Literacy Conference in Littleton, CO: Deb Renner Smith, Debbie Miller, and Matt Glover

Deb Renner Smith, c0-author of,   and and contributing author of

 presented ideas for Shared Reading (Guided Reading the Four Blocks Way).  Deb shared movie clips, and lessons that could be immediately implemented into the classroom. 

    Matt Glover presented on writing.  He reassured the audience that after reading a writing piece, that one really cannot go wrong with whatever teaching point the teacher decides to pick.  His advice was to pick a teaching point, and teach to it.  It makes sense. 

This is definitely how I approach a conference.  I praise  the student by giving concrete examples of what is working in the piece of writing.  Here is a ‘star’ for you.  I notice you did… Another star is… I notice you did… .  I equate the ‘stars’ to the stars that you draw on the little ones papers.  These are the strengths that work in the writing.  Then I think of a teaching point.  I frame it as a wish.  My wish for you is… it is a gentle way of teaching.  Carl Anderson reminds us in his materials, “Strategic Writing Conferences Carl on Camera” and “How’s It Going?” that the teacher should TEACH during a conference.  I aim to conduct 3 teaching writing conferences per day. 

Debbie Miller presented on Independent Reading.         She shared one of her conferences from her DVD The Joy of Conferring.          She also reaffirmed that conducting 3 conferences per day works.

Black Slides in Powerpoints

The new idea of 2009 is  using black slides in powerpoint.  I find it ironic!  I was inserting black slides in my powerpoints since the early 1990′s to hold the powerpoint’s place while the powerpoint ‘stopped’ and the presentation became interactive or the participants turned and talked or we did something else.  A few other presenters with more experience than I had, convinced me to use the B or to keep a slide up.  It is good to know that I had good instincts.  Except that I didn’t follow my instincts, since I changed my powerpoint presentations.  I am changing my powerpoints back.   

 

http://www.bertdecker.com/experience/2009/01/create-your-powerpoints-last.html

Small Moments: Person Who is Significant During The Holidays

Often teachers ask me about topic generation. I also know nothing sends terror down the spine of a teacher, then 20 or 25 children who are complaining, “I don’t have anything to write about.” Obviously, I am exaggerating!   Or a child who has written about the same frog for 26 days in a row. It is not a matter of assigning a topic or not a matter of saying, “Don’t assign topics!” The solution is in what is happening in the discussion before writing. When I enter a classroom as a writing consultant, I want all children to write, as do all the teachers, I have ever met. So how does this happen? Students need ideas not assignments for topics.

As we look forward to seeing our students tomorrow, I think about the writing workshops across the country. I want students to write about their significant people. I want children to write about what matters to them. I know if we help our students through questioning to think about traditions that matter, they will write about them. Who did they see over break? What happens every year?
I could write about…

After dinner, Santa comes to our house. He is real. …

OR

Everyone in our family knows that my mom does not mail presents. We all open presents at my mom and dad’s house on Christmas morning. …

OR

My dad cooks once a year. Christmas morning breakfast …

As I think about the ‘who’ and a tradition, it helps trigger a memory and a tradition I could write about. This is what we need to do with our students to prevent a list of “What I got for Christmas!”

I wrote about this topic previously here: Person: Think of person that matters to you

and here: writing about special people

and here: Gooney Bird book teaches about personal narrative

Literacy Coaching: Observing Students Closely

I often observe what students are doing in a classroom. The teacher and I have a discussion about what is happening in the classroom. I use the reading recovery questions and thinking about coaching to guide my observations. I think it helps guide our thinking.

What are the children’s competencies and confusions?
What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses?
What are the processes and strategies the children use?
Look for evidence of what the child already knows.