Small-Group Writing Conferences, K-5: How to Use Your Instructional Time More Efficiently

How can you work with twice as many students each day? And give struggling writers more attention? All without diminishing the quality of your teaching? By making the most of conferring with Small-Group Writing Conferences. Small-Group Writing Conferences shows why small groups work. And how they can boost your instructional effectiveness.

Youll compliment and coach more students through the writing process each day. Youll focus on explicitly teaching writing strategies, scaffolding learning across everything students write. Youll gather more assessment information than evera big help for differentiation Your teaching will stick better as students practice and discuss strategies together, then link them to prior learning.

Holly Slaughter tells you when and how to use small-groups and gives you tips for planning, record keeping, and trouble shooting. She describes four kinds of writing conferences that allow you to plan instruction or confer whenever and however you need to:

Table ConferencesConferring with heterogeneous groups to address some students needs and reinforce strategies for others Skill ConferencesGrouping students with similar needs for explicit instruction or guided practice Expectation ConferencesUsing groups to teach students to manage materials and self-monitor Progress ConferencesSeeing how a group has fared with a strategy and promoting accountability for learning.

Every moment you spend conferring is precious. Read Small Group Writing Conferences and discover how small groups can help you make each second twice as valuable.