Elaborating
Teachers and students have the tendency to fall into one line responses or use the who, what, when, or where to encourage more discussion. Teachers can model answering by responding to prepared questions. Students can ask the teacher prepared questions and the teacher models good responses to the questions. The "Say More" strategy can be modeled in this fashion as well. This strategy prompts students to elaborate without emphasizing grammar. If students need more prompting:
- is there more you want to say?
- explain what you are thinking or learning
- can you give an example?
- what is your reason for saying that?
- what made you think that?
- can you be more specific?
Hopefully, with practice and time, students will just need to hear "say more" and they will elaborate on their comments. This strategy is found to be helpful with literature circles and to improve children's writing because they internalizing this technique and apply it to their writing.
- is there more you want to say?
- explain what you are thinking or learning
- can you give an example?
- what is your reason for saying that?
- what made you think that?
- can you be more specific?
Hopefully, with practice and time, students will just need to hear "say more" and they will elaborate on their comments. This strategy is found to be helpful with literature circles and to improve children's writing because they internalizing this technique and apply it to their writing.
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. 183-185). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
instruction for the K-3 reading workshop (pp. 183-185). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.