I've included the entire section on classroom libraries in your packets. Please read through it. READ PAGES 424-430 - Book Conferences -- answer the following questions about these pages:
How do you currently conduct book conferences in your room?
How do you decide what text you will use for your conference?
Do you think any of the conference forms could be useful in your classroom?
Share your thoughts about Book Talks. Which Book Talk # (1 - 10) would work best in your classroom?
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I usually call the child to the back table when we confer about a story or text. I have the child share a favorite part with me, first with reading it from the text, and then retelling a part. Then I ask for any connections with his/her life or with another text or character in a different book. Sometimes the conference is held before the fiction book is completed so I will ask about what the child is wondering or ask for a prediction about what will happen. The children are supposed to jot down interesting words to share with me and with their groups when they meet. The text I use varies ~ sometimes non-fiction, sometimes fiction, and sometimes they share their writing. I intend to take bits and pieces from a few of the conference forms and incorporate them into my conferences.
ReplyDeleteI liked Book Talk 6: Find Three Items ~ this would definitely work in my class! I also liked Book Talk 7: To Read or Not Read This Book! I think the children would enjoy this approach. We do parts of most of the Book Talk ideas at various times of the year when we read.
WEEK FOUR:
ReplyDeleteHow do you currently conduct book conferences in your room?
I must say that there is truly no time in my present schedule to actually sit down with individual children to chat and get them focused on independent reading. It is a sad, but true reality. This year, I am confronted with a group of children who do not take reading a a necessity in their lives. I have been trying to implement numerous strategies to show the children how to tackle a book, passage and even a comic strip to allow their minds to see the beauty in literature. Of course, there is a handful of children who do read, but when I did sit down next to those children, I learned very quickly that they needed to be taught how to dig into literature and explore the crafts of the authors. It has been baby steps, but for the first time I am seeing some growth. My ultimate goal is for each child to want to read independently and try out the little as I call them “tricks of the trade” of reading comprehension. Too many parents are expressing how homework takes an absorbent amount of time, when I am actually assigning less than I have in the past two years. Therefore, I feel a lot of this struggle is predicated upon the reading levels and the need for children to be guided through the elements of literature more closely and carefully. So, in answer to the first question, I have been doing group conferences with guided mini-lessons and smaller groups within the one group. Presently, there are two groups with about 7- 9 children. I will teach a mini-lesson and then break-up the one group and chat with the members to assess how well they are applying their inferential and drawing conclusions skills, character analysis development, locating figurative language such as personification, similes, irony, etc….
All of the children are asked to try and share some of these examples from their own independent readings, but the results shared are limited. However, time is of the essence each day and we barely have time to breathe!
How do you decide what text you will use for your conference?
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned earlier, I have two group established within my classroom. Right now, one group is reading Fourth Grade Rats by Jerry Spinelli and the other group is reading The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleishman. I am trying to expose my lower readers to a light read filled with strong figurative language, realistic qualities of main characters that they can identify with and better word choices. The other group has expressed an interest in harder level books; therefore, I feel this book could challenge them to learn how a book is written in a certain time period. The language is Old/Middle English and challenging, which requires the children to help decipher the information as a team. Both groups have a central theme of friendships and relationships, yet much diversified plots. Upon meeting with the groups, I have a short mini-lesson, and then we talk. Today for instance, we explore the feelings, both the pleasant and unpleasant feeling of the two characters. Each member tried to list two different traits within a typical Venn diagram. A trait was given aloud by one child and all of us had to try to connect to a specific example of this trait within the book. We tried to play a guessing game of where this trait was demonstrated. Somehow, this aligned a bit with BOOK TALK #9 and #10. I must admit, it was a struggle but some great conversation exploded and it was the first time that I saw the group pull it all together as a team. They listened, reflected and were motivated. A further lesson lead into personification and an exploration of solid inferences about the protagonist and antagonist… we shall see what tomorrow and the next day reveal…..
Do you think any of the conference forms could be useful in your classroom? I think these forms are useful, but need to be used in small doses; as to not turn off the children who truly do not like reading. I happen to like the STRATEGIC READING CONFERENCE form; especially for this Whipping Boy book. The prompts on the bottom of the PEER BOOK CONFERENCE form are good guidelines for the groups to use when they drift off topic. The key is to remember to use these little tools to help monitor the reading growth. However, I have also been confronted with the dilemma of the children who can read nicely, but when given the task to convey their intended message on paper….OMG!
I teach small groups which makes it easier to do book conferences more often. I generally take students aside and discuss parts of the story. If it is a story that they read on their own, I make sure I discuss vocabulary, main idea, genre, characters, and the parts of the story. Since I have a small group pull out situation, we often read books together in class. I usually use those books for our discussion. If the student is reading a book in their mainstream class, I might use it so that I can gain some insight for myself and for the classroom teacher, who may not have as much time to conference since their groups are much larger.
ReplyDeleteI really like the peer conference form. Working with peers is a powerful teaching tool and they can learn so much. The strategic reading conference is also a good form. We discuss many different reading strategies in ESL, so this would work well. The other forms are a bit too wordy for my students. If I reworded them a bit I could use them.
Unfortunately, I do not conduct book conferences. The explanation for this is that there is just no time. Sometimes, students will ask me what book they should read and I will give them some suggestions on authors or book titles. I am planning to get work with our librarian and comprise a list of titles and authors that are appropriate for fifth grade. My plan is to make this list available on my webpage not only for the students but for their parents as well. I think book conferences are a positive influence on students and I will certainly try next year to incorporate it into my schedule. I do like certain conference forms shown in the packet. I think Book Talk 7 is fabulous. Students can inform their class about a book and hopefully get other students involved in either a book by that author or even a genre that they normally don’t pick for themselves. My daughter who is in fifth grade just recently did this with her class and she came home with a list of books that she wanted to get. I also like Book Talk 8. Reading a passage that is compelling can draw a reader in. It certainly would peek someone’s interest. Laurie
ReplyDeleteWeek Four
ReplyDeleteHow do you currently use book conferences in your room?
I have to echo the comments made by other teachers that they do not currently use book conferences in their rooms. I find it very hard to find time to discuss books outside our formal reading groups. In those groups, we discuss all of the elements of a book conference. My groups have only 4-6 children in them so I feel like we really discuss books thoroughly. I also provide each group with my own thought-provoking questions that have been prepared. I spend time one-to-one doing the IRIs and then time is limited for book conferences. I see the value in it though and I would like to try to do them and see how it goes.
In regard to the book conference forms, I really liked the strategic conference form and Peer Book form. They are great! I love the reading strategy form and will use it when I try out the book conferences one-on-one. the peer form is perfect for group work. I will have a group read and then break down into partners and fill out the form. It has multiple uses and can be used anytime. It uses are appropriate for both reading groups and content area.
ReplyDeleteIn the past, I held indiviual book chats several times a year. Unfortunately, there is little time for that now. So, I have revamped this idea...
ReplyDeleteEvery month, I pick a specific genre. The class is divided into 2 groups. Each group reads and discusses a particular book that is representative of the genre being discussed. This is where I control the vocabulary, comprehension etc. Then, each child selects his/her own book to read in that genre. In lieu of a written book report, each child makes a project ( often teacher directed) and then presents his/her book and project to the class. This allows the other students to learn about new and hopefully exciting books. I then ask each presenter questions, 1.e. about the character, the author's point of view, the selection of the title etc. It is obvious whether they can recall info from the story and if they actually read the given text. The last is to field 2-3 questions from peers! No one wants to stand in front of the class and be unprepared...It seeems to work like a charm...
I used to use a Reading Log but found that some of the students read easy books or didn't take it seriously.
Although I have not used any of the shared Book Talk/Conference forms, I do use many of the questions when probing student's understand.
Some of the booktalks I like and use or will use are : Book Talk 5: Biography and Autobiography ( We just did this with explorers.), Book Talk 6: Find Three Items, and Book Talk 9: Characters Do Change.
I think the Peer Book Conference form is a good tool to give all students. Whether they are working in a group or individually, it serves as a great guide for comprehension and discussion. I will certainly use it.
ReplyDeleteKaren
Being my first year back on fourth grade, I must admit that I am pretty overwhelmed with the amount of content. I have been busily reading the novels appropriate for fourth graders and creating or adapting materials to fit my teaching style. I just have not had time to conduct reading conferences individually with children. I hope this can become a possibility next year when I have more of my ducks in place! I do use a reading log regularly with my students and from time to time we do discuss books in small groups. That is the extent of the conferencing I have been able to do on independent reading.
ReplyDeleteIn my reading groups, we do talk about the books they are reading. I try to encourage children to share their response to books both orally in discussions with small groups and in writing.
I love the Strategic Reading Conference and I hope that perhaps I can begin to incorporate this into my teaching. I think this could also be adapted to a small group discussion.
I also love the idea of student book talks, and that is a technique I can definitely use. I think after vacation I will try this one!
As I read through the chapter I did hook onto the Organizing and Displaying your Classroom Library section. Moving necessitated a total clean up and revitalization on my part. It was not a fun summer! However, the work paid off. My students have been really reading the books in my library, and I think one reason is the look of it. When they entered the room in September they got really excited about the library. I did paint one shelf bright yellow and put all the books in an organized manner in clean book baskets. I think they have had a very positive response to the appearance of the library and have been reading more becasue of it.
ReplyDeleteI also really like the Discussion Question Cards at the end of the selection and intend to use them right away, maybe even tomorrow!!!
I do not have individual book conferences with my students. Being that I only work with small groups, we discuss the books that we are reading together. I often ask students what books they are reading independently. From there they will share with their peers.
ReplyDeleteI liked the Peer Book Conference form and can probably incorporate some of the prompts into my groups. My students will choose other books a series that we are reading. This creates excitement and enthusiasm among the others in the group. They want to go to the library and check one of the books out. That’s why I agree that student books talks are the best advertisement for reading. I also like the Strategic Reading Conference form. I could adapt it to fit my program.
In my room I have a variety of books for students to read independently. We really do not have much time for that, but when I am doing individual assessments, the others can choose a book of their choice. I have baskets of books at various reading levels and genres. It is interesting to watch which books the students choose. Very often it is a Level 2, I Can Read Book. It is probably a book they read in a lower grade, but still feel comfortable choosing it. It is great for practicing fluency skills as well.
I liked Book Talk 9: Characters Do Change because my students read other books in a series. Here they can compare a character’s actions and why they changed. I like the part of reading a short passage from the book to prove it.
I do not currently have book conferences with my students. I do use Running records several times per year, but the students do not choose the book, I do. The book I choose is geared to fit the child's instructional reading level. I guess running records are like a book conference, because the child reads a portion aloud, then finishes silently. Then we discuss the book as I am checking for comprehension. After I finish checking for comprehension, I use this 1:1 time to talk to the student about what s/he did well and what s/he needs to do better. This matches the last bullet on page 424.
ReplyDeleteI would have to modify the conference forms for my 2nd graders and make the language grade appropriate. I liked the strategic reading conference form. I use Active Reader Strategies for comprehension and different decoding strategies when reading unfamiliar words so this form would be helpful.
I love Book Talk 8. I would like to model how this would work with my students. This can be a good way to introduce my students to books that their parents can read to them. Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteMarsha, your book conferences sound informative and doable!! I like the idea of using connections and favorite parts. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteKim, I think conferences can be done in small groups successfully. Time management is a challenge in our LA program. I guess the best indicator is the books they are reading independently, though. Thanks for sharing.
Lisa, sounds like your book conferences work well. I like the peer conference form too. It would be great for ESL. Thanks for sharing.
Laurie, what a great idea that is that your daughter came home with. It would be fun to try that. Finding time for conferences is tough -- sometimes doing them during guided reading groups works. Thanks for sharing.
Patti, books conferences done during guided reading groups works well. I think the only trick is to try and find out how they're reading an independent book and not an instructional book. Thanks for sharing.
Karen, I like your idea of the genre project. It's a nice way to introduce them to different genres and them have them work with it independently. Thanks for sharing.
Joyce, your library sounds fun -- I would love to see it. It's great that the students are getting a lot of use out of it. Thanks for sharing.
Edwina, I can see how your groups are small enough to have small group discussions/conferences. With the small groups you probably get a good sense of how they are doing with their reading. Thanks for sharing.
Gigi, I guess the IRIs could mirror a book conference. I like how you disccus with the student what they felt they did well or not so well. Thanks for sharing.
Book Conferences: I have to admit that I, like many others have confessed, do not currently conduct book conferences in my room. With all that there is to cram into the reading block, let alone trying to fit in math, writing, and content during the day, I simply have not found a way to make time for them. I do think that conferences are a valuable practice, however, especially after reading about Robb’s experiences with them, and I hope to find a way to work them in next year, maybe once a marking period. As for the text I would use for these conferences, I would let my students select something, although I think I would make one stipulation, that they select at least one work of fiction during the year. Not that I don’t think that reading nonfiction text is also valuable, but I think it’s important that elementary students be comfortable discussing story elements. I really like the fiction-specific conference form, as I feel that the questions would really get most students talking. In particular, I like the prompt for connecting of, “Did the book remind you of a movie?” especially for those students who have difficulty with this comprehension skill.
ReplyDeleteBook Talks: I love the way Robb presents Book Talks. I think the beauty in the resources she provides is that they allow students choice in how they present I don’t think I wouldn’t pick one of the ten prompts as being superior to the rest for use in my classroom; I think different talks would suit different books and different students appropriately. Adding this element of choice would hopefully make the task more enticing for the students.
Week 4:
ReplyDeleteSince I am a reading teacher, I really do not have reading conferences for independent reading. I do have a mini-conference following the administration of a running record. After questioning the student, I love to talk about the reading strategies I noticed at the time or perhaps I’ll model quickly how using a different strategy may have been easier, etc. If I was a classroom teacher I would love to take advantage of the peer conferencing after lots of modeling had been done. The peer conferencing might motivate the students to read more critically and it is a great management tool. I like the prompts displayed on the peer conference form. These prompts can help to get the juices flowing.
Presently, I do not conduct book conferences in my LA special class. I truly have no extra time to sit down with individual students to discuss independent reading. Occasionally, students will ask for some suggestions and I will try to help them find appropriate books. I definitely think there is value in conducting book conferences. Perhaps in the future, I could work on this with my colleagues in the general education classrooms so that we could find the time. I think the conference forms in the packet are helpful. For my students, I think I would try to incorporate the form for Fiction or Nonfiction. There are specific questions and they would be easier for my students to answer because they are not as open ended as the questions on the other forms. I also like the Peer Book Conference. I think it would be great to pair up struggling readers with the more advanced readers.
ReplyDeleteI have never held book conferences with my students either. 50 minutes is not enough time. When students ask about what book to read for DEAR time, I usually simply give suggestions based on what I have, or send them to the library to find a suitable book. I like the peer conference form, and the book talk form 7. I think it would be a great idea to incorporate a "book club" in my class- having students share and discuss books that they like, or authors and genres. Me telling the students what books are good is totally different than having the students share their ideas with each other. What a great way to get kids to enjoy reading :)
ReplyDeleteLaura, Colleen, Lauren, and Michelle, I agree that time is not available for book conferences. I find discussions in small groups is as close as I get to book conferences. However, it might be something to look toward at one point during the year. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI too do not have formal book conferences about independent reading. In Middle school there really isn't time for it in the program. The English classes do require outside reading. Once a quarter I will check with my students about the books they have chosen. It is a very informal book talk. Often this does turn other students on to a "good" book. I post the titles and authors of books that they have enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteI like the Peer Book Conference form. I think I'll incorporate it into my next book check in after break. There are somethings I'd adapt but it is a great way for them to talk to each other about books.
My students all have reading spots where they feel most comfortable reading. When I conference, I go to their reading spot and sit down next to them. First, I have them read a few paragraphs aloud to me. Next, I give them a compliment based on what I notice. Finally, I give them a strategy to work on.
ReplyDeleteFor individual conferences, I use the leveled book the student is reading during reading workshop. For strategy lessons, I use a text that teaches to the strategy the group needs help with. In guided reading, I use a leveled text appropriate for the group of students in that particular group.
I love all of the conference forms! I have no attachment to the forms I currently use and plan on using the ones provided in the handout. I particularly like the peer conference sheet. Currently I don’t use a conference sheet for partnership work and I think my partnership work would strengthen if I did use this sheet.
I try to conduct book conferences in my classroom, but not on a consistent basis due to time constraints. I use reading logs in my class and collect these logs monthly. I look over each of these logs to see what genres my students are selecting for independent reading. I offer suggestions and briefly discuss what they thought of the book(s). I wish I could spend more time on these discussions because the kids really enjoy sharing when the approach is less formal. I base my text selection on what the student chooses. I think the forms are helpful, but I want to make sure I am keeping these discussions less formal and brief.
ReplyDeleteI really like all the suggested book talk ideas. I will try to modify each one to meet the needs of our book discussions- a very helpful list!
I will especially focus on book talk 8: find a passage you're compelled to share. I am going to try to do this activity in conjunction with an actor theatre. I think my students will enjoy it!