnecessarily
complicated.
 Record and reflect over time.
 Way to keep track of who to confer with.
 Access for support staff who also confer
with your students.
 Space to record information you need.

Uretsky, CACD Tufts University, July
2008
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Sharon Taberski’s Notes
Uretsky, CACD Tufts University, July
2008
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Debbie Miller’s Notes
Uretsky, CACD Tufts University, July
2008
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Research, Decide, Teach
Date/Title/Level
What does the
student know?
and record
What does the
student need to
learn?
Uretsky, CACD Tufts University, July
2008
How can I teach
this?
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Take Away Messages
1. Reading conference have dual purposes:
• Reading surgery
• To support focus lessons
2. Both types of conference follow a RDT,R structure.
3. In reality, conferences flow between supporting the Unit of Study
and supporting each reader.
3. Teachers synthesize patterns from conferences to organize small
group instruction.
4. Readers Workshop is a structure that allows for differentiation.
Uretsky, CACD Tufts University, July
2008
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