Teacher Talk in Independent Reading Conferences COLLABORATIVE LEARNING CONFERENCE 2016 FRANKIE SANTORO

Before We Begin…  I am NOT an expert nor do I have all the answers.  I am here to learn as much if not MORE than you today.  Teacher Talk is IMPORTANT…especially today!

Goals for Today  The key principles of Reading Instruction  What “Good” Reading Conferences LOOK like and what they DON’T look like  Parts of a Reading Conference  Take-Aways and Give-Aways

This workshop will address the following  GOAL 1: By 2020, 90 percent of third-grade students will read on or above grade level.  GOAL 3: By 2018, we will close the achievement gap between subgroups by 10 percentage points while increasing the performance of all subgroups.  PRIORITY 1: Provide all schools and departments the differentiated support they need to reach the full potential of the Continuous Improvement Process to maximize student outcomes  PRIORITY 2: Train and support individuals to be strong instructional leaders and hold them accountable for achieving district goals.  PRIORITY 3: Equip staff to support struggling students.

Peter Johnston (Choice Words) says… Teachers play a critical role in arranging the discursive histories from which these children speak. Talk is the central tool of their trade. With it, they mediate children’s activity and experience, and help them make sense of learning, literacy, life and themselves (4).

6- T’s of Reading Instruction (Allington, 2001)  TIME- Students need lots of time to read throughout their instructional day.  TEXTS- Students need texts that are “just right” for them.  TEACHING- Student need explicit teaching of reading strategies either whole group, small group or one-on-one.  TALK- Students need time to authentically talk about their texts.  TASKS- Students need meaningful tasks accompanying their reading.  TESTING- Used to guide teacher’s instruction to help readers grow.

Activity 1  Make a list of things Independent Reading Conferences ARE!  Make a list of things Independent Reading Conferences ARE NOT!  What do you want to glean from Independent Reading Conferences?

Reading Conferences  Typically short (2-5 minutes)  Usually include the following items: 1.) Investigate: Ask questions. Find out why the student chose that text. Have the student read aloud to check fluency. Ask general comprehension questions about the text. 2.) Compliment: Focus on something to complement the student on regarding strategies or skills learned from the investigation. 3.) Teach: Possibly choose a small mini-lesson to teach the student- a strategy or skill that would help the student with their reading.

Reading Conferences  Meet the student where they are…crouch by them at eye level. This provides a more equal balance of power.  Introduce the concept of reading conferences with your students.  Students will need to practice reading while you are conferencing with a student beside them.

Activity 2- Rick’s Reading Workshop  What do you see that is good about the reading conference Rick has in this video? 

What Makes a Good Reading Conference?  Smile, relax and have a conversational tone  “Tell me what you’re reading” “So, how’s it going?” “So, catch me up.”  Be patient and willing to tolerate some silence.  Be prepared to listen more than you talk- learn about the child as a reader.  Give a compliment by identifying a strength in the reader.  “I really like how…” “You did an awesome job at…” “You may want to consider sharing ____________ with others.”

What makes a Good Reading Conference- cont’d  Be patient with yourself. Good conferencing comes with time.  Look for simple teaching points.  Powerful bits of differentiated instruction.  Usually something that can be applied immediately.  Stick with it! Practice, Practice, Practice.

Activity 3- RIP Model  R- Review, Read Aloud, Record  I- Instruction, Insights, Intrigue  P- Plan, Progress, Purpose

Activity 4- Conferring Ain’t Easy  Refer to the handout and look as some of the premises Allen discusses regarding reading conferences.  Number the TOP 3 that you feel may an issue for most teachers.

Activity 5- Personal Promises  Based on today’s session, jot down at least 3 promises to yourself that you would like to do this upcoming school year centered around reading and literacy.

Give Aways!  Get your ticket out that you received when you came into the session.  If your number is called, YOU WIN!

Resources  Allen, P. A. (2009). Conferring: The keystone of reader's workshop. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse.  Goldberg, G., & Serravallo, J. (2007). Conferring with readers: Supporting each student's growth and independence. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.  Johnson, P. H. (2004). Choice words: How our language affects children's learning. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse.  literacy-instruction literacy-instruction 