Manderfield- Reading Conferencing

In my classroom this year I have tried to get to all of my students by conferencing.  I started conferencing during our reading centers, but realized that it too loud and chaotic, so I then switched to conferencing during our independent reading time.  When I am pulling a student one-on-one I realized that it is much easier to conference and listen to them read while the room is quiet and peaceful.  I am able to sit down and concentrate, and so are they.  The students really seem to enjoy this time that I sit with them and listen to them read because many of them say, “Can I read with you again today?” With 22 students, it’s hard to move around and get to a good bit of them during our short time of independent reading. 

            Not only do I pull students during our independent reading time, I realized that I also “informally” conference with students during our guided reading rotation as well.  Our guided reading time is a good time for me to conference with students.  During this time I can ask them questions about what they’re reading, and check for comprehension and CAFÉ strategies that we’ve learned this year so far.

            I hope to continue to improve and master conferencing throughout this year to not only get better as a reading teacher, but also to help them become better readers.