How’s It Going? Strategic Writing Conferences Assessing Writers Smart Conversations That Move Young Writers Forward Assessing Writers by Carl Anderson Presented by Katie Fallon & Phyllis Diggins

Your Writing Conferences What works? What doesn’t?

Conferring Concepts A writing conference is a conversation The point is to help students become better writers Writing conferences have a predictable structure Teachers and students have predictable roles It’s important to communicate to students in conferences that we care about them as people and writers Don’t fix every error, find one area of need and help the student fix that (We are teachers, not editors!)

What will conferring look like in my classroom? Make each conference feel like a conversation. Ask what the student is doing as a writer. Compliment what the student is doing well. Teach a writing strategy or technique.

Conferring Basics Sit side by side with the student at a student desk or a table Keep records of student progress including what you talked about, what you taught, and areas the student may need further instruction Meet for 5-7 minutes per conference (allows for 4-5 students per period)

Goals of a Writing Conference “When you confer with a student, it isn’t your job to fix or edit the student’s writing. Rather, it’s to teach the student one writing strategy or technique he can use in a current piece of writing and continue to use in future writing.” Carl Anderson “We are teaching the writer, not the writing. Our decisions must be guided by ‘what might help this writer’ rather than ‘what might help this writing.’” (1994) Lucy Calkins

Structure of Writing Conferences Conversations have two main parts: Conversation about the work the child is doing as a writer Conversation about how the child can become a better writer

Roles of the Teacher and Student in a Writing Conference The Student’s Role The Teacher’s Role In the first part of the conversation: Invite the child to set the agenda for the conference Ask assessment questions (research) Read the student’s writing Make a teaching decision Set the agenda for the conference by describing his/her writing work Respond to the teacher’s research questions by describing the writing more deeply

Roles of the Teacher and Student in a Writing Conference The Student’s Role The Teacher’s Role In the second part of the conversation: Listen carefully to the teacher’s feedback and teaching Ask questions to clarify and deepen his/her understanding “Have-a-go” with what the teacher taught Commit to trying what the teacher taught after the conference Give the student critical feedback Teach the student Nudge the student to “have-a-go” Link the conference to the student’s independent work

Identifying the Student’s Needs First part of the writing conference Determine the stage of the writing process Assess how well the student is doing at this stage Identify an area of need Ask an open-ended question Ask follow-up questions Look at the student’s writing

Identifying the Student’s Needs Second part of the writing conference Give feedback Point out something student is doing well Name an area of need Teach Define and name the strategy Explain why it’s important Use mentor text to show how the strategy can be used Try it Encourage student to talk about how he/she will use the strategy in his piece Link to student’s work Tell student you expect him/her to use the strategy in this and (hopefully) in future writing

Common Assessment Patterns If I see this… I’ll teach this to the student… The students has trouble coming up with topics to write about. Lists of topics to write about Map of the Heart/Writing Territories Reread notebook for ideas The student plunges into writing without “rehearsing” what she’s going to write. Talk about the story/topic before writing Sketch parts of the story/topic Gather information about the topic before writing

Common Assessment Patterns If I see this… I’ll teach this to the student… The student starts writing without envisioning the parts of his/her piece Touch each page of the piece Sketch a picture for each page/write a key word at the top of each page Make a simple plan of the piece Sounding out words/using the alphabet chart (labeling, simple sentences Using the word wall/high frequency words The student needs to develop fluency in writing text

Common Assessment Patterns If I see this… I’ll teach this to the student… The student is “done” as soon as he/she writes the last word of the draft. Adding on by rereading Revision tools: Post-its™, spider legs, footnotes, arrows, cutting and inserting more paper Getting feedback from classmates Brainstorming a word bank before drafting Circling general words and brainstorming alternatives The student uses general nouns and verbs in his writing

Common Assessment Patterns If I see this… I’ll teach this to the student… The student reads his/her writing with voice but doesn’t cue the reader to do the same Using the exclamation mark, ellipsis, and all caps to signal emphasis The student uses general nouns and verbs in his writing Brainstorming a word bank before drafting Circling general words and brainstorming alternatives

Your Turn… Read the student work. Make a decision about the teaching point you believe this child needs most at this time. Fill out the “Teaching Point Planning Sheet”

Carl Anderson in Action While watching the DVD, look for: The predictable structure of the conference Carl’s tone with the student Teacher and student roles How he makes his decision for what to teach How he “nudges” the student to incorporate the strategy taught into the writing

References Anderson, Carl. How's It Going? Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2000. Anderson, Carl. Assessing Writers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2005. Anderson, Carl. Strategic Writing Conferences: Smart Conversations That Move Young Writers Forward. Teacher's Guide. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2009.