[LIT] Management Details...mini conferences

Sun Mar 11 21:56:40 EDT 2007

Great idea and format, Deborah. Thank you for sharing this.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Deborah Bova" <queenbova at comcast.net>
To: "A list for improving literacy with focus on middle grades." 
<lit at literacyworkshop.org>
Sent: Sunday, March 11, 2007 4:50 PM
Subject: Re: [LIT] Management Details...mini conferences

>I work with 6th grade language arts students and literature students. The
> format varies depending on the reason for the conference. The students
> comment in a notebook that I have created re: what they are writing or
> reading...I use it as a silent status of the class. In this way, what they
> say they are doing is in their own hand. When I meet with them, if it is 
> for
> reading, a research paper, a writing assignment, the format will vary but
> the routine is the same. I usually have about three conferences a day. I 
> use
> the workshop time to pull kids to the back of the room where I confer with
> them... three at a time, and I  rotate the kids through from strongest to
> weakest. At times I may have  a student needing more time with others ...
> and I let him or her sit for four or kive conferences with other kids 
> until
> I get to his or her issue. These are brief... 3 minutes at the most... 
> takes
> about  15 minutes to take care to the kids that I am dealing with on that
> day, but wow... what one on one does ... albeit a group of three... is
> incredible for keeping a thumb on the needs and progress of each student.
> Hope this foggy explanation helps.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Lucinda Marcello" <rpmgrace at cox.net>
> To: "A list for improving literacy with focus on middle grades."
> <lit at literacyworkshop.org>
> Sent: Sunday, March 11, 2007 9:52 AM
> Subject: Re: [LIT] Management Details...mini conferences
>
>
>> Deborah,
>> What a great idea!
>>
>> What type of format do you set with the conference and how long do you
>> plan
>> per group? What age group do you teach?
>>
>> I think this would work well for our classes of 6th & 7th graders.
>> Lucinda
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Deborah Bova" <queenbova at comcast.net>
>> To: <bpunchak at verizon.net>; "A list for improving literacy with focus on
>> middle grades." <lit at literacyworkshop.org>
>> Sent: Sunday, March 11, 2007 4:46 AM
>> Subject: Re: [LIT] Management Details...mini conferences
>>
>>
>>> This is not the journal  issue... but Ia conference management issue 
>>> that
>>> I
>>> have wrestled with  for ages;  I now hold a mini group (3 students)
>>> conference and do it on the "days of the week" rotation. I sit in the
>>> back
>>> of the room with three kids. I elect one strong, one average, and one
>>> needing lots of help.  I have  found over the years, when I did single
>>> conferences, the student with the closest proximity to me in each
>>> conference
>>> other than the student with whom I was talking made great progress.. he
>>> got
>>> to listen to several plus his own. I put together groups of three,
>>> logistically, I have the weakest studnet go last. He listens to stronger
>>> writers and readers  share ideas and ask for help from the other
>>> students..."Ah, strong students need help, too!"  and the light goes on
>>> that
>>> everyone needs help. I send  kids off one at a time to cue another to
>>> come
>>> and take his or her chair. It really is effective and provides a double
>>> and
>>> triple whammy for every child involved... except student number one at
>>> the
>>> start of the  conference. That student is  the only one to do his spiel
>>> minus anyone else reporting. Once in a while, I have that student sit
>>> through at least one other conference before going off on  his or her
>>> mission to signal another that it is his time in the box.   :)
>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>> From: "Barbara Punchak" <bpunchak at verizon.net>
>>> To: "'A list for improving literacy with focus on middle grades.'"
>>> <lit at literacyworkshop.org>
>>> Sent: Friday, March 09, 2007 9:48 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [LIT] Management Details
>>>
>>>
>>>> Hi Pam,
>>>> I mentioned collecting 1/3 of each class' journals at a time.  1/3 on
>>>> Monday, 1/3 Tuesday, and 1/3 Wed.  I simply went down my class lists 
>>>> and
>>>> labeled them M-T-W.  Since I have 3 reading classes, I collect period
>>>> one
>>>> (which I call "red") this week, period two (blue) next week, and period
>>>> 3
>>>> (green) the following week.  Students know well in advance when their
>>>> journals are due and, of course, I post the class whose journals are 
>>>> due
>>>> each week on the homework board.  This method makes journal collection
>>>> easy
>>>> and also keeps responding manageable. (I'm only responding to 8-10
>>>> journals
>>>> per night.)
>>>> Barbara/6th/FL
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> On Behalf Of ReadersnRacers at aol.com
>>>>
>>>> Someone, Kim maybe?, said that they collect 1/2 a class at a time. 
>>>> How
>>>> and
>>>>
>>>> when do you let the kids know you are collecting notebooks?   That
>>>> sounds
>>>> like
>>>> something that might work for me.
>>>>
>>>> Pam Tempest
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
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>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>
>
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