Portfolios and Student-led Conferences

I know you are looking forward to sitting down with your 4th grader and celebrating his or her academic accomplishments. The portfolios will be full of each student's evaluations and goal setting along with selected work from each subject area. Please have your 4th grader return the portfolio some time the week after Thanksgiving. The following advice comes from Chris Weiss's e-mail: 

Here are some tips that may prove helpful to you during this meeting with your child:

1. Let your child be in charge, ask clarifying questions, and focus on the work and the student’s growth—think big picture.  

1. Listen to your child’s self-report and reflections.  Ask supportive questions to gain clarity.
2. By the end of the conference help your child have a clear and realistic assessment of themselves along with a shared plan for approaching the trimester ahead.

Talking Points:

1. What I think I hear you saying is…
2. You seem to really enjoy…Why do you think that is?
3. You seem to be having a difficult time with….Why do you think that is?
4. If you know why…is happening, what would be a possible solution?
5. Tell me what is the most important thing that you learned in…
6. What is your favorite time during the school day and why?