Speaking and Listening Unit Overview
15 Lessons
3rd grade
Purpose of this unit:
Students in third grade are able to read and discuss complex texts with peers,
adults, and in small and large groups. However, they often lack the formal
conversational skills needed in academic discourse (their ability to read a text is
typically asynchronous to their discussion ability of that same text). This unit was
created with this developmental stage in mind.
Lesson overview:
This unit contains 5 days of explicit lessons to teach children what it means to
speak, what it means to listen, and how to respond to each other. Classrooms
vary immensely in the skills children already have when entering 3rd grade and it
is effective for all students to ground themselves in what it means to speak and
listen to others about text in an academic setting.
The next 5 lessons are an introduction to a “turn and talk” structured protocol,
that allows teachers and students to set up routines to have rich discussions with
each other. The aforementioned lessons use the text, My Rotten Redheaded
Older Brother by Patricia Polacco and include daily opportunities to do close
reading of the text. At the end of this set of lessons, students and teacher set up
a rubric for speaking and listening in class discussions that can be used
throughout the year in any subject to self-assess or as a more formal assessment.
The last set of 5 lessons introduces students to the whole class structure of
Socratic Circle to discuss a complex text. Students will again engage in close
reading, this time of The Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco.
Unit at a Glance: 15 Lessons
Lesson 1:
Lesson 2:
Lesson 3:
Lesson 4:
Lesson 5:
What is Speaking?
What is Listening?
How are they similar?
How do people speak
so others can
understand?
What is active
listening?
What is the purpose of
a question? Do
different types of
questions have
different purposes in a
discussion?
Practice Asking and
Answering open
questions and
elaborating answers
using sentence stems
Lesson 6:
Lesson 7:
Lesson 8:
Lesson 9:
Lesson 10:
Student led questions
Student led questions
Student led questions
Student led questions
support
support
support
support
understanding of text
understanding of text
understanding of text
understanding of text
through conventions
through conventions
through conventions
through conventions
and word choice
and word choice
and word choice
and word choice
Lessons 11:
Lessons 12:
Lessons 13:
Lessons 14:
Introduction and
Practice with Socratic
Practice with Socratic
Practice with Socratic
Practice with Socratic
Circles
Circles
Circles
Circles
Introduction/Creation
of Rubric for Speaking
and LIstening
Lesson 15:
Watch Socratic Circle:
Give Feedback to
Whole
Group/Culminating
End of Unit Activity
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with
diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.1.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.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.1.b
Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with
care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.1.c
Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to
the remarks of others.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.1.d
Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.3
Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.6
Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail
or clarification. (See grade 3 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.1
Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis
for the answers.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.10
By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high
end of the grades 2-3 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.3
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.3.a
Choose words and phrases for effect.*
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.6
Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific
words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that
night we went looking for them).
Texts Used:
Various texts are used; including class created graphic organizers, rubrics used
to self-assess, sentence stems, nonfiction articles, sound clips, and two complex
texts by Patricia Polacco. The texts chosen reflect 3rd grade appropriate text in
complexity and content and are chosen thoughtfully to support student
engagement and mastery of the standards. There will be support for teachers in
how to use these complex texts in guided reading to support students who are
not at grade level.
Timeline of Unit:
In order to have students work toward mastery of these standards by the end of
third grade, this unit should be taught within the first two months of school.
Teachers and students can use the sentence stems, turn and talk protocol, and
Socratic Circle for all content areas for the remainder of the year if taught early
in the year. Before teaching, guided reading/small group instruction groups
should be established. A document at the end of this unit gives some support
with using guided reading to support students. Students should also be familiar
with close reading, it having been present in the standards for several years. If
teachers feel their students need review of close reading, feel free to spend
time on it before this unit.
Assessments:
This unit includes opportunities for informal and formal assessment using exit
tickets and rubrics. The culminating activity is how well students participate in
lesson 15’s Socratic Circle discussion. Teachers can use the given rubric OR can
make modifications to best fit the needs of their students. This rubric reflects the
standards mastery for the end of third grade.
Lesson 1: What is Speaking? What is Listening? How are they
similar?
Standard:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.1.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.
Purpose:
The purpose of the first lesson will be to introduce the ideas (definitions) of speaking and
listening and see connections between the two ideas. Teacher needs a strong
understanding of connections between speaking and listening for the purpose of
having a discussion.
Teacher Background Knowledge and Preparation:
To support struggling students, teachers needs to be ready to use this work in guided
reading (small group instruction) beginning no later than lesson 3. See document titled:
Using Guided Reading Groups to Scaffold a Grade Level Text located at the end
of the unit lessons. There are several resources to support teachers in this work
listed in the document.
Materials Needed:
Chart paper or other poster materials (computer flip charts also work), sticky
notes
Content Vocabulary
● speak
● listen
● discussion
Description of task/activity:
Academic Vocabulary
● compare
● contrast
● similar
● different
● text
TEXT: Class/teacher created graphic organizer
Teacher creates a compare and contrast graphic organizer for speaking and for
listening (see example) – assign a color for each term. Teacher invites students to
brainstorm and build their background knowledge on both terms.
T(Teacher): I would like you to take a minute to think about these two words – what do
they mean to you, what do you already know about them, what do you think about
when you see and/or hear them?
S(Student): (30 sec-1min quiet thinking time)
T: (Teacher records student responses on graphic organizers and listens for similarities,
See figure 1.1) Let’s take a look at your thoughts and ideas. Do you see or hear
anything where speaking and listening are connected to one another? Turn to a
neighbor and share your ideas. (Teacher circulates and listens for connections – note
specific partners to call on for connections)
T: (Teacher analyzes student
responses in preparation for
reorganization and elaboration
of graphic organizer. See figure
1.2)
S: I see a connection between
sharing ideas and information.
T: How do those ideas connect?
S: I have to have information to
share my ideas.
T: (Teacher creates addition to graphic organizer to make visual connection between
ideas) Great. So, you need background knowledge in order to come up with your own
idea about a topic. (Teacher adds “background knowledge” as connector between
speaking and listening)
(Teacher continues to create a visual support to capture the connections students are
making between speaking and listening.)
T: You have great ideas about what speaking and listening mean and the connections
between the two ideas. You speak and listen to people on a daily basis. Over the next
few weeks, we are going to be learning how to speak and listen in a discussion about a
text. (Students have had previous lessons to define what a text can be)
T: On a sticky note, I would like you to write down what you understand now about
speaking and listening. (This assessment will allow you to see how students collectively
connect the ideas of speaking and listening.)
Lesson 2: How do people speak so others can understand?
Standard:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.1.b
Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways,
listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under
discussion).
Purpose:
The purpose of the second lesson will be to identify and examine the characteristics of
an effective speaker. Teacher needs a strong understanding of the characteristics of a
strong public speaker – speaking clearly, using appropriate tone, nonverbal cues and
enunciation.
Materials Needed:
projector (way to show video clips), speakers, copy of note catcher document
(figure 1), also attached to end of unit lessons
Content Vocabulary
● speaker
Academic Vocabulary
● observations
● characteristics
Description of task/activity:
TEXT: 2 video clips of 3rd graders engaging in discussion/note catcher document and 1
commercial clip
https://youtu.be/TjkA_W7rIqk (Group discussion)
https://youtu.be/IIEiFwvv7RU (Two students engaging in a discussion in front of a whole group)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TzbUPfoveok (Micro Machine Commercial)
T: Yesterday, we talked about speaking and listening and how they are connected with
one another. Today, we are going to discover what good speaking can look like and
sound like in the classroom. We will watch a few video clips of other students speaking
about a topic. Your job will be to notice what the speakers are saying and doing in
each clip. (Students can use the note catcher in figure 2.1)
S: (Students watch video clips
and record their observations –
if wait time is needed in your
classroom, you can pause the
clips multiple times in order to
allow for writing time or teacher
can capture the notes for the
entire class)
T: [Teacher displays silhouette of a
T: (Displays a silhouette of a person see figure 2.2 (will be added to in lesson 3)] Ok, so
based on your observations, what did we notice the speaker doing?
S: (raising hands) He used his hands to
explain what the character was doing in
the story.
S: He spoke slowly so we could hear
every word he said.
S: They decided who would speak by
making eye contact.
T: (Teacher is writing student observations on silhouette by tying to appropriate body
part)
T: Let’s practice some of these characteristics of good speakers through some role play.
(Teacher invites a student up to help in activity. You might choose a student who may
already have some of these characteristics in place) I will recite my birthday and age
first.
T: My birthday is April 7, 1977 and I am 38 years old. Now, (student name), you recite
your birthday and age but say it quickly.
S: (Student rushes through sentence and audience is unable to understand)
T: Audience, could you understand what he/she said? Thumbs up if you understood
what he/she said and thumbs down if you had a hard time understanding what he/she
said. Now, think about the characteristics of a good speaker and recite the same
sentence again.
S: (Student recites birthday and age sentence again in a manner that is clearer)
T: Students – let’s try thumbs up and thumbs down again. What did you think about
that? (students show thumbs up)
T: What made the second version easier to understand? (Teacher refers to figure2. 2
silhouette chart, if needed, to support student language acquisition)
S: He/she slowed down and I could hear each word he/she said. It wasn’t all jumbled
together.
T: Great. Let’s pretend we need to give someone advice on their speaking. As you
watch this video clip (, think of one speaking characteristic he does well and one he
needs to improve upon (see figure 2.3 – this assessment shows the application of the
characteristics just learned in a new situation)
Lesson 3: What is active listening?
Standard:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.1.b
Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways,
listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under
discussion).
Purpose:
The purpose of the third lesson is to distinguish between hearing and listening.
Materials Needed:
way to share sound clip, teacher created silhouette of person (see figure 1),
posted sentence stems or place to write as needed
Content Vocabulary
● speak
● active listening
● hear(ing)
● discussion
Description of Task/Activity:
Academic Vocabulary
● synthesize
● determine
● difference
● characteristics
● text
TEXT: sound clip of playground noise/poster of person with class/teacher created text
as nonlinguistic representation (Marzano)
T: Yesterday, we learned about the characteristics of good speakers. Today, we are
going to focus on something new. I am going to play you a sound clip. (Teacher plays
clip with no other explanation) http://youtu.be/-O8Yw3Ga7Ek
S: (students hear sounds like children playing, ball bouncing, crying, screaming, gravel,
footsteps, vehicle, chain and other playground noises)
T: What did you hear?
S: (students share sounds they heard, some students may name sound while others may
identify the source with more description – either is acceptable)
T: Now, I want you to listen to the same sound clip again. This time, I want you to sit
quietly and try to figure out what is going on (Teacher plays clip again)
S: (Students share examples of scenarios or settings based on sounds they listen for –
teacher may present sentence stem “I think ____ because I hear ____.”) I think this is
recess at school because I hear kids that sound like me. I think this is a basketball game
because I hear a ball bouncing and kids talking loudly.
T: (If students are struggling, use one or more of the following guiding questions: Do you
hear people? Can you tell how old they are? Are they closer to your age or my age?
Do you recognize any of the sounds as something you’ve heard before? Where have
you heard them? *Teacher may play clip again, if needed, pausing to discuss individual
sounds or create visual list as support)
T: What changed the second time you listened to the clip? The first time, you shared just
the sounds you heard. The second time, you heard the same sounds but were asked to
figure out what was going on in the clip. The second time, you had to synthesize, or put
together, all of the various sounds in order to determine what was happening in the
clip. Since you had to pay attention to the sounds and figure out where sounds might
be coming from, you were actively listening. The difference between hearing and
listening is that you are paying attention to and thinking about what you are hearing.
T: Can we add any characteristics to our poster that show active listening?
S: We can label “ears” to hear connected to the brain for thinking! (Teacher adds to
silhouette see figure 3.1)
T: So, our poster now shows
characteristics of speakers and listeners.
When people are speaking and listening
to each other, we call that a discussion.
We will be using what we’ve learned so
far to support each other during class
discussions about texts.
Lesson 4: What is the purpose of a question? Do different
types of questions have different purposes in a discussion?
Standard:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.1.c
Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link
their comments to the remarks of others.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.3
Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate
elaboration and detail.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.6
Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic,
and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and
temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that night we went looking for them).
Purpose:
The purpose of this lesson is to review what a question is (the purpose of a question,
different types of questions) and determine how to respond to someone’s question
based on the information given. In later lessons, students will be discussing a text while:
●
●
independently asking and answering questions
responding to others’ statements and comments
Content Vocabulary
● question
● open question
● closed question
● opinion
Academic Vocabulary
● compare
● contrast
● similar
● different
●
●
●
text
reflection
discuss
Teacher Background Knowledge:
Teachers need to have a strong knowledge of different types of questions. In this
lesson, we will be using two types of questions: open and closed (changingminds.org)
defined as:
closed: can be answered with a single word or phrase, provide a fact that is
easy/quick to answer (do, would, will, are, can, did, is, what*)
● open: asks for thinking and reflection with an opinion or feeling (what*,why,
how, describe questions)
*questions that begin with “what” can be an open or closed question depending on
the content of the question.
●
Suggested resource: Rigor and Engagement for Growing Minds by Bertie Kingore, Ph.D.
(Chapter 4: Generating Cognitive Skills)
Materials Needed:
copy of article for each student (see below link), sticky notes
Description of tasks and activities:
TEXT: changingminds.org/techniques/questioning/open_closed_questions.htm Article:
Open and Closed Question @changing works
T: Questions help people find out more information. (Students have a base knowledge
of the definition of a question)
T: Say “The dog raced (ran quickly) away.” This is a statement that tells something
about a dog. What questions would help you figure out more about this dog? (give
students 2 minutes of thinking time)
Teacher has already prepared possible scenarios around this statement: might include
the dog running after a ball, jumping out of a backyard pen, chasing a squirrel, etc.
Student will be asking questions of the teacher and sorting these questions into types.
T: (Provides sticky notes or small paper to write on) Write a question that I can answer
that gives you more information about the dog.
S: (Write a question on a sticky note and hand to the teacher)
T: (If students struggle with forming questions, try providing question words like “who,
what, why, how, where”)
T: [(See fig. 4.1) Teacher sorts the questions into
two categories: Open and Closed questions and
chooses 2 questions from each category to
answer] Gives students article “Open and Closed
Questions” Please read this article and be ready
to discuss the differences between open and
closed questions.
S: (Read article for purpose of definitions/differences between questions)
T: Closed questions give simple, short answers while open questions require you to think
and form opinions. Our next lesson will allow you to practice asking and responding
these two types of questions.
Lesson 5: Practice Asking and Answering open questions
and elaborating answers using sentence stems
Standard:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.3
Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate
elaboration and detail.
Purpose:
In this lesson, students will practice asking and answering questions of their peers. They
will take that practice and apply it to a section of a text while learning the structure and
expectations of a paired “Turn and Talk.”
Content Vocabulary
● speak
● listen
● discussion
Academic Vocabulary
● compare
● contrast
● similar
● different
● text
Teacher Background Knowledge/Materials Needed:
We will be introducing the idea of a turn and talk structure/protocol that can be used in
any subject throughout the year. For more information about this structure/protocol, we
suggest familiarizing yourself using this document before teaching this lesson–
http://www.metatlcinc.com/new/images/Metatlc%20Images/Resources/Articles/Turn%
20and%20Talk.pdf
The text we’ve chosen to use for this lesson and the next few lessons is My Rotten
Redheaded Older Brother by Patricia Polacco (Aladdin Paperbacks, 1998 or Simon and
Schuster, Books for Young Readers, 1994).
Materials Needed:
copy of My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother, anchor chart similar to fig. 5.1, sticky
notes
Description of Tasks and Activities:
T: In the previous lesson, we decided that open questions starting with the words why
and how that gained the listener more information than closed questions that can be
answered with a word or phrase. Today, we are going to practice asking and
answering open questions about our lives and then we will try with a text.
T: Sometimes we start a discussion with a closed question. For example, when talking to
friends, we often ask, “What’s wrong?” They may answer with something like, “I’m
mad!” We want to know why they are mad, so we ask a why question hoping they will
give us more detail. We are seeking information to have a discussion. This requires the
other person to elaborate, or tell more.
T: What are some ways a person might answer “Why are you mad?”
S: (raising hands) She didn’t get what she wanted. Someone had a fight with him. He
had to clean his room. Her sister was mean to her. He fell and hurt himself.
T: So, are these answers elaborations on why this person is mad? Would these responses
help the discussion keep going?
S: Yes! Now I want to know what the sister did that was mean or I want to know what
part of his body was hurt. (If students do not sound interested in knowing more, teacher
can always share their own elaboration question to get the students started)
T: Let’s give this a try. (Move the students into two parallel lines, facing each other,
name one group A and the other group B) I will give you a starter question to ask your
partner. “What makes you mad?” Group A will ask that question to the person across
from them (in Group B). Group B will answer “______ makes me mad!”
S: (students ask and answer)
T: Now, let’s find out more about Group B’s responses. What question words could we
start with?
S: Why or how. Why does traffic make you mad? How does your brother make you
mad?
T: Great! Those types of questions are open questions. Open questions allow you to
obtain, or get, more information or more detail to a question. Ok, now, Group B, let’s try
asking an open question about being mad to Group A – Why are you mad?
S: (Students ask and answer – if students are struggling, you can provide the sentence
stem “I am mad because_________.)
T: Now, let’s find out more about Group A’s responses. How did they answer?
S: I am mad because I tripped and fell on the way to school. I got in a fight with my
brother before school. I forgot my homework on the kitchen table.
T: How were these responses different than the first group’s responses?
S: I found out why he was mad. I learned how she hurt her toe.
T: Ok, so based on the last activity, what do you think is the difference between open
and closed questions?
S: Open questions give you more information. Closed questions are short and simple. I
can use one word to answer.
T: Great! Now, let’s try asking and answering questions within a text. We are going to
read a part of the text “My Rotten Red-Headed Older Brother” by Patricia Polacco.
Before we read, we are going to set up a protocol, or set of rules, for our discussions. This
protocol is called “Turn and Talk.”
T: (Introduce anchor chart in figure 5.1 and
allow time to practice these steps before
starting discussion – you may decide to
partner them according to strengths,
language level, randomly, etc.)
T: (Read the first three sentences of paragraph two. You may also choose to write them
on the board or display them using a document camera. Focus on the text only – do
not show pictures as they may take away the ability for elaboration in questions and
answers)
Now my babushka, my grandmother, knew lots of things. She knew just how
to tell a good story. She knew how to make ordinary things magical.
T: Now that we’ve read the passage, turn and talk with your partner about what you
might be wondering or curious about so far. Please use an open question to explain
your ideas. (Reference Figure 4.1 from lesson four if students are looking for ideas or
supports)
S: (students ask and answer questions – Question/Why is the grandmother magical?
Answer/Maybe she is a magician or a witch. Q/How does she know how to tell a good
story? A/She’s had a lot of practice because she’s old. My grandma loves to tell stories
and talks a lot.)
T: (While students are asking and answering questions, teacher roves to listen for open
questions, elaboration and so on. Teacher listens for good examples of open questions
that lead to elaborative answers to share with the class.)
T: Let’s share a few examples of open questions with the group. (Teacher has students
share their questions and answers with the group.) How do we know these questions
help us understand the text?
S: They are open questions that give us more to talk about with each other. We wanted
to keep talking about the same question and want to find out more information about
the grandma.
T: So, this discussion where you were speaking and listening to one another allowed you
to be able to ask and answer questions that arose from the text. These open questions
enabled you to elaborate on what you wondered about and created a place for
discussion.
T: As an exit ticket, please write down one of the questions you and your partner talked
about today. (Be deliberate about not mentioning open or closed questions in order to
confirm understandings.)
T: (Collect exit tickets and look over this assessment to determine grasp of open
questions – if students are struggling, allow more time to address this lesson at a later
date or work with small groups to support their command of the standard.)
Lesson 6-9 – Student led questions support understanding of
text through conventions and word choice
Standard:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in
groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts,
building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.6
Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to
provide requested detail or clarification. (See grade 3 Language standards 1 and 3
here for specific expectations.)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.3
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking,
reading, or listening.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.3.a
Choose words and phrases for effect
Purpose:
In these four lessons, the teacher and students will read portions of the text My Rotten
Redheaded Older Brother, seeking a deeper understanding of the text through focus
on sentence structure, word choice, and conventions. Each day, the teacher is
watching for places where student can become more independent in their mastery of
the Speaking and Listening standards. Some productive struggle and support is
appropriate and will depend greatly on the composition of your class, skill level, and
time of year taught.
Materials needed:
copy of text (My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother) for students to read, sentence stems
posted or written to support students, student copies of Question Note Catcher (fig. 1)
included at the end of unit
Content Vocabulary
● rotten
● babushka
● carnival
● merry-go-round
● platform
● relationship
● custom
● gentle
● drifted
Academic Vocabulary
● text
● disagree
● definition
● context
● dialogue/dialogue tags
● ellipses
● pause
● emphasis
Sections of text needed for each lesson (pages in book NOT numbered):
Lesson 6: page 1 (“My brother and our mother. . .”) to page 8 (“. . . could smile.”)
Lesson 7: page 9 (“I guess I would. . .”) to page 14 (“. . . older brother laugh.”)
Lesson 8: page 15 (“That night at dinner. . .”) to page 23 (“. . . get Dr. Lee.”)
Lesson 9: page 24 (“You had to have stitches . . .”) to the end.
Descriptions of Tasks and Activities lessons 6-9:
Procedure for Discussion (this involves a close read of a section of text as well as the
turn and talk structure introduced in lesson 5):
1. Review of prior lesson’s work (text/class discussion/standard)
2. Teacher reads section of text aloud (first read: thinking of main idea).
3. Students read same section (second read: paying attention to the word choice
and text structure)(either with individual copy of text or projected whole group).
4. Students then reread the text with their turn and talk partner (third read: analyze
the mood/feelings the characters, be ready to ask and answer open questions
about the effects of language and conventions)
5. Individually, students will be writing one question per lesson about the section of
text. (See figure 6-9.1 for example “Question Note-Catcher.” Student will be using
this note catcher for lessons 6-9. Teacher may want to keep this assessment for
evidence of growth).
6. Partner pairs join with one other group to make groups of four. Now, students
can be called A, B, C, D if you need this structure (See fig. 5.1: change step 1 to
“Sit in a circle.”).
7. In groups of 4, students start turn and talk discussion structure using the questions
they generated (make sure students are comfortable taking turns with this
conversation. Teacher may want to review turn and talk structure OR teacher
may want to support students by directly leading their turn order).
**Watch for:
-Student disagreement
-Stalling or lack of discussion
-Tangents (off topic, text to self
connections, etc.)
If students are struggling with these,
try offering sentence stems such as
“In my opinion, _______,” “How
about if_____?” “The text states
_______, so I think________,” “That’s
not how I see it. I think _______,” or “I
disagree because __________.” (This
support can be given to small
groups or the whole group, if
necessary.)
8. Reflection and debrief of turn and talk discussion:
Teacher may handle this in a variety of ways though a thorough reflection sets
the stage for the rest of the lessons, goal setting (lesson 10) and Socratic Circle
work (lessons 11-15).
Debrief:
T: (having already chosen a group for their effective example of discussion OR
close to effective) Student 1 and 2, could you please tell us what each other said
in the discussion? (Deliberately ask students to tell about what their partner or
group member said as to assess listening skills. If this is a struggle, go back to
ACTIVE LISTENING lesson for additional work. This may be hard at first but with
repeated practice and reinforcement of sentence stems, students understand
the structure, making it part of their daily expectations.)
Lesson 10 – Introduction/Creation of Rubric
Standard:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in
groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts,
building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.6
Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to
provide requested detail or clarification. (See grade 3 Language standards 1 and 3
here for specific expectations.)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.3
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking,
reading, or listening.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.3.a
Choose words and phrases for effect
Purpose:
In this lesson, teacher will read the text in its entirety and allow time for the Reflection
row from question note catcher (figure 6-9.1to check for new understandings, reflection
and any last confusion or misconception. The teacher will then introduce the rubric,
working through it with the students in order to reiterate and emphasize content and
academic vocabulary along with individual expectations around speaking and
listening.
Materials Needed:
copy of My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother for teacher read aloud, student copies of
rubric, attached at end of unit
Content Vocabulary
Can be any or all from lessons 6-9
Academic Vocabulary
● rubric
●
●
●
●
reflection
speaking
listening
self-assess
Descriptions of Tasks and Activities lesson 10:
T: For the last week, we’ve been practicing how read a text and ask questions with a
partner. We’ve honed our speaking abilities by paying attention to the words we
choose and speaking in complete sentences in order to improve our abilities to be
understood by our partners. Our “Turn and Talk” discussions have allowed partners to
listen to one another more closely when asking questions for more information or to
clear up any confusion. Today, I will read My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother one last
time from the beginning to the end. Your job will be to listen to the story and think about
all of the discussions you had with your partners over the last week. On the reflection
row of the quesiton note catcher, you will be sharing something new you learned or
figured out this time (see figure 6-9.1 - model use of note catcher if your students need
the additional support).
T: (reads the book out loud, stopping/pausing 3-5 times to allow time for
thinking/writing)
T: Would anyone like to share their new understandings about My Rotten Redheaded
Older Brother with the group?
S: I figured out the sister was jealous of her brother because of what he could do.
S: I learned grandmothers are very wise people.
S: I learned that all brothers and sisters fight but they still love each other.
T: I like how you used this second read of the text to really think about the characters who they are and what they do. Now, we are going to take all of the great practice
with speaking and listening and turn it into a rubric. Rubrics help us discover how much
we’ve grown as learners as well as what we still need to do improve ourselves as
learners. We will use this today to determine what we know and what we need to
improve upon from this week and then will use it in our work in speaking and listening
next week as well.
T: [Teacher displays rubric as chart (see figure 10.1, also attached in large format at end
of unit) and gives each student a copy]
Fig. 10.1
T: (Teacher explains rubric column by column, emphasizing that a 3 is the third grade
expectation, and asks student to fill out the student score section, trade with partner for
partner score section and then turn in for teacher scoring)
Debrief:
T: The next time we meet, we will learn how to turn all of this great learning and
experience in speaking and listening this week into a whole group discussion about text.
**Watch for:
-Need of real world examples of parts of the rubric, especially 2’s and 4’s
-Conversation of supportive and respectful feedback on speaking and listening versus
criticizing of a person, character, etc.
-Conversation on growth and being “perfect” - no one should have 4’s or even all 3’s
and 4’s without any feedback for improvement
Lessons 11-14 – Introduction and Practice with Socratic
Circles
Standard:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in
groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts,
building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.6
Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to
provide requested detail or clarification. (See grade 3 Language standards 1 and 3
here for specific expectations.)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.3
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking,
reading, or listening.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.3.a
Choose words and phrases for effect
Purpose:
In these four lessons, the teacher will introduce the Socratic Circle discussion structure background on Socrates and the who/what/where/why/hows involved in effective
Socratic Circle discussions. All lessons will focus on using the understandings around
speaking and listening built throughout the unit so far in a discussion of the text The
Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco.
Teacher Background Knowledge/Materials Needed:
Teachers need a strong background in Socratic Seminars/Socratic Circles. Here are a
few resources for reading/watching in action -
http://www.amazon.com/Socratic-Circles-Fostering-CriticalCreative/dp/1571103945/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434054048&sr=81&keywords=socratic+circles - Great comprehensive text applicable across content
areas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socratic_method - read from Socratic Circles through
Questioning Methods
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/bring-socratic-seminars-to-the-classroom GREAT background for teachers though through eyes of high schoolers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM1qT-jzP5s - background, structure and tips
Teacher also needs to have prepared struggling students in guided reading groups as
advised in document at end of unit: Using Guided Reading Groups to Scaffold a Grade
Level Text
Materials Needed:
copy of The Junkyard Wonders, video/speaker capability, graphic organizer (see fig. 1)
Content Vocabulary
● Socrates
Academic Vocabulary
● text
● agree/disagree
● question
● evidence
● Socratic Circle
Sections of text needed for each lesson (pages in book NOT numbered):
Lesson 11: page 1 (“My heart sang. . .”) to page 12 (“. . . had known her.”)
Lesson 12: page 13 (“From then on. . .”) to page 22 (“. . . what we needed.”)
Lesson 13: page 23 (“For the next few weeks. . .”) to page 34 (“...your stupid plans.”)
Lesson 14: page 35 (“And sure enough . . .”) to the end.
Descriptions of Tasks and Activities lessons 11-14:
Day One Overview (Beginning of lesson 11) (this involves an introduction to Socrates,
Socratic Circle and the specific structure for this strategy):
1. Start with partial video clip on Socrates
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lnr0EcnHtSs - end at 1:58)
2. Teacher explains how students will use all of the skills and practice in speaking
and listening to have discussions about a text.
3. Teacher goes over each aspect of Socratic circle (use fig. 11-14.1 as
support/guide) - physical structure (inner circle has discussion while outer circle
observes and provides feedback when discussion is finished, inner circle faces
one another, eye contact), read/think/craft (read text, think about text, note
where something is unclear or area for possible discussion), questioning (open
question focus/why and how questions in order to create discussion
opportunities), and sentence stems for discussion (“I think/believe…” “I
agree/disagree” “In the text, it states…”). Also, create a short list of reminders for
during discussion (“Remember to…” instead of “Don’t Forget…” to keep this
“rules” section focused on the positive- see figure 11-14.2)
4. Pull text for first discussion (see sections of text section), form inner and outer
circles, ask students to read text and write at least one question about the text
that would support a discussion and observe for ways to support. Allow time for
outer circle to share observations with inner circle.
5. Have each child verbalize a goal for next time based on discussion and
observations from outer circle.
Days Two Through Four:
1. Start with review of structure and “Remember To…” list (focusing on anything you
noticed during the first day that needed to be emphasized or reinforced) and
ask students to share their goals from the previous day with a neighbor, pull text
for first discussion (see sections of text section), form inner and outer circles, ask
students to read text and write at least one question about the text that would
support a discussion and allow time for outer circle to share observations with
inner circle.
2. Have students share whether or not goals were met, reflect and reevaluate for
same/new goals.
**Watch for:
-Use of background knowledge/opinions as evidence instead of text
-Need for organizational help (Ask questions around the circle in order, alpha order,
etc.)
-Tangents (off topic, text to self connections, etc.)
If students are struggling with these, try offering sentence stems such as “In my opinion,
_______,” “How about if_____?” “The text states _______, so I think________,” “That’s not
how I see it. I think _______,” or “I disagree because __________.” (This support can be
given to small groups or the whole group, if necessary.)
Lesson 15: Watch Socratic Circle: Give Feedback to Whole
Group/Culminating End of Unit Activity
Standard:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in
groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts,
building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.6
Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to
provide requested detail or clarification. (See grade 3 Language standards 1 and 3
here for specific expectations.)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.3
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking,
reading, or listening.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.3.a
Choose words and phrases for effect
Purpose:
The purpose of this lesson is to let students observe themselves engaging in a class
discussion. They will be able to use these strategies and this discussion format for many
other texts through the year so this activity is especially important to set the stage for
the year of respectful discussions.
Description of Tasks and Activities for Lesson 15
T: This week, we have been engaging in the difficult work of having class discussions
around a complex text. Today, I will read the entire The Junkyard Wonders book to you
and then we will watch the video of our Socratic Circle from yesterday. We will use our
rubric to score ourselves as a whole class from our discussion.
T: (Reads The Junkyard Wonders in its entirety)
T: I hope you enjoyed hearing the whole text all put together. Does anyone have any
thoughts they’d like to share today? It can be either about the book or about your
understanding of the book or this process.
S: (respond)
T: Great! Now we are going to watch ourselves engaging in a Socratic Circle. Then, we
are going to score ourselves as a WHOLE GROUP using the Speaking and Listening
Rubric. The whole group engaged in the discussion so the whole group will work
together!
T: (Shows video)(May give students rubric while they watch OR display rubric near the
video)
Teacher and students then engage in discussion about each part of the rubric.
Encourage students to use evidence in the video by using sentence stems to share
thinking. “I believe we are a 3 on ______ because in the video I saw ___________.”
T: (starts debrief) We will be holding Socratic Circles to discuss text many more times this
year. This was your very first week of using this structure! Turn and talk to a partner about
how this discussion helped you understand this complex text. (Teacher may have
students share out.)
T: The goal for the end of 3rd grade is that you all can run the Socratic Circle without me
leading it. We will be working toward independence during each Socratic Circle.
Notes:
Since the goal of this unit is for students to have respectful discussions with others
around complex texts and topics. The culminating activity addresses the fact that the
Socratic Circle is a class discussion and grades the whole class on their work. You MAY
decide to make this more of an individual assessment and have students self-assess on
their rubric and you assess when turned in. Either way gives valuable feedback to all.
Once these structures (Turn and talk and Socratic Circle) are in place, they can be
used for ANY kind of discussion. Turn and talk works well in any subject and Socratic
Circle can be used with nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and any kind of complex text. Usually
the text is short (able to be read in one day) and the Circle can be used as a weekly
literary discussion.
Student Pages:
Lesson 2: How do people speak so others can understand?
Note Catcher
What did you. . .
Video 1
See?
Hear?
Video 2
See?
Hear?
Advice to the Micro Machine Man
name:____________
Positive:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
How could he improve his speaking so we can understand? :
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Question Note Catcher
My Rotten Red Headed Older Brother
name:_________________________________
Question (s) for Discussion
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Reflection:
Something I understand now, that I didn’t understand before:
Something I still wonder or am curious about:
Sample
sentence
stems for
discussion.
These are
scaffolded
from simple to
more complex
on each card.
*These can be
enlarged,
printed on
color and
posted around
the room as
well as
reduced,
printed in color
and put on
small rings for
individual use.
Example Speaking and Listening Rubric
1
Student has done
few or no
preparation, has
NOT:
-read the
assigned text
-taken notes,
written questions
for the discussion
-cites evidence
from the text
discussed
2
Student has done
some:
-read the assigned
text
-taken notes,
written questions
for the discussion
-cites evidence
from the text
discussed
3
Student has:
-read the assigned
text
-taken notes,
written questions
for the discussion
-cites evidence
from the text
discussed
Speaks clearly
Student rarely
speaks:
-loudly enough so
others can hear
-slowly
-fluently,
naturally
-in complete
sentences
Student sometimes
speaks:
-loudly enough so
others can hear
-slowly
-fluently, naturally
-in complete
sentences
Student speaks:
-loudly enough so
others can hear
-slowly
-fluently, naturally
-in complete
sentences
*may need
occasional
scaffolding
Asks and
answers
questions
Student is not
able to formulate
questions even
with support.
Student mostly
asks:
-combination of
closed and open
questions
-questions show
some
understanding of
the text, but may
not move
discussion along
Student mostly
asks:
-mostly open
questions
-questions with
why, how
beginnings
-questions based
on understanding
of the text
Comes to
discussion
prepared
4
In addition to a 3,
student has:
-thoughtfully
prepared talking
points/questions
(may be of higher
level than 3rd grade)
-draws solely on
information
gathered from the
text and connects
this with relevant
outside information
Student always
speaks:
-loudly enough so
others can hear
-slowly
-fluently, naturally
-in complete
sentences
Student is effective
enough to be a
model for others.
Student asks:
- open questions
-questions with why,
how beginnings
-questions based on
understanding of the
text and the world,
may connect
effectively with
other texts
Student’s questions
move discussions
along naturally.
Actively listens
to peers
Student does not
listen actively and
needs frequent
reminders to
show active
listening
Student mostly
listens:
-to understand
questions
Sometimes:
-body facing group
Student listens:
-with reactions to
others
-to understand
questions
-body facing group
It is clear to group
that student listens:
-with natural
reactions to others
(eye contact,
gestures, etc)
behaviors and to
respond to the
question or
discussion.
-eye contact
-eye contact
- encourages others
to speak
-attempts to
organize or manage
group discussion
Using Guided Reading Groups to Scaffold a Grade Level Text
See following document for an explanation for giving students
support with grade level text. The section on guided reading starts
on page 8 of the document.
http://achievethecore.org/page/687/both-and-literacy-instructiondetail-pg
To provide ALL students access to the texts used in this unit, consider
using your guided reading (small group instruction) time to scaffold
the text and support these readers. In the unit, we call for students to
close read sections of the texts. Both My Rotten Read Headed Older
Brother and The Junkyard Wonders are wonderful texts to use with
the latter being on the highest end of complex text for third graders.
As you are working with your guided reading groups, consider using
each text the week before the lessons chunked into small pieces
(could use same sections of text referenced in the lessons) to support
readers. This will help English language learners, students with
reading struggles, and any student you think may struggle with
entering the discussions in lessons 6-15.
Make sure to give these students direct instruction with the content
and academic vocabulary, letting them know that this will be the
work of the next several lessons. You may also have them practice or
write down their open questions as a group, readying them for the
turn and talk and Socratic Circle. This is considered essential support,
especially if this unit is taught in the first few months of the school
year.
How to do this?
Students who need this support likely have reading groups schedule
4-5 times per week as they are the students most in need of support.
~Chunk the text as lessons 6-9, and as 11-14 require. Start groups
reading My Rotten Red Headed Older Brother after the whole group
lesson on day 5. Try to keep a day ahead of the whole group lessons
to front load the vocabulary and syntax lessons for both texts.
~Look at and plan for 1-2 content vocabulary words in those
sections. Check out this resource
http://achievethecore.org/page/61/which-words-do-i-teach-andhow-detail-pg to support vocabulary instruction.
~Create 1-2 text dependent questions based on that section. Check
out this resource http://achievethecore.org/page/710/textdependent-question-resources for excellent guided to creating
these questions.
~Practice using the speaking and listening strategies learning in
whole group instruction. Sentence stems can be a great way to
support this work in small groups.