Communication
Students learn language skills by listening to, responding to, and participating in conversations. Conversations amongst students should be happening all the time: recess, lunch room, gym while learning an organized game, and even during academics. One simple way to encourage effective and beneficial communication is through Think-Turn-Talk or also known as Think-Pair-Share during read-alouds or writer's workshop. Some ideas to improve on your read-aloud times are :
- Give it time - allow more than 15 minutes for your read-aloud and think-pair-share
- Identify your stopping points - read the book in advance and identify areas for students to think about what is happening marking the places to stop
- Ask substantive questions - ask questions that require a deeper level of thinking
- Flexibility - allow for students to respond and comment off each other and for extensions of the ideas
- Realize its potential - this is great preparation for literature groups and students learn so much by sharing what they know and hearing what others know
- Necessity - it is not necessary for all students or even all groups to share everyday. It is enough for students to share with each other
Taberski, S. (2011). Oral language and vocabulary: Principles and practices. In Comprehension from the ground up: Simplified, sensible
instruction for the K-3 reading workshop (pp. 187). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
instruction for the K-3 reading workshop (pp. 187). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.