ACADEMIC
CONVERSATIONS
Talking for Success
Let’s look at…
• WHY should students have academic
conversations?
• WHAT are the 5 Core Skills of academic
conversation?
• HOW are academic conversations
different from typical cooperative learning?
• Good vs. bad conversations
Common Core
From the Common Core State Standards, Anchor
Standards:
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening
1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and
collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their
own clearly and persuasively.
6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating
command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language
3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in
different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to
comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
CCSS 4th Grade –
Speaking and Listening
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1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups,
and teacher- led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on
others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material;
explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to
explore ideas under discussion.
b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.
c. Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on
information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to
the remarks of others.
d. Review the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and
understanding in light of the discussion.
6. Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting
ideas) and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small-group
discussion); use formal English when appropriate to task and situation. (See grade 4
Language standards 1 on page 28 for specific expectations.)
Stand and Converse
(from Academic Conversations by Zwiers and
Crawford)
• Form groups of 5-6 people.
• In your group, read about one reason
academic conversations are vital (5
minutes).
• Number off from 1 to 6.
• Use prompt cards to discuss the assigned
topic.
Five Core Skills of
Academic Conversation
• Label the skills on your “Academic
Conversations Placemat”
Elaborate and Clarify
Support Ideas with Examples
Build on/Challenge a Partner’s Idea
Paraphrase
Synthesize Conversation Points
Ch. 2 “Getting Started with
Academic Conversations”
• Cooperative learning = a stepping stone to
more INDEPENDENT conversation work
• How are they different?
Prompt for discussion:
• Discuss the analogy:
• “Partner work is a pitching machine. Academic
conversation is a tennis match.”
• Use your desk tents to help you.
Transcript: Good Example of
Academic Language?
• Evaluate for turns building up one idea
• Evaluate for staying on topic, meeting
objective
Conversation Analysis Tool (CAT)
• Dimension 1: Turns build on previous turns to build up an
idea
• 4 Half or more of the turns build on previous turns to
effectively build up a clear and complete idea.
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3 Half or more of the turns build on previous turns to
adequately build up an idea, which may be incomplete or
lack clarity.
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2 Few turns build on previous turns to build up an idea.
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1 Turns are not used to build up an idea.
Conversation Analysis Tool (CAT)
• DIMENSION 2: Turns focus on the knowledge or skills of the
lesson’s objectives
• 4 Half or more of the turns effectively focus on the lesson’s
objectives and show depth or fostering of the intended learning.
• 3 Half or more of the turns sufficiently focus on the lesson’s
objectives, but this focus may be superficial or lack clarity.
• 2 Few turns focus on the lesson’s objectives.
• 1 Turns do not focus on the lesson’s objectives.
How would you rate this conversation? What is the
main problem?
• Prompt: Discuss with your partner an important
thing that happened during the Westward
Expansion. (5th grade ESL students, WIDA level
3)
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Student A: immigrants moved to new land
Students B: Indians lived there
Student A: they traveled a long time
Student B: many people killed
Student A: the U.S. was bigger
Student B: yeah....
Taking It to Your Classroom
Pages 29-31
• DISCUSS conversations with your
students. What is expected of them?
• Model GOOD and BAD conversations.
• Emphasize and teach the habit of staying
on topic, on target.
• Establish norms as a class over time, post
in the room.
Connect the Words
• Helps students see and verbalize
relationships among important vocabulary
words
• Visual way to make concept connections
• Helps students commit words to memory
a solid prompt
A solid
prompt directly draws
on student
knowledge.
(background)
knowledge
Prompts
determine the quality of oral
practice
Constructive
conversation
Listening
helps students add
to their knowledge
base.
oral practice
Constructive
conversations require
listening and oral
practice.
listening
skills
Connect the Words
In grade level groups (no more than 4), choose a
concept from science, math or social studies. Write it
on an oval card.
Brainstorm 4 key vocabulary words for the topic. Write
them on the rectangular cards.
Discuss the relationship between 4 pairs of words and
write a sentence explaining the connection on the
diamonds.
Reflect: How will this help your students process
important vocabulary?
ExC-ELL Exit Pass-Address one of the following
reflections:
• Points to remember:
• What squared with my current instructional
practice:
• Questions still circling in my head:
• A new direction I want or need to take:
Best wishes for the rest of
the school year!