Part 3: Getting Better at Conferring, Years 3-6

Part 3: Addressing Diverse Reading ChallengesSharon shifts focus to a Year 5 girl who, like the first boy, immediately expresses difficulty remembering what she reads in chapter books. When examining her reading, Sharon notices the girl has strong decoding skills but struggles with comprehension. Using the same "keep your eyes and mind in the book" strategy, Sharon guides her through reading paragraph by paragraph.The breakthrough comes when the girl connects this strategy to visualising. She explains that while she's been taught visualisation techniques, she never knew how to apply them effectively. By focusing her mind on the text paragraph by paragraph, she can now create mental images that accurately reflect the author's words rather than going off on tangents with personal connections. The girl develops her own strategy of writing one-sentence summaries at logical breaks in the text.Sharon then discusses a Year 5 student who has been reading only graphic novels and wants to abandon her first attempt at a regular novel because "the author jumps all over the place." Through careful observation, Sharon identifies that the girl reads continuously without pausing for punctuation, paragraphs, or other text organisation features. When questioned about how graphic novels organise information versus novels, the girl reveals her misconception that novels "just write everything all mixed up together."This leads to a teaching moment about text structure and organisation—how novels use paragraphs, punctuation, and white space to organise information that graphic novels convey through illustrations and speech bubbles. The teacher later connects this to the student's writing, realising she never uses paragraphs because she doesn't understand how they function in text.RESOURCESThe Listening to Reading Watching While Writing Protocol  Duke, Ward, & KlingelhoferThe Reading Strategies Book 2.0 by Jennifer SerravalloBLOGGetting Better at Conferring, Years 3-6 JOIN TEACHIFIC NOW AND SAVE!Join Teachific  today. Access thousands of resources and a growing number of 'anytime' courses within your membership.FURTHER INFORMATIONTune in to "Teacher's Tool Kit For Literacy," a free podcast where accomplished literacy educator Sharon Callen and her team share valuable insights and tips. With over 30 years of experience, they provide strategic learning solutions to empower teachers and leaders worldwide.  Subscribe on your favourite platform for exclusive literacy learning content.  Apple, Spotify,  Google, YouTubeRead our insightful blogs, which make valuable connections between resources, podcasts and courses.Visit our Cue Learning website and sign up for the Teacher's Toolkit Weekly newsletter to stay updated on resources, events and discover how Cue can support you and your school.Explore Teachific, our vast collection of PDF resources, to enhance your teaching toolkit. And get even more support from our growing number of 'anytime' online courses.Connect with the latest news and other educators by joining our Teacher's Toolkit Facebook groupExplore upcoming live or online webinar  eventsHave questions or feedback? Reach out to us directly at [email protected]