Kevin Terrell IMB 2019

Writing Conferences: Opinion writing student choice

Both students I conferred with during this introductory opinion writing lesson were writing about
similar subjects but were at different stages in their writing process. The first student was having
difficulty with selecting a topic to write about and the second needed to include another
descriptive example and write a closing sentence.

Student 1, TR:

Q: Hey TR, are you still trying to think of a topic to write about? Would you like for me to help
you?

A: yeah

Q: So let’s just have a conversation you and me about the things that you like. Is there something
you can think of that you like to do or to eat, or anything really thatyou would want a friend of
yours to do or try?

A: yeah, I like to put ketchup on my macaroni and cheese.

-I told him about how my wife likes to do that and it’s not something that I particularly liked to
do myself. Another student at the table group was listening in to our conversation and exclaimed
that they thought that was gross. This remark led to student TR stating that it was really good and
that it gave the macaroni a sweeter taste. I rejoined the conversation and asked him if that was a
detail he could include about why he liked his mac and cheese with ketchup on it. As I checked
in later, the student had written a sentence describing the taste and why he like it.

Student 2, TO:

Q: I see you have a very interesting opinion about food. I was just talking with student TR and he
likes to put ketchup on his mac and cheese. Do you like to do that too?

A: No! I like to eat broccoli with marshmallows in it.

Q: I have never heard of that before. Could you read to me what you have written about so far?

A: Yes, I think broccoli and marshmallows taste good together. Broccoli is good for you and
marshmallows taste really good. I hope that you try it.

Q; I like your closing sentence a lot. Now are there some ways you could describe the taste of
these two foods when you put them together that if I were to read it I might want to try it to?

-I returned to student TO after some informal conferring and observing of other students working
during the writing workshop and asked her how she was able to describe the taste of these foods
together. Her written response was, “when you try it you will be in for a surprise, it makes the
broccoli taste kinda sweet and I think it is even better than putting cheese on broccoli. Its
crunchy and squishy at the same time.”
Kevin Terrell IMB 2019

-Of all the students I conferred with and observed during this writers workshop, student TO was
the only one to have included a closing sentence which was modeled in the minilesson. The
classroom teacher had also taken notice of this and the following day included this observation
when modeling another opinion writing mini lesson.

Writing Conferences (Opinion Writing, Letter Writing Genre)

Student J: Conference

-I notice the student is having difficulty selecting a text/topic choice for composing an opinion
letter in which they will state an opinion as to why their intended audience should read a specific
text they have read. This student had their “book box” at their desk many of which were non-
fiction texts.

Questions and responses:

Q: “What are you writing about today?”

A: I don’t know, I can’t find a book I want to write about.

Q: Would it help to visit the classroom library together and find a book there that you have read
and really enjoyed?”

A: Yes!

Q: “So you chose the book Zomo the Rabbit. And who will you be writing your opinion letter
to?

A: My friend student C.

Q: What is so interesting about this book that you think your friend is absolutely going to love
about it?

A: “The pictures and the rabbit is very smart but also gets into trouble at the end.”

Q: These are great ideas to get you started. Now think like the clever rabbit and write an opening
sentence that you know will get your readers attention.

-The student began writing as I continued working with other students during writer’s workshop.
I returned about ten minutes later to find the student had written a full paragraph with a great first
sentence that read “There is this book called Zomo the rabbit and you won’t believe what
happens to him.” I felt she was able to establish a good starting point for her writing, and I made
sure to celebrate her accomplishment with a joyful high five. I did follow up with a few
remaining questions asking her what was her opinion of the book and what details could she
include from the text to support her opinion.
Kevin Terrell IMB 2019

Q: Remember how you first described the character to me?

A: Yeah he’s smart and likes to play tricks.

-I then asked her if she though there was a good place towards the beginning of her letter where
she could state her opinion about the book. She crafted a sentence that read much like the
response she gave to me.

-I closed our conversation by reminding her that maybe she could revise her letter, so she doesn’t
give away the ending of the book to the reader.

Student K: Conference

Q: I see you’ve gotten started on your opinion letter. What book are you writing about?

A: Dog Man.

Q: Would you like to read what you have written so far?

A: Yes. Dear readers, Do you like action and comedy? Well then you should read Dog Man by
Dav Pilkey.

Q: What a fantastic introduction! And you even gave your readers the authors name! Now are
there some details or examples from the book that have comedy or action in them that might
support the statement you made in your first sentence?

A: Yeah

Q: And what about this Dog Man character, are there some attributes or characteristics that you
could include in your writing?

-Following the protocol for how the classroom teacher conducts writing conferences I gave the
student a sticky note that included a positive comment about how i loved her opining sentence
and an encouraging remark reminding her to locate details and examples from the book that
would support her opinion about the book being funny and having lots of action.
Kevin Terrell IMB 2019

Writing Conferences Reflection

During my clinical observation the students were beginning a unit on “writing about

reading” and opinion writing. The teacher had also introduced a new genre, that of letter writing

and integrated this into the opinion writing topics. I conferred with students about topic selection,

adding supportive details and examples to support their opinions, and working on closing

sentences. There were many other more informal examples I could have included but these

particular students each had a unique approach and were at different stages of the writing process

during writers’ workshop.

The good was that I got to see how they approached writing and if they enjoyed doing so or

not. I could definitely empathize with students who felt anxious or lost even before beginning

their writing not being able to come up with a topic or opinion they wanted to write about. I felt

these students became increasingly comfortable with their writing the more I engaged with them

and asked them to share the things they liked pertaining to the lesson being taught. Eventually I

saw each of these young writers find a good starting point. The bad was that the allotted time for

writers workshop was fairly short and oftentimes the students were unable to complete their best

work because of these time constraints. Another observation was that came from conferring with

students was that students often need reminders and examples to meet the objective of a lesson.

The classroom teacher did a wonderful job modeling and creating useful anchor charts during

minilessons that students could refer back to which gave them additional support when they were

writing independently, making conferences move more fluently.

I found that sometimes it helps to discuss or even clarify the objective for students

especially when they are working on something unfamiliar to them or are still struggling with the

stamina required for writing for long periods of time. By eliciting their thinking with not a

prescriptive list of questions but ones that directly speak to them, I found the students to be very
Kevin Terrell IMB 2019

open to new possibilities and comfortable with having conversations to draw ideas from that they

could put into their writing. Every single student I spent time conferring with reminded me that

they already had the answers and ability to write but only needed a little encouragement or

guidance to get them there.