Reading Conferences and Reading

Comprehension Strategies

Danni Corrado, Rose Calafati – Primary TeachersKate McAll – Secondary Teacher

• Western Region Literacy Initiative, 3 Year Blueprint – 2010 is the second year

• Conferences in the mainstream are different – we see the need to modify for the new arrivals setting– Our students are only with us for a short period of time– They don’t have the same oral fluency, they don’t have

colloquial language– They are learning to read in a new language– We are equipping them for mainstream schooling

• We have a variety of conferencing documents based on professional development we have attended

• We have modified strategies and documents for the new arrivals program.

at Western English Language School

What is a reading conference?

A Reading Conference Is:• When a teacher reads one to one with a student

• The teacher and student work together to improve the students reading

• Brief conversation – the teacher roves during Independent Reading Time

• More in depth conferences can take 10 – 12 minutes

Why conference?•To gather in-depth information about students reading

•To work to improve areas of weakness in reading

•To build on students strength as readers

Lesson / Mini-Lesson (perhaps only a few minutes)

Independent Reading Time

Reading ConferencesThe teacher conferences with one student while the class is engaged in independent reading

Teacher models a reading strategy

Students readquietly

SharingStudents reflect briefly, knowledge is reinforced

Secondary Reading Conferences

May 20 2010 - Short Summary.avi

May 20 2010 - Punctuation.avi

May 20 2010 - Read More Slowly.avi

Reading Conferences

• Focus on what students are doing as readers• Provide students with feedback• Are documented (this can be very simple)• Focus on one goal at a time• Students should be active participants

– They talk about what they have been practising– Respond to the text they have been reading– Articulate the process and strategies they have been using– State a new goal and describe how they will achieve the goal– Conclude with an outcome and set a goal for student to work

on before the next conference

Regular Quiet Reading Time

- Makes conferencing possible

Independent Reading Time

• A time each day when all students are reading.• Calms and settles students• Allows conferencing to happen as the class is

occupied reading • First we need to build the ability of students to

sit and read. In Secondary Education there are a lot of activities around reading but perhaps not enough time spent reading? (One library period a week?)

http://wels-literacy.wikispaces.com/

Primary Reading Conferences

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“Allow sustained periods of time for students to complete purposeful reading experiences.”

Fifteen minutes a day of independent, recreational reading significantly increases students' reading abilities. Average and below-average readers experience the greatest gains .

(Collins, 1980; Smith & Joyner, 1990; Taylor,Frye, & Maruyama, 1990; Wiesendanger & Bader, 1989).

Independent reading isn't just about letting students read silently for a given amount of time.

It's about providing students with the necessary tools to becoming independent and life-long readers.

-Mandy Yates

Reading conferences are about providing students with the tools.

“Just Right Books”• 0-1 fingers – Too Easy

• 2-3 fingers – Just Right

• 4-5 fingers – Too Hard

Prep, 1, 2

1 finger– too easy

2 fingers - just right

3 fingers- too hard

Five Finger Rule

x

x x

x

x

If there are five words on one page that you don’t know – that book is too hard.

If you know all the words on one page– that book is too easy.

x

xx

If there are two or three words on one page that you don’t know – that book is just right.

Some common problems our students have when reading

• Reading too fast• Not reading for meaning• Not using pictures to help

understanding• Choosing books that are too hard.• Not using punctuation cues

One Interesting Thing

• Think about one thing you will remember from this session – 1 minute

• Talk about the one thing with the person next to you – 1 minute

• Share with the whole group (if you want to)

Think, Pair, Share

Gradual Release of Responsibility Model

Gradual Release of Responsibility

Model of Teaching and Learning

2. I do, you help.

1. I do, you watch.

2. Guided Practise

1. Demonstration

3. Independent practice

3. You do, I help.

4. Application 4. You do, I watch.

Round Robin Reading

The current thinking is, ‘It does more harm than good’– In ‘life’ people don’t read unseen text aloud– Faulty reading habits can develop as students are not reading at their natural

rate– Students become inattentive and lose the meaning– Causes anxiety (hard on struggling readers and counterproductive)– Assesses more than teaches

- Teachers call on individual students to read a part of the text

There are more effective ways to teach comprehension

It is more useful to teach a bank of reading strategies

The 6 Reading Comprehension Strategies:

• Predicting / Using prior knowledge• Thinking – aloud• Using text structure and features• Envisaging / Creating visual representations• Summarising• Questioning

Predict

• Use what you already know to help you understand what you read.

1. Look at the front cover2. Look at the back cover3. Look at the pictures4. Read the blurb5. Ask yourself:– ‘What is this book about?’– ‘What will happen in this book?’

Using Text Structures and Features

Visualising

Thinking-aloud

Questioning

Connection (Make a connection with something previously taught or students previous knowledge)

Explicit Teaching(How will you demonstrate the teaching focus?)

Quick Try(How will the student practise the new skill or knowledge?)

Independent Practice(What do you want the students to do by themselves?)

Share(How will you follow up or reinforce what has been learned?)

Attend WMR Literacy Coaches PD

• Focus of PD on: the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model of Teaching and

Learning

Reading Strategies1. Predicting2. Visualising3. Summarising4. Choosing Just right books5. Guided Reading6. Read Aloud / Think Aloud7. Three Level Guide8. QAR – Questions Answer Relationship9. Reciprocal Teaching

Lesson plans and Power Points developed for teaching these 4 strategies. Available to staff

Other Documents Developed

• Reading Checklist • Reading Conference Record Sheet• Literacy/Numeracy Rich Environment – self

survey for teachers • Book report Pro-forma• Reading Log Pro-forma

Reading Logs

Term 1 2009(Base + Wyndam)WinCarolyn StevenTina

Term 3 2006(Base)AllaBarbaraBronwyn

Coaching of Individual Teachers

Term 2 2010(Wyndam + Base)Rennis???

Term 4 2009(Wyndam)LynSeanMichelle

Independent Reading Program

• 20 minutes reading, 4-5 times a week, at 10.20..\Alla's class.MOV

•Books purchased for portable classroom libraries More to be purchased in terms 1 and 2

Fifteen minutes a day of independent, recreational reading significantly increases students' reading abilities. Average and below-average readersexperience the greatest gains .

(Collins, 1980; Smith & Joyner, 1990; Taylor,Frye, & Maruyama, 1990; Wiesendanger & Bader, 1989).

Independent reading isn't just about letting students read silently for a given amount of time. It's about providing students with the necessary tools to becoming independent and life long readers.

Mandy Yates

Conferencing Work one to one work with student during

independent reading time.

Set a task – Something for the student to work on before the next conference.

Help students to identify a goal that will improve their reading.

Work on one skill at a time.

ConferencingCommon problem areas to work on:

• Reading too fast'Read more slowly. Read it again but read it more slowly'• Not reading for meaning'Read to your self and tell me what that page is about. Stop and

think when you read.'• Not using pictures to help understanding'What can you see in the picture? Look at the pictures before you

read'• Choosing books that are too hard.Five finger Rule 'Choose books that are just right.'• Not using punctuation cues'Read again and look at the punctuation. Use question marks'

They can’t answer, 'What is that book about?'

Higher level students, 'Do you make pictures in your head when you read?'