What Makes a Good (or Great) Reading Conference?

This is a handout I gave my students to help them understand reading workshop conferencing. 
 

The Basics:

• Show that you know what's happening in your book THEN go beyond the plot.
• Show me you are thinking!
• Back up what you say with references to specific things in the book. 

When to ask for a conference:
When you are stuck
When you finish a book
When you are not sure if you should abandon a book
When you have a question about reading
When you have an exciting idea
When you feel like I might being over looking you (Sorry!)

What to say about plot:

• When I ask you what is happening in your book, tell me concisely.  Focus on the most important events or characters.  I don't need a blow by blow recap.  
• Answer my questions about the plot.  If you can't answer, tell me why.  
• Remember that I want to know more than the plot, I want to know what your thinking.  If you take a ton of time just retelling plot, we don't have time left for me to hear about or ask questions about your thinking. 

What to talk about in a conference:

• Tell me why you like or don't like the book you are reading
• Explain how things like flashbacks, point of view switches, breaks in the text, use of italics or punctuation affect the book and / or your experience reading it
• Describe the author's writing style and explain how it affects the book and / or your experience reading it
• Explain how the format of the book (poems, short stories, letters, IMs, emails, etc) affects the book and / or your experience reading it
• Explain how literature or poetic devices affect the book and / or  your experience reading it
• Tell me why you are stuck
• Explain to me how you got unstuck
• Share with me questions you have about the book (whether you think I can answer them or not)
• Share predictions with me and why you have them
• Share if your predictions are right or wrong
• Make connections to your book between your experiences, other books you've read, or real world events past or present
• Explain to me the significance of the title or cover of your book
• Explain to me why you chose your book
• Explain to me if a book is meeting your expectations or not
• Explain to me why you chose to abandon a book
• Share with me new things you learned from your book (not just for non-fiction!)
• Share with me what you got out of the book overall
• Explain to me what you think the author's message or purpose was for the book
• Tell me if the book changed how you think
• Tell me if the book changed or questioned your values or beliefs
• If it is a frequently challenged book, share your thoughts on that with me
• Compare and contrast the book to its film adaptation

When in doubt, refer to the rubric for the quarter!