Quick! Close your eyes! Visualize what your current bedroom looks like. What are the paint colors? What toys are in your room? Do you have to share your bedroom with anyone?

Students begin this writing unit by first visualizing their current bedroom situation and then visualizing their DREAM bedroom! I Wanna New Room, by Karen Kaufman Orloff, is a wonderful story that will be used as an inspiration of how to write a persuasive letter to their parents, requesting a dream bedroom. There are 22 different color posters, stating the following:

1. I can visualize my current bedroom.

2. I can visualize my dream bedroom.

3. I can read an example of a persuasive writing and identify its features.

4. I can identify the features of a persuasive letter.

5. I can write reasons that support my opinion or my point of view.

6. I can introduce the topic I am writing about, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists reasons.

7. I can write a persuasive letter to my parents. I can provide evidence that supports my point of view.

8. I can use linking words and phrases to connect opinions and reasons.

9. I can write a bold beginning as an introduction to my letter, in order to “hook” my reader.

10. I can use strong emotion words that describe my point of view.

11. I can use strong verbs to influence my readers’ opinions. My strong verbs help to make my case.

12. I can check my writing for features of persuasive writing.

13. I can have a peer edit my paper to check for correct use of conventions and persuasive letter format.

14. I can reflect on the writing process for my persuasive letter.

15. I can creatively publish my persuasive letter to my parents.

Each color poster has a student reproducible that goes with it. Also included is a sample letter that you can send home to families.

Please email me if you have any questions!

Please email me if you have any questions!

After using student-led conferences for several years, I took an even bigger leap and implemented small group student-led conferences. I was inspired to create this file based off of all the wonderful feedback that I received from the families, students, and administration! A student-led conference provides a great opportunity for the the students to take ownership over their learning and their behavior. Parents are always *amazed* and how their child is taking an active role in their education and learning! (You will be amazed, too!)

This is a customizable PowerPoint file. This file adheres to the copyright laws and does not allow you to manipulate or change the clip art/graphics in any way. This file does allow you to add text boxes and add your own text to the student led conferences stations and agenda.

This is a ZIP file. There is a PDF version, for those customers who are not interested in making any changes and using the ideas exactly as presented in the file.

However, a 15 page PowerPoint file is also included. The slides in the PowerPoint file allows you to add your own text box to the templates (conference agenda, student pages, ect.). You can add your own wording to customize the pages for your students.

This file contains very detailed directions about the format of student led conferences, lots of pictures, and a ton of forms for your students to use at their conference. Please download the “file preview” for a snapshot of the different pages of this file.

This resource is great for use with 1st through 5th grade students.

Feedback from a happy customer, Lisa Nassar:

To begin with, I’ve been teaching for 11 years, but just now decided to do Student Led Conferences. I teach for Department of Defense Schools, so things tend to run a little differently than state schools do.

Over the summer, I purchased your Student Led Conferences: Out of the Box Teaching and Thinking and used it to guide how I wanted Student Led Conferences to work in my room. I modified a few things, but for the most part I designed my conferences around what you had set up in the packet. I have to tell you that this was the BEST EXPERIENCE EVER!!! I loved it, my students loved it, my parents loved it, and the school loved it (they were all using me as the guinea pig to try this out)!! I cannot thank you enough for everything you put into this packet. It helped guide my thinking on student led conferences and gave me the enthusiasm to do it. I wish you could have seen the looks on my students faces when I first introduced this to them. They were so excited!!! The feedback from their parents is amazing and they actually commented that they never again wanted to sit across from a teacher and hear about their child. I cannot thank you enough for creating this packet. You are amazing and I cannot wait to do this again next year!!

Thanks for the awesome feedback, Lisa! :)

If you have any questions, please contact me before purchasing!

Be sure to check out my videos all about student-led conferences HERE:

Implementing Student-Led Conferences VIDEO

It’s Q and A time with SLC’s VIDEO