Grade 1 Spring — Compound Sentences, Descriptive Writing, Verb Tense, Pronouns, and Workshop Revision
Lesson 14 45 min eng.g1.s.lesson_14.peer_conference_protocol_first

First Peer Conference — Compliment, Question, Suggestion

Skills targeted
Objectives
  • Students conduct a peer conference using the three-step protocol.
  • Students give one specific compliment, ask one content question, and offer one suggestion drawn from the four revision moves.
Vocabulary
peer conferencecomplimentquestionsuggestionspecific

Lesson plan

Warm-up

7 min

Watch the 90-second MG-5 peer-conference model video.

Teacher moves
  • Pause to point out specific moves
  • Ask: 'What did the compliment SAY exactly?'
Media
M-1-S-SPK-14-A Video Physical / non-image

90-second model video of two Grade-1 children at a peer conference. Writer A reads aloud a short descriptive paragraph about snow. Writer B follows the three-step protocol: (1) 'I like how you said the snow was CRUNCHING — that helped me hear it.' (2) 'What did the snow smell like?' (3) 'You could ADD a smell word.' Writer A says 'thank you.' Adult voiceover names each step as it happens. Caption track on.

MG-5 Video Physical / non-image

90-second model peer-conference between two Grade-1 children with adult voiceover narrating the three moves. Caption track on for accessibility. Shows compliment ('I like how you said the snow was crunching'), question ('What did the snow smell like?'), suggestion ('You could add a smell word').

Direct instruction

13 min

Today is a big day. We are going to do our first PEER CONFERENCE. A peer conference is when a writer and a reader meet to make the writing better. We have a three-step protocol — three moves, in order. (1) COMPLIMENT: tell the writer ONE specific thing they did well — use a QUOTE from their writing. ('I like how you wrote that the snow CRUNCHED.') Not just 'It was good.' (2) QUESTION: ask one question about the CONTENT — something you want to know more about. ('What did the snow smell like?') (3) SUGGESTION: offer ONE of our four revision moves. ('You could ADD a smell detail.') Then the writer says thank you. They do NOT have to take the suggestion — but they listen to it. Today, every pair runs the protocol once.

Key examples
  • Specific — quotes the word.
    model 'I like how you said the snow was crunching.'
    prompt Watching the model video: what was the compliment?
  • About CONTENT, not mechanics.
    model 'What did the snow smell like?'
    prompt What was the question?
  • Drawn from our four revision moves (ADD).
    model 'You could ADD a smell word.'
    prompt What was the suggestion?
Checks for understanding
  • Is 'It was good' a strong compliment? (No — too vague. Quote a specific line.)
  • Is 'You should fix the period' a suggestion that fits this protocol? (No — that's editing, not revising.)
Media
M-1-S-SPK-14-B Chart Physical / non-image

Three-step anchor chart 'Peer Conference Protocol.' Step 1 (heart icon): COMPLIMENT — 'I like how you ___' with example 'I like how you said the popcorn was buttery.' Step 2 (question mark icon): QUESTION — 'What did ___?' with example 'What did the popcorn smell like?' Step 3 (lightbulb icon): SUGGESTION — 'You could ___' with example 'You could ADD a smell word.' Bottom: 'The writer says THANK YOU. The writer chooses whether to use the suggestion.' Print-ready 11x17.

Guided practice

18 min
Tasks
  • Pair up with assigned conference partner (heterogeneous pairs). Writer A reads their draft aloud; Writer B uses the protocol. Then swap.
    scaffold Protocol card with sentence frames in hand of every Writer B
  • Teacher confers with one pair while modeling for the room (fishbowl-style)

Formative assessment

2 min
Exit ticket
  • What compliment did your partner give you? What question?
  • What suggestion did you receive — and will you take it?
scoring Specific compliment recalled + question recalled + suggestion considered = mastery; partial = practicing; vague = reteach.

Closure

Moves
  • Thank your conference partner. Author's chair tomorrow for those who applied a suggestion.

Homework

8 min
Tasks
  • Tell a family member about your peer-conference experience: what compliment, what suggestion?

Exercises in this lesson

eng.g1.s.ex_34
After your peer conference, write down: (1) the compliment you got, (2) the question, (3) the suggestion. Keep these notes in your notebook.
 peer conference record · diff 3

Differentiation

Scaffolds
  • Sentence-frame protocol card: 'I like how you ___', 'What did ___?', 'You could ___.'
  • Audio-record protocol option for shy speakers
  • Pre-paired with a strong-speaker partner
Extensions
  • After your conference, apply the suggestion in green pen.
  • Run a second protocol with a different partner.
English Learners
  • L1 protocol card available
  • Drawing-based question option ('point to the part you want to ask about')
Ieps 504s
  • Two-step protocol option (compliment + question only)
  • Adult-supported pair

Teacher notes

Most important socio-cognitive lesson of the term. Peer conferring builds writer's identity. Heterogeneous pairing is critical — pair a confident speaker with a less confident one. Fishbowl modeling (you confer with one pair while others watch) is the single best tool for protocol fidelity. Do not assess this lesson as 'product' — assess the process.