Student-led Writing Conferences
Our sixth grade English curriculum is writing intensive and focuses on the portfolio concept. Throughout the year, students will learn about and write in a variety of genres, reflecting on each piece in the process, and preserving that work in a portfolio. The culminating event of the year is the student-led writing conference that is held each May. At that point, students have an opportunity to present their work to their parents and have a discussion of their growth as a writer and goals they have for future improvement. It is a sophisticated skill and one that intimidates the students at first, but by the end of the year they feel prepared and are able to have meaningful conversations about their writing.
An important part of preparing for the student-led conference is the reflection process. At the beginning of the year, students are given the following prompt and asked to write a short essay about their writing skills. We spend a lot of time discussing that this is not about grades in a class, but what they feel are their strengths and weaknesses and what goals they can develop based on those thoughts. This begins the habit of reflecting on their writing skills that we continue throughout the year as each piece in the portfolio is completed.
Our sixth grade English curriculum is writing intensive and focuses on the portfolio concept. Throughout the year, students will learn about and write in a variety of genres, reflecting on each piece in the process, and preserving that work in a portfolio. The culminating event of the year is the student-led writing conference that is held each May. At that point, students have an opportunity to present their work to their parents and have a discussion of their growth as a writer and goals they have for future improvement. It is a sophisticated skill and one that intimidates the students at first, but by the end of the year they feel prepared and are able to have meaningful conversations about their writing.
An important part of preparing for the student-led conference is the reflection process. At the beginning of the year, students are given the following prompt and asked to write a short essay about their writing skills. We spend a lot of time discussing that this is not about grades in a class, but what they feel are their strengths and weaknesses and what goals they can develop based on those thoughts. This begins the habit of reflecting on their writing skills that we continue throughout the year as each piece in the portfolio is completed.
Students complete many different pieces throughout the year. Below are a few examples...
Personal Narrative
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Persuasive Essay
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Poetry
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PicLits Poem by Izah
(Click image to enlarge) 
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The final and most important piece in the portfolio is the Letter to the Reviewer. In this essay, students are asked to reflect on all the work they have collected in their portfolios, discuss areas of growth and improvement they see, identify use of language and skills of which they are proud, identify continuing areas of challenge, and discuss new goals based on the work they have displayed. When they review their portfolios with their parents, this is the first piece shared and provides an excellent jumping off point for discussion.
Letter to the Reviewer
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About two weeks before the conference, a letter is sent home to inform parents about the time and date. It also explains the process and asks for help in setting the tone with students. It is mandatory that all students have a conference at school, but if parents cannot attend on the scheduled night, other arrangements are made. A few days before the conference, portfolios are sent home with the note below for parents to review. A few writing pieces are kept out for discussion on conference night.
Click images to view in Google Docs
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On the evening of the conference, we meet with all parents and students to share our expectations for the conferences and introduce some common language. We discuss with parents what it means to be a proficient writer and what proficient writing looks like in 6th grade. We share with them how we use models in class so students are able to see what strong, effective writing looks like and display some models for them to consider while they conference with their child about his or her own writing. We make a point to mention that not every student is able to successfully use all of the skills we have discussed yet, but they should have an understanding of what they’ve done well, and what areas still need improvement.
At the end of our presentations, families are asked to spread out into the Middle School classrooms and common areas to find a quiet place to talk. The conferences usually take about 20-30 minutes.
At the end of our presentations, families are asked to spread out into the Middle School classrooms and common areas to find a quiet place to talk. The conferences usually take about 20-30 minutes.
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When finished, students return their portfolios to the teachers and families are invited to have refreshments. By this point of the evening, students and parents are usually in a celebratory mood and proud of the achievements and growth shown and have had good discussions about goals for next year.
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