Learning Log 12

Chapter 5 – The Café Book

This chapter provides nine examples of conferences from different goals at different levels.  Using p. 151 as a guide read each scenario and see if you are able to find the various elements in each conference as Gail and Joan confer with students and “coach towards a target.”  Discuss each element to help you in understanding the whole picture.

The teacher, Gail, checks the calendar for appointments with students, and then they select one of the students, Sevilya in this case, who are scheduled for that day.  Gail peruses her notes from the previous conference with Sevilya to familiarize herself with the Sevilya’s strengths and the strategy focus from last time.  Gail talks with Sevilya about her strengths and the goal in her case is comprehension.  Sevilya is asked to read while Gail listens in so as to observe whether Sevilya is using the strategy that they learned during the last conference, which will be recorded on Sevilya’s conference sheet.  Gail teaches and reinforces the Check for Understanding strategy to Sevilya; she explains the strategy first, then she models it while thinking aloud and offering advice.  She then practices the strategy with Sevilya, who will practice it alone with Gail listening in.  Gail and Sevilya discuss the next step, and Gail writes that on her planning sheet.  The conference ends with Gail asking Sevilya to repeat her strengths, goal, and strategy to work on, and she offers Sevilya words of encouragement.

A few of the conference examples in this chapter provide a picture of the conferring form after the conference is over (figures 5.1-5.4).  Select and example that does not have a form pictured, and then practice on a form as though you were the teacher in the example.  Write down what you would say in dialogue form.

“Hello, Inna.  Do you remember what your strengths are as a reader?”

“I notice that you can read every word and that you can read with expression without pausing to figure a word out.”

“Do you remember what your reading goal is?”

“Your reading goal is comprehension.  It means that you understand what you read.  The strategy that I will be teaching you is called Check for Understanding.  Let me show you how this strategy works.”

“I am going to read a few sentences, and then I am going to talk about what I just read.”

“Now, I am going to have you read the next few sentences, and I want you to stop and ask yourself, ‘Who and what?  Who is it about?  What happened?’”

“Watch me while I model Checking for Understanding after I read the next few sentences.  Who is the author talking about?  What happened?  Now, you try it, Inna.”

“Great, Inna.  I want you to remind me of your goal.”

“Okay, I would like for you to practice the Check for Understanding strategy in your reading today.  I will check back with you tomorrow, and you can show me the passages that you read and demonstrate the strategy for me then.”

Reference

Boushey, G. & Moser, J. (2009). The café book. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.