Making the Most of Your Independent Reading Time
Looking for way to maximize your students’ independent reading time and really monitor
progress? Look no further! Research supports the importance of building independent reading
into your reading classroom. However, you can’t stop there! Your students’ independent
reading time is a valuable opportunity to assess comprehension, fluency, and students’ accurate
usage of reading strategies. This resource will help you understand how to establish reading
conferences with students to make the most of their independent reading time and maximize
their progress.
Part 1: Conferencing 101
Here, you’ll find info on the purpose of conferencing, how-to’s, and a video example of
conferencing in action.
Part 2: Conferencing Structures
Use these examples to establish a conferencing structure that works for your classroom.
Part 3: Questioning
See what targeted questions to ask students to assess their comprehension and application of
reading skills and strategies.
Part 4: Keeping Track of Student Progress
Use these sample forms to help you identify ways to gather and record important data on
students’ reading progress.
This resource is a PD Roundtable “Top Pick”
A tool recommended by a group of experienced Program Directors for teachers (and their mentors).
Conferencing 101
1. How should I structure independent reading time?
Independent reading should be consistently implemented in your classroom with explicit
procedures in place so that students know:
- How to access their books
- How to use reading time purposefully
- How to make thinking visible in book
- Where they can read
- What they should be doing while reading
- What to do after independent reading time is over
2. If I have independent reading time, why do I need to hold reading conferences?
By conferencing with your students, you are able to assess a student’s ability to apply the
skill or strategy that you’ve taught as well as get a clearer sense of what and how students
are thinking as they read. This one-on-one time with students will give you a clearer picture
of what students need more support and practice with, and how they are progressing as
readers.
3. What do I need to have in place to establish reading conferences?
Necessary components:

Students with “just right” books—the ability to read book independently (Refer to the
TFA Secondary Literacy text for details around matching students with novels at their
reading level)

A structure to log record of conferences

Questions that can assess student application of strategies
*See additional parts of this resource for examples
4. Where can I see this in action?
Check out Jennifer Myers in action holding reading conferences with her students. She
works in an elementary setting; however, the elements of the conference are the same
regardless of grade level.
http://quest.carnegiefoundation.org/~dpointer/jennifermyers/workshopapproach.htm
This resource is a PD Roundtable “Top Pick”
A tool recommended by a group of experienced Program Directors for teachers (and their mentors).
Reading Conference Structures (Source: http://www.eworkshop.on.ca/edu/pdf/Mod17_user_guide.pdf) Based on
the number of students you have, the amount of time given for independent reading and the purpose of your
conference, aim to hold 5-minute conferences with your students twice weekly.
Example 1 – An informal reading conference*
1. Begin by setting a purpose, which will help the student understand the importance of the conference.
2. Look at and discuss assessment information with the student (student reading portfolio, interest/attitude survey,
teacher observations, etc.).
3. Ask questions (teacher or student).
4. Together with the student, set an independent reading goal (e.g., application of a reading strategy such as
rereading to clarify meaning). Teach a mini-lesson.
Steps:

explain the strategy;

model the strategy for the student;

ask the student to practice the strategy a few times to verify understanding;

ask the student to write down the goal in his or her reading log, notebook, or agenda.
*Make anecdotal records during the conference.
Example 2 – A reading conference that includes a running record*
1. Introduce a text to the student.
2. Ask the student to read the text independently. You may also request a written response based on your
directions.
3. Later, call the student to the conference area to read aloud while you administer a running record.
4. Discuss the text and the written response with the student. Include questions related to different levels of
comprehension, such as the student’s understanding of the story, inferences, interpretations, and connections
with the text (text-to-text, text-to-self, text-to-world).
*Make anecdotal records during the conference.
Example 3 – A conference with reading partners
Conferences with reading partners provide an opportunity to assess student reading behaviors as well as the ability
of students to help each other as they read.
Observe how well reading partners work together (independent of teacher support), and how they respond when the
reader has a miscue, becomes distracted, loses interest in the text, etc.
Example 4 – A conference with routine sample questions
In Reading Essentials: The Specifics You Need to Teach Reading Well, Regie Routman discusses a framework of
specific questions and prompts that are used routinely so that students become familiar with what is expected of
them during a reading conference. Routman also provides comments within this list to suggest possible
interpretations for each question/prompt.

Why did you choose this book? (Does the child take recommendations from peers? Is this a favorite
author or series?)

What is the reading level of this book for you? (Does the child know that understanding requires reading
easy and “just right” books?)

Tell me what the book is about so far. (Can the child give an adequate retelling that shows she
This resource is a PD Roundtable “Top Pick”
A tool recommended by a group of experienced Program Directors for teachers (and their mentors).


understands the gist and main ideas of the text?)
Let’s discuss your strengths and what you need to work on. (Always note what the child has done
successfully so she will continue to do it and be affirmed for her efforts.)
How long do you think it will take you to complete this book? (Has the student thought about it and set a
realistic goal?)
This resource is a PD Roundtable “Top Pick”
A tool recommended by a group of experienced Program Directors for teachers (and their mentors).
Questions to Ask During Conferences (from Teaching Reading in Middle School by Laura Robb)
End of Book
Conference
-
-
-
-
Questions that
Foster
Personal
Connections
-
Questions that
Support
Visualization
-
Why did you choose this book?
o Is it a topic you love?
o Did someone help you find the book?
What did you like about the story, a character, the setting?
o Can you find a favorite part, read it, and explain why you liked it?
o Did you have a lot in common with the character? Explain what it was.
o Did the author create suspense or make you laugh? Can you find a
funny or suspenseful part and discuss it?
Can you connect the title to the story?
o What about the main character was reflected in the title?
o Were the words in the title used in the story? How?
How did the reading go?
o Did you enjoy the book? Why?
o Did you read with ease?
o Were there any parts that confused you?
o What it difficult to stop reading once you got into it?
o Did you learn any new words?
Reading Strategies Questions
How are you like one of the characters?
Have you had similar experiences?
Is there an event or place that reminded you of your experiences?
-
Tell me what you see when you read this part.
How does the character walk? dress? What does he/she look like?
Can you find parts in the story that help you see what a place or character is
like?
What story details helped you create a mental picture?
Where did you have trouble making mental pictures?
-
What information do you remember?
Did the passage make sense?
What do you already know about this passage?
Reread that and see if it makes sense.
Reread and see if you remember more.
Have you previewed this chapter?
Questions that
Support
Making
Predictions
-
Does your prediction tell what happen next?
What information from the book did you use to predict?
Can you make your prediction more specific to the story?
Questions that
Support
-
Did you use the title and cover illustrations?
What can you use from these chapters to support your prediction?
Questions that
Support SelfMonitoring
This resource is a PD Roundtable “Top Pick”
A tool recommended by a group of experienced Program Directors for teachers (and their mentors).
Finding
Specific
Evidence
-
Reread these pages to find some support.
Questions to
Support Inferring
or Drawing
Conclusions
-
What do you learn from the character’s words on page ___?
What do the inner thoughts show you about the character?
Can you infer what the character might do based on this event?
What specific adjectives or phrases describe the character’s behavior?
How are these characters alike? different?
What effects resulted from that event? decision? conflict?
Questions that
Support Exploring
Themes
-
Use the events to decide what the author was saying about friends, parents,
fear, love, etc.
What is the author trying to tell you about this historical period?
What have you learned about people, families, hopes, dreams, etc?
Questions that
Support
Synthesizing or
Summarizing
-
Are you retelling or summarizing?
Can you choose two, three, or four key events?
Explain these main events in your own words.
What is the purpose of the chapter? the book?
What can you find in this textbook or nonfiction book to help set purposes?
-
What did you learn from previewing this textbook or nonfiction book?
Can you find key sentences that contain important details?
Can you locate key words?
Can you think of several ideas in a chapter/book that are important to
remember? How did you make your decision?
Can you tell me what’s important on this page? in this chapter? How did you
know that?
Questions that
Support
Determining
Importance in a
Text
-
This resource is a PD Roundtable “Top Pick”
A tool recommended by a group of experienced Program Directors for teachers (and their mentors).
Keeping Track of Conference Notes
Below are samples of the various ways that you can keep track of your conference records.
To start, keep things organized by using labels. Purchase mailing labels from an office
supply store and use a label during each conference to jot down your notes. Have a blank
sheet of paper for each student in a binder and affix the label to the student’s page to have
an easy way of tracking conferences.
Sample Template #1: Using this format, you would make a copy of this sheet for each
student and house them in a conferencing binder.
Individual Reading Conference Record
Name _______________________________
Week of _________________________ Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri
Title/Type of Reading Material
___________________________________________
Comments/Observations:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Name _______________________________
Week of _________________________ Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri
Title/Type of Reading Material
___________________________________________
Comments/Observations:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Name _______________________________
Week of _________________________ Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri
Title/Type of Reading Material
___________________________________________
Comments/Observations:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
This resource is a PD Roundtable “Top Pick”
A tool recommended by a group of experienced Program Directors for teachers (and their mentors).
Sample Template #2 (Source: Resource Exchange)
My Reading Goals
Date:
My Reading Goal is…
Ms. Ogonowski says…
Date:
My Reading Goal is…
Ms. Ogonowski says…
Date:
My Reading Goal is…
Ms. Ogonowski says…
This resource is a PD Roundtable “Top Pick”
A tool recommended by a group of experienced Program Directors for teachers (and their mentors).