Category: Writing

To see a complete list of the reflection activities and for an explanation of the program, visit my Day By Day Main Page.

Conferring Cycle 3: Standardized Tests

Day 5: How do I know what to write?

Challenge: Plan to help your students develop the skills necessary to understand the task in a writing prompt. Gather several prompts to give students practice with identifying the key parts of a prompt so they are comfortable making decisions as writers when faced with the actual test prompt.

What part of understanding the task is most difficult for your students when faced with a writing prompt?

How will you help your students develop a full understanding of the task presented to them in a writing prompt?

To see a complete list of the reflection activities and for an explanation of the program, visit my Day By Day Main Page.

Conferring Cycle 3: Standardized Tests

Day 4: Understanding the rubric

Challenge: Look at the exemplar responses for your state’s writing prompt assessment. Notice the imperfect nature of many of the top scores. When students are assessed on their response to a writing prompt, perfection isn’t expected. Develop an understanding of the expectations for your students on a standardized test.

How will you increase your understanding of your state’s assessment practices for the writing prompt?

What will you do to protect your students’ confidence when they receive their scores from the state test?

To see a complete list of the reflection activities and for an explanation of the program, visit my Day By Day Main Page.

Conferring Cycle 3: Standardized Tests

Day 3: Take time for authentic writing experiences

Challenge: Decide what works better for your classroom: independent writing projects or a consistent ten to fifteen minutes each day for the children to write. Then read Cruz’s book (2004) or Graves and Kittle’s book (2005) to help you flesh out how you’ll implement this in your classroom.

Did you decide to work with your students to undertake independent writing projects?

If so, how will you carry these out?

Will you provide your students with guidance outside of the regular school day?

What kinds of pressures or stress do you feel with regard to the upcoming state tests?

Record a list of emotions and then write, in detail, about each emotion you’re feeling.

To see a complete list of the reflection activities and for an explanation of the program, visit my Day By Day Main Page.

Conferring Cycle 3: Standardized Tests

Day 2: Doing your best on the test

Challenge: Set aside time to talk about the qualities of good writing with your students. Keep track of what they say. Then, together, create a chart about the features of good test writing. Make sure they understand the parallels between what they already know about writing well and how that will transfer to standardized testing.

Did your students seem more confident about their ability to write well on a test after your class discussion?

How will you show students what it means to write well in response to a prompt?

Will you show them well-written writing samples, or will you go about it in another way?

To see a complete list of the reflection activities and for an explanation of the program, visit my Day By Day Main Page.

Conferring Cycle 3: Standardized Tests

Day 1: Nourishing student confidence

Challenge: Use this list to develop a mini-lesson around one of the ideas. Consider how you will boost your students’ confidence as writers.

What do you notice about your students’ energy level as you prepare for the writing prompt?

How will you nourish your students’ confidence as the standardized test approaches?

What are some ways you will keep the focus on being a writer instead of taking a test?

To see a complete list of the reflection activities and for an explanation of the program, visit my Day By Day Main Page.

Conferring Cycle 3: Lifting the Level of Our Conferences

Day 10: Helping others become stronger writers

Challenge: Plan to host several open forum shares in the coming weeks. During conferences, be intentional about using the language of writers as well as encouraging students to share their learning during the open forum share. The success of this type of share depends on our language and encouragement in conferences. As students become accustomed to this type of share, it will evolve and become more natural over time.

How will you encourage students during conferring to share.

What did you like most about the open forum share?

How will you continue to improve this type of share session during the school year?

To see a complete list of the reflection activities and for an explanation of the program, visit my Day By Day Main Page.

Conferring Cycle 3: Lifting the Level of Our Conferences

Day 9: Document a successful conference

Challenge: Recall a time when you walked away from a conference feeling good about your ability to confer. Set a timer and write for fifteen minutes, recalling the details of the conference. Then push yourself to reflect on the experience and develop a big idea about your conferring.

How do you feel about your conferring abilities after completing the challenge?

What are some telltale signs of a successful conference you have noticed?

To see a complete list of the reflection activities and for an explanation of the program, visit my Day By Day Main Page.

Conferring Cycle 3: Lifting the Level of Our Conferences

Day 8: Recording and reflecting with colleagues

Challenge: Plan to record several of your conferences. Listen and reflect on your conferring skills. Then choose at least one conference to transcribe. Finally, take the last step and analyze your transcript with someone. This may be a trusted colleague or a teacher from an online community.

What is your strength when you confer with student writers?

What are a few of your conferring goals after recording, transcribing, and discussing your conferences?

To see a complete list of the reflection activities and for an explanation of the program, visit my Day By Day Main Page.

Conferring Cycle 3: Lifting the Level of Our Conferences

Day 7: Listen more

Challenge: Research a little longer for the next few days when you confer with your students. Linger with them and let them talk just a bit more than you normally would. Listen carefully to what they say so you can connect with them on a personal level and on a writerly level.

What did you learn about one of your students today by listening to what they had to say during your conferences?

How can you listen to your students in conferences a little longer so that you can understand what’s working for them and what’s important to them, while still maintaining an efficient conferring schedule?

To see a complete list of the reflection activities and for an explanation of the program, visit my Day By Day Main Page.

Conferring Cycle 3: Lifting the Level of Our Conferences

Day 6: Setting goals to the point of need

Challenge: Create a place on your conferring notes to list two or three possible goals for each of your students. Set aside some time to consider the most pressing needs for each of the writers in your classroom. Plan to be intentional about meeting students at their points of need.

How did your conferring change when you set goals for each student?

What were some common goals among your students?

How will you monitor growth and achievement of the goals you’ve identified for students?