The One-on-One Reading and Writing Conference

Personal interactions are the single most effective way for teachers to understand and evaluate their student as learners. Responding specifically to new Common Core State Standards in reading and writing, this book introduces pre- and inservice teachers to a method of one-on-one interaction the authors refer to as the “stretch conference.” This book provides detailed practical advice on the logistics of implementing these conferences during the busy school day, including tips on how and when to schedule conferences and how to successfully manage the classroom during conference time. The authors argue that, rather than using valuable conference time for word-level concerns and editing, teachers should focus on more ambitious goals that will deepen (or “stretch”) students’ skills in comprehension and writing. This resource suggests where conferences fit in with other important pieces of literacy instruction; introduces a variety of high-quality cues to use during conferences; and shows how conferences can function as formative assessment for reading and writing skills.

Book Features:

• Written by two veteran teacher educators who conduct frequent workshops and professional development with teachers.
• Helps teachers adjust their instruction for the demands of Common Core Standards, specifically Reading Anchor Standards 1 and 10, and Writing Standards 1–5 and 10.
• Shows teachers how to schedule individual conferences within typical classroom time constraints.
• Includes many detailed examples of effective conferences taken from real classrooms.

Jennifer Berne is associate professor and department chair of literacy and elementary education at Northern Illinois University. Sophie C. Degener is associate professor of reading and language at National Louis University.

“Will transform teachers’ conferencing, and more importantly, their students’ writing and reading.”
—Laurie Elish-Piper, IRA Board of Directors, 2013–2016

“Reading this is a critical opportunity to reflect on our practice, examining whether the content of our conferences is aligned with the rigorous expectations of the Common Core.”
—Sunday Cummins, literacy consultant and author

“In this book, Jennifer Berne and Sophie Degener provide readers with a roadmap for engaging students in conversations that will change their understanding. They offer compelling case studies and a continuum that analyzes students’ skills such that instruction can be appropriately aligned. Frankly, it’s an amazing resource and one that has changed my thinking about classroom instructional time.”
—From the Foreword by Douglas Fisher, San Diego State University

“In this excellent resource on conferencing, Berne and Degener show through numerous classroom examples how to develop students’ interactions, not only with the texts they are currently reading and writing, but with future texts. Their well-organized text is an outstanding guide on how to foster independent learners in literacy.”
—Peter Fisher, National Louis University