Talking About Writing

In Craft Lessons, Ralph Fletcher and JoAnn Portalupi write, Writing conferences can be difficult to manage, and it's tempting to omit them from the workshop, but these one-to-one interactions are crucial.

Writers need response, not only from their peers but from us as well. In this two-part series we revisit Bailey's Elementary school on the outskirts of Washington, DC, to watch and listen as accomplished teachers of students in grades 3 through 5 confer with students about their writing.

Program 1, The Essentials of Conferring, covers a range of topics, including active listening, knowing your writers, management, predictable problems, and peer conferences.

Program 2, Refining Your Conference Skills, takes teachers deeper into the writing conference and shows how to help students build a writer's toolbox, connect writing conferences to other parts of the workshop, raise the bar in a conference, and push your own learning by working with your colleagues.

Taken together, these two programs comprise an invaluable tool for becoming a more skillful writing teacher. Program 1: The Essentials of ConferringProgram 2: Refining Your Conference Skills