1. 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

2. Your Writing Conferences
What works?
What doesn’t?

3. 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!)

4. 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.

5. 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)

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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”

17. 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

18. 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.