How can peer conferencing help students in grades 3-5 become better writers? In this workshop, you will examine the various forms peer response might take in a writing workshop, the importance of an authentic audience for written work, and how peer conferencing can enhance writing skills in grades 3-5. You will also explore teaching strategies for structuring peer conferences and helping students respond to each other appropriately and meaningfully.

What students value even more than the teacher's perspective on their writing is their peer's.

— Jack Wilde, retired teacher and author of A Door Opens: Writing in Fifth Grade

Learning Goals

In this workshop you will explore how to:

• provide models, structures, and guidelines for peer conferences
• help students give constructive feedback to one another during peer conferences
• enhance writing skills through peer conferencing and communication