Hello darlings! How are student led conversations going in your classrooms? CCSS is really big on students having meaningful conversations about literature. While my kiddo have NO problem talking and talking and talking… they do have a problem RESPONDING to other people’s thoughts and ideas! They will just share something they read or thought and then the other student will share something they read or thought and that’s it. They might as well be talking to a wall.
Teaching conversations is tough! I have lessons all about convos, I act out a conv with students to model, and I even provide them with Conversation starter bookmarks! These bookmarks are perfect to get started and to scaffold students. But… make sure they don’t use them as a crutch. I know when I talk to my friends I don’t go around saying, “I agree with you because… I disagree with you because….” This seem to be students’ “go to” response.
One way I have found to make conversations about literature more meaningful is through Book Clubs. Students on the same reading level read the same books, record stop and jots for talking points, and then discuss their thinking.
Of course it doesn’t happen over night. I have to do a lot of modeling and I explicitly teach them my expectations of their roles as speakers and listeners.



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