Talk Strategies

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Anytime you read a book with a child or a child reads a book, it is important to discuss the story with them. Not only does it help a child develop comprehension and prediction skills, it also helps to develop their mind and imagination. Here are a few different talk strategies you can use to make discussing books fun!

  1. Think, Pair, Share – Have students think to themselves, and then share their thoughts with a partner before having a class discussion.
  1. Say Something – While reading, pause and show that you are thinking. This invites students to share what they are thinking about the book.
  1. Laying Out Thoughts – Students receive cards and work in a group. A reader will lay out a card to discuss an idea, and other students will lay out one of their cards to comment.
  1. Post-it Focus – Students are asked to share ideas and questions that would make big conversations. The teacher records these ideas on Post-it notes and later, goes over the ideas with the class to pick an idea or question to discuss.
  1. Discussion Evaluation – The teacher allows the students to lead a discussion and records what happens by transcribing or video taping. After the discussion is over, the teacher asks students how they felt during the conversation, and they usually mention many problems. As a class, they come up with suggestions on how to improve their discussion. This is done more than once.
  1. Show Us – Students will explain their reasoning and/or refer back to their text when discussing book ideas.
  1. Sketch and Share – Students listen to books knowing they will have to sketch a picture afterwards. After sketching, they will share their drawing with a partner and discuss what they drew.
  1. Note Taking – While reading, students will take notes, which will help them with their thinking.
  1. Getting The Facts Straight – Students will pause sometimes while reading, especially after the opening section, to make sure they know who the characters are, what the main idea is, and where the story is taking place.
  1. Recall – Before reading on, students will remember what happened during the last reading.