Carlos is listening carefully to me. As I read the story, he laughs and nods. He is absorbing my words as I give directions on what to do next. Yet when I ask Carlos a question in the follow-up discussion, he freezes. He is searching for the words to say. He wants to share, but being put on the spot makes it difficult for Carlos to find the English words he needs.
Carlos is not the only child whose voice remains silent at times in our classrooms. The problem is not a lack of effort, but a lack of words. With the inclusion of the Speaking and Listening Standards in the Common Core, students like Carlos need to receive more language support and scaffolding so they can grow as a readers, writers, thinkers, and communicators. So how do these standards look in a classroom where reading and writing workshop is the core of the literacy program?
Reading Stations: Let’s Talk About Books!
One of the reading stations in my classroom increases the talk time and volume for those shy, quiet voices. This station is called Dice Fun: Let’s Talk About Books! Students work in partners for this activity. All you need is books, dice, and questions to get the discussion started. Partners choose a book from a bucket of familiar books that were previously our beloved read alouds. Then students grab a “guiding discussion card” that can be adapted to whatever content the students are currently working on. My first-grade students have been learning about story elements, and my second-grade students have been working on understanding what happens at the beginning, middle, and end of stories.
Step 1: Choose a book to discuss.
Step 2: Take turns rolling the die and talking about the book.
If the first partner rolls a one, he’ll get the question “What is the problem of the story?” In the next turn if his partner rolls a two, she’ll answer the question “Who are the characters in the story?’ Their discussion continues until the time is up. The idea is that the questions are wide and not specific to a particular book. My students love this station. It is fun, they get to revisit the read alouds we have discussed, and, most importantly, they get to talk.
My advice is to change up the questions according to what students are learning. As students are able to identify story elements, they are ready to dig deeper into the books.
Some questions and prompts may include the following:
Describe one way the character changed in the book.
What is the possible theme of this book? How do you know?
The Common Core Speaking and Listening standards for second-grade students include “Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.” I know they are getting the opportunity to practice this through the Let’s Talk About Books station.
Engaging in Read Aloud
During our daily read aloud, students have a chance to practice orally what they are expected to be able to produce later in their written responses.
In the Speaking and Listening standards, third graders are expected to “Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.” With this in mind, as they are listening to Lulu and the Brontosaurus
Turn to your partner and discuss ONE way that you noticed the character is changing.
Describe how the character is feeling right now. Support your answer with evidence from the text by saying, “I know this because . . .”
One burning question I have is . . .
One possible theme this book is teaching us is . . .
Another possible lesson to learn from this book is . . .
I understand this because . . .
These questions and prompts can remain as general or specific as you like. The main point to remember is that students need a chance to process text orally first before they are even asked to respond to them in writing. Students have a chance to engage in conversations with peer support providing scaffolding instruction for everyone. This is also a wonderful opportunity for students to apply content-based vocabulary.
Carlos’ conversations used to center on the topic of favorite parts of the story, or just about which characters he liked the most. Now with support and over the course of several weeks of consistent practice with the language structures mentioned above, Carlos is able to identify the possible theme of books and says, “I know this because . . .” with insights that include text evidence. Carlos’ voice is not silent anymore. He has tools to help him communicate. He knows the expectations, and he now has the words to say what he needs to say.
