Assessment is ongoing and should be an every day all day task for a teacher....from formal to informal monitoring and tracking of student progress. One of the best ways to assess a student's reading ability is to sit with a child and listen to her/him read and then listening to their thoughts about what they are reading. Conferencing gives such insight. The author provides a suggested list of questions to use with fiction and non-fiction. There is also a GREAT list of kid-friendly reading goals such as "make a picture in your mind to help you understand". These would be great to add to anchor charts. It is important to have a plan when teaching skills so that the lesson stays on focus.
This chapter was very informative with lots of great suggestions. I have listened to many students read and what I am able to note about a child's ability or lack of in just 5 minutes is amazing. It is extremely important that teachers take time to listen to students read, make notes and follow up on what is lacking to strengthen reading fluency and understanding.
I think teachers are really starting to see the benefits of a reading conference. It is fun to hear them talking about what they are learning about their students and how it is directing their guided reading groups! Love that Routman gives so many practical ideas in this chapter!!!
ReplyDeleteConferences are such great sources of data to drive instruction!
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