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Example - Jennifer Serravallo

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Questions for Getting to Know our Learners/Readers

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Questions for Getting to Know our Learners/Readers

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Introduction: We Can Do This

Asking Beautiful Questions

Paying Attention to What Doesn't Feel Right

Asking, "What If?": Creating Space for Possibility

Chapter One: What If Each Day's Teaching Focused on Children's Agency?

Finding Our Way to a Beautiful Question: The Disengaged Child

What's the Best That Could Happen? Agency Fosters Engagement

Imagining New Possibilities for a Child

Conferring to Support Access and Choice

Paying Attention During Independent Work Time

Conferring to Inquire and to Offer Community

Postscript

Chapter Two: What If We Made What Children Make and Do Our Priority?

Finding Our Way to a Beautiful Question: Workshop Planning

What's the Best That Could Happen? Meaningful Work

Planning for What Children Will Do First

Planning for What Teachers Will Do During Work Time

Figuring Out What to Teach

Playing with the Sequence

Taking Ownership

Chapter Three: What If Our Classroom Environment and Routines Offered Choice?

Finding Our Way to a Beautiful Question: Frustration over Supplies

What's the Best That Could Happen? Managing Their Own Work

Being Intentional in Our Language

Cocreating Routines

Designing Agentive Environments

Chapter Four: What If We Owned the Units We Are Asked to Teach?

Finding Our Way to a Beautiful Question: The Units We're Given

Are These the Right Goals?

Which Texts Work Best?

How Will We Know When We're Done?

How Can This Happen Within Daily Workshop?

What's the Best That Could Happen? Perfection in Imperfection

Chapter Five: What If Read-Aloud Sustained Children's Independent Thinking?

Finding Our Way to a Beautiful Question: The Wisdom in Children's Thinking

Expecting Brilliance

Finding Time for Read-Aloud

Reading Aloud for Joy

Teachers and Children Thinking Aloud

What's the Best That Could Happen? Being Inspired to Act

Conclusion: In Pursuit of Beautiful Questions

We all have difficult moments in our teaching, and without a question to drive us forward, we can get stuck. But that difficult moment might be the question we need to ask ourselves. Questions can bring a positive attention, creating a presence in the moment. When I ask children, "Are you the kind of kid who...?", I'm inviting them to imagine a new possibility for themselves, one in which they have more power than they did before. I want those new possibilities for teachers, too. Are you the kind of teacher who is ready to try something new, something that will make your students stronger, more joyful readers and bring you greater joy in your work? I think you are.

Asking questions leads to opportunities-it's about growth, openness, and a willingness to change, which top-down models don't allow. It's a way for us to focus our thinking and be present in the lives we've chosen to live. Asking the question is the essential behavior of teaching. It's not a perfect call-and response but a messy business of wondering, stumbling, and figuring things out. It requires bravery and commitment, but that's what teaching is. It's a joyful, creative, purposeful profession. If you feel you've lost even some of your passion for teaching, I would love to help give it back to you. So, in this book, we'll talk about creating beautiful questions about the teaching of reading. To help you take on the process of asking beautiful questions, I'll share how I got to some beautiful questions about teaching reading and what I did with them as I worked with teachers in classrooms across the country.

This book is about owning our teaching and making decisions based on who we are and what's best for the children in our classroom today. That all sounds ambitious and brave... and the work is-teaching is-but it happens in so many small and simple ways. My wish is for you to think about what you do and ask your own beautiful questions, so that you and your children can thrive and view yourselves and each other as valuable, idea-filled, creative, and contributing humans who own your teaching and learning. Be open and receptive to possibilities! Think: "What if we did it this way?"

"A one-of-a-kind book, full of wisdom and heart. Debbie Miller inspires educators to step back and question everything-challenging us to rethink and reinvent the ways we teach. What's the best that could happen? Read this book and it will help you find your own answer to that beautiful question."

-Warren Berger, author of A More Beautiful Question and The Book of Beautiful Questions
"Debbie Miller is a magician with children, and in What's the Best That Could Happen? she hands us her magic wand. With honesty, humility, and optimism, she shares her thoughts and actions about teaching and learning. Run-don't walk-to conjure up this essential book!"
-Stephanie Harvey, coauthor of The Comprehension Toolkit series, From Striving to Thriving, and Strategies That Work
"Debbie Miller is suggesting something revolutionary. She is suggesting the way to ensure all students learn is to intentionally and persistently expect not just capability but brilliance from them."
-Gretchen Morgan, author of Innovative Educators: An Action Plan for Teachers

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"One of the great joys of teaching is anticipating children's brilliance." In What's the Best That Could Happen?, Debbie Miller confronts a challenge all

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Chris Gadbury

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Connect with educators around the world!

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Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

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From Clare Landrigan

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Sign up for free at the bottom of the page

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A couple of years ago, and I wrote a collection of guided reading books to go with the Who's Doing the Work? K-2 Lesson Sets (Stenhouse, 2018). Carnegie Learning has graciously agreed to let me share the fiction titles from this collection with you, here on this site.

There are 15 titles ranging from Level A to Level J. I have built flipbooks with each title, and embedded them here on the site. The text below, one of my favorite in the collection, is an example of the set-up for each book, and will show you how the flipbooks in the collection work. Missing Socks, like all the books in the collection, includes illustrations designed to engage students and deepen the story.
​

Mindfulness:
​There are three titles in the collection that relate to mindfulness. Happy (Level C) is about a little girl who is exploring different kinds of happiness, such as the calm happiness of a breeze vs. the palpable happiness of a surprise birthday party. Hurry Up, Slow Down (Level D) is about a little girl who is walking to school with her father and is caught up in the simple beauty around her. Finally, Everyday Beautiful (Level H) is about two boys who have been asked to find something beautiful. One boy overlooks the natural beauty around him while another shows him how simple things can be beautiful.

There are five titles in the collection that use science related to light and shadows to tell a story. They range in levels from C-J. We wrote these to align with science standards. If you teach light and shadows, you may find these texts a nice way to integrate your science content into your reading instruction.

The books are all in flipbook format and are free to use and share with children, but they require a password to access them. To get the password, complete the form below. When you hit submit, a password will pop up on the screen. Use that password in step 2 (below) to access the books.

If you already have the these digital versions of some of the books should be helpful. Although you don't need the lessons to use the books, if you are interested in the lessons that go with the books, they are available from .

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Free Virtual Guided Reading Book Collection

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A couple of years ago, and I wrote a collection of guided reading books to go with the Who's Doing the Work? K-2 Lesson Sets (Stenhouse, 2018). Carnegie Learning has graciously agreed to let me share the fiction titles from this collection with you, here on this site.

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colleen@erinkentconsulting.com
Twitter: @ColleenAckford

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EKC

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To be life long readers/inculcate the passion of reading - Shyamie

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To be life long readers/inculcate the passion of reading - Shyamie

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Make reading a pleasurable experience and creating life long readers. Tanuja

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Make reading a pleasurable experience and creating life long readers. Tanuja

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As an EAL specialist my first promise to my readers is to encourage them to be risk takers in reading; to just get them started.

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As an EAL specialist my first promise to my readers is to encourage them to be risk takers in reading; to just get them started.

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I promise to love them, be non-judgmental, supportive and guiding.

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I promise to love them, be non-judgmental, supportive and guiding.

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To love reading and make it their own by giving them ownership.   

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To love reading and make it their own by giving them ownership.   

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Space for imagination and be story tellers - Sandy

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Space for imagination and be story tellers - Sandy

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Promise to share the find joy within reading -
I start to read as well so we can work together - Sabrina

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How to plan a mini lesson was powerful. Specially the brevity and clarity of it.

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How to plan a mini lesson was powerful. Specially the brevity and clarity of it.

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A modeled lesson and how profile attributes can be linked to reading sessions. 

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A modeled lesson and how profile attributes can be linked to reading sessions. 

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I loved the demonstration of a mini lesson which lifted up the profile trait. I loved the idea of Book Talks which I am going to start with our first graders. I would like to see a live online mini lesson for first grade. A workshop live lab.  

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I loved the demonstration of a mini lesson which lifted up the profile trait. I loved the idea of Book Talks which I am going to start with our first graders. I would like to see a live online mini lesson for first grade. A workshop live lab.  

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I got more ways to getting to know my readers. Eg. heart maps. I want to know more about promoting agency in students to be independent readers even though they are not fluent readers. 

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I got more ways to getting to know my readers. Eg. heart maps. I want to know more about promoting agency in students to be independent readers even though they are not fluent readers. 

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It was interesting to see what different teaching methods we can use when it comes to reading and how important to keep a mini lesson short and engaging for students.

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It was interesting to see what different teaching methods we can use when it comes to reading and how important to keep a mini lesson short and engaging for students.

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I loved the mini-lesson, idea of book recommendation, and the book talks - Sabrina

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I loved the mini-lesson, idea of book recommendation, and the book talks - Sabrina

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It's vital that we support young children's reading in ways that nurture healthy reading identities, that foster an attraction to books and a love of reading, and that teach them how make meaning in any text they choose, whether or not they can read the words.
-Kathy Collins and Matt Glover

What do we see when young children interact with books before they can read the words?

Kathy Collins and Matt Glover see real reading, characterized by purposeful meaning-making and opportunities for reading growth and language development.

"One of our biggest hopes," write Kathy and Matt, "is to help you see and value all of the powerful work young children do as readers." With I Am Reading you'll see that fostering what little ones do before they can read the words is important early instruction.

Kathy and Matt show how to nurture, nudge, and instruct young readers to make meaning in any text, whether or not they are reading the words. They share:

observation guides for children reading any kind of book

specific descriptions of language and independence development

sample reading conferences and whole-class minilessons

suggestions for creating reading opportunities in preschool and reading workshops in K-1

action plans to get you going

25 online video clips of children making meaning and teachers supporting them.

I Am Reading pairs two important voices in early literacy to remind us that we're teaching children, not reading levels. "In the rush toward ever higher reading levels in the early years," write Kathy and Matt, "we may fail to value the strategy use and high-level thinking children do before they are reading conventionally." Join Kathy and Matt and look anew at your young readers so you can provide the kind of support that gets them off to a great start.

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It's vital that we support young children's reading in ways that nurture healthy reading identities, that foster an attraction to books and a love of reading, and that teach them how make meaning in any text they choose, whether or not they can read the words.

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A Teacher's Guide to Reading Conferences

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A Teacher's Guide to Reading Conferences

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1. Getting Your Classroom Conferring-Ready
What Is Conferring? Why Confer?
But . . . What Is the Rest of the Class Doing?
Spotlight on Emergent Bilinguals: Tips for Book Selections
Preparing an Environment for Conferring
What Are the Types of Conferences I'll Read About in This Book?
Mentor Spotlight: Richard Allington

2. Understanding What Readers Know and Need
Aligning Goals, Skills, Assessments, and Questions
Spotlight on Emergent Bilinguals: Assessment
How Do I Confer with a Reader When I Don't Know the Book?
Assessment Conferences: Structure and Timing
Watch and Read: An Assessment Conference Example
Finding a Goal
Take It to Your Classroom
Mentor Spotlight: Marie Clay

3. Setting Goals
Deciding on a Goal Together
Spotlight on Emergent Bilinguals: Goal Setting
Preparing for a Goal-Setting Conference
Goal-Setting Conferences: Structure and Timing
Watch and Read: A Goal-Setting Conference Example
Making Goals Visible
A Close-Up Look at Guided Inquiry
Take It to Your Classroom
Mentor Spotlight: John Hattie

4. Noticing and Naming Strengths
The Anatomy of an Effective Compliment
Spotlight on Emergent Bilinguals: Supporting Growing Language Skills
Compliment Conferences: Structure and Timing
Watch and Read: A Compliment Conference Example
Take It to Your Classroom
Mentor Spotlight: Peter Johnston

5. Teaching Strategies to Individuals and Groups
Building on Strengths
Spotlight on Emergent Bilinguals: Building on Strengths
Providing Feedback and Coaching Readers
Research-Compliment-Teach Conferences: Structure and Timing
Watch and Read: A Research-Compliment-Teach Conference Example
Coaching Conferences: Structure and Timing
Watch and Read: A Coaching Conference Example
Strategy Lessons: Structure and Timing
Watch and Read: Strategy Lesson Examples
Take It to Your Classroom
Mentor Spotlight: Lucy Calkins

6. Supporting Conversation and Collaboration
Partnerships and Clubs in the Classroom
Spotlight on Emergent Bilinguals: Leveraging Talk Time
Partnership Conferences with Young Readers: Structure and Timing
Watch and Read: A Partnership Conference Example
Teaching Talk (Speaking and Listening)
Partnerships and Book Club Conferences for Conversation: Structure and Timing
Watch and Read: A Book Club Conference Example
Take It to Your Classroom
Mentor Spotlight: Ellin Keene

7. Planning and Managing Conferring Time
Planning Your Conferring Time
Which Conference Type Do I Choose?
Balancing Individual Goals and Class Goals
Note-Taking
Take It to Your Classroom

Online Resources: Videos
Grade 1: Ian (Assessment Conference)
Grade 5: Gavin (Goal-Setting Conference)
Grade 8: Justin (Compliment Conference)
Grade 2: Lucas (Research-Compliment-Teach Conference)
Grade K: Ana (Coaching Conference)
Grade K: Group of students (Strategy Lesson)
Grade 8: Group of students (Strategy Lesson)
Grade K: Gabbie and Ashley (Partnership/Book Club Conference)

In this book, you'll read about the different types of student conferences. The book is organized in the order you're most likely to use the conference types as you get started. Assessment conferences will help you get to know your readers, and then once you do, meeting with them in Goal-Setting Conferences helps you establish goals. As soon as everyone has goals, you can offer positive feedback (Compliment Conferences) and support those goals with strategies (Coaching and Research-Compliment- Teach Conferences). Once you start noticing patterns in what your students need, it makes sense to work efficiently and pull small-group Strategy Lessons (Teaching In a Group). Once that feels solid, you might shift your attention to conferring during the conversation and collaboration time (Partnership and Club Conferences). In the final chapter, Jen offers advice for how to use each type of conference with purpose and at a time that will be most helpful to you.

"I love that this book includes blank resources, like notetaking charts, that teachers can use. The combination of transcripts, charts, table tents, and annotated examples makes me feel like I have what I need to be successful in this work."-Lori Yoshizaki, 4th Grade Teacher
"The videos are SO valuable.Not only the video examples of conferences but the talking points in the book to highlight Jen's moves. It's so helpful to have her notes from each conference as well."-Jennifer Conley, Instructional Coach
"I believe that the reason why teachers don't confer during reading workshop is because they don't know how to manage all the pieces. Jen gives clear directions on how to set things up from start to finish, and information on how to manage everything."-Lisa Aker, Assistant Professor in Literacy

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A Teacher's Guide to Reading Conferences

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"If you are a reading teacher, a curriculum coach, or a school leader, order a copy of A Teacher's Guide to Reading Conferences right now. It is a must-have

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Your Research-based Guide to Developing Skilled Readers. 300+ strategies with learning progressions support 13 reading goals, with each strategy cross-linked to skills, teacher tips, prompts, research, and reading levels—everything from fluency to literary analysis.

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Example - Jennifer Serravallo

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Inspired by the word of J. Serrevallo

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I was so happy I was able to refine my mini-lesson during this session and to really look into how might my readers set goals amplifying the LPA of risk taking and reflective.  

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I was so happy I was able to refine my mini-lesson during this session and to really look into how might my readers set goals amplifying the LPA of risk taking and reflective.  

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I would like to see how we can align our reading units to our Units of Inquiry? 

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I would like to see how we can align our reading units to our Units of Inquiry? 

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I have a clear picture of what a Mini lesson should look like. I am looking forward to setting clear teaching points, choosing the most appropriate teaching method and to find out how best we can get all the students engaged. Connecting LPA and ATL's was also something I am going to practice. - Tanuja

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I have a clear picture of what a Mini lesson should look like. I am looking forward to setting clear teaching points, choosing the most appropriate teaching method and to find out how best we can get all the students engaged. Connecting LPA and ATL's was also something I am going to practice. - Tanuja

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Gots- Learning the architecture of a conference. Wants- I would like to learn about Conferring Online.  Would like to learn more about how to use text complexity? - Sabrina

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Gots- Learning the architecture of a conference. Wants- I would like to learn about Conferring Online.  Would like to learn more about how to use text complexity? - Sabrina

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Next Gen GR
Guided Reading Planner (Template)
Guided Reading Planner Example

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Make a Copy!

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One action I'm taking is using forever language in feedback. One shift in thinking...

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One action I'm taking is using forever language in feedback. One shift in thinking...

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One action I am taking is planning my Reading Workshop for the whole week. 

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One action I am taking is planning my Reading Workshop for the whole week. 

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One shift is structuring my Guided Reading groups according to what Collen taught us today.

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One action that I'm taking is keeping mini lessons mini and providing a bulk of time for active engagement.
Vyomi

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That time can be adapted.
Vyomi

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Action - planning across the week and incorporate guided reading sessions and strategy groups during the week.

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Action - planning across the week and incorporate guided reading sessions and strategy groups during the week.

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Shift in thinking - Getting my guided reading groups to read independently and coach them individually. This was new to me. Looking forward to trying this out! Set up strategy groups with specific teaching point in mind.

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Shift in thinking - Getting my guided reading groups to read independently and coach them individually. This was new to me. Looking forward to trying this out! Set up strategy groups with specific teaching point in mind.