How Good Conversations Work

We are learning to take turns in a conversation, and to notice how the way we take turns changes between a relaxed family chat and a more formal group discussion.

Before you startAbout 45 minutes · what success looks like · notes for the helper

About 45 minutes. It's fine to stop after the Quick Check and come back another day: the lesson opens where you left it, at the Quick Check.

You'll know you've got it when

I can use turn-taking words like 'Can I add to that?' to join a conversation without talking over someone
I can explain one way taking turns is different in a relaxed family chat and in a more formal group discussion
I can add an idea about our read-aloud book that joins onto what the last speaker said

For the helperhow to sit beside this lesson, and what this step is for

This step: Spark

Start with the question at the top and chat about it. There is no wrong answer here: it gets your learner thinking about what they already know.

Getting ready: A read-aloud chapter book the family has chosen together, with the first chapter or two already shared, is the heart of this unit; any book the child is enjoying will do, and the local library is a good place to look. Beyond the book, this lesson uses paper and a pencil for a list of phrases. The Dinner Table Book Chat runs at a family meal, the Two-Setting Comic needs coloured pencils, and the Talking Token Game needs a pebble or any small object to pass.
What understanding sounds like: Listen for the child joining in with words that link to the last speaker, like 'Can I add to that?' or 'That reminds me...', rather than starting a brand-new topic. Noticing that a group with a leader uses more careful signals than the dinner table is the other half.
A likely mix-up, and something that helps: Many children think turn-taking simply means waiting quietly until it is their go, then saying whatever they were holding onto. You might ask, 'What did I just say? How could your idea join onto mine?'
If it comes easily: For a child who finds this easy, one stretch is to swap roles: you might talk over the child on purpose for a moment and ask them to coach you on a better way to get a turn.
If it's a struggle: If it is a struggle, you might pass a small object (a spoon, a pebble) as a talking token for a few minutes, so whose turn it is can be seen, then put it away and try the phrases without it. Some children go quiet when the talk is the task; if that happens, you might let them hold the token and simply pass it on, which is still a turn taken. For a child learning English as an additional language, the phrases themselves are the new language, so saying them together a few times before the chat may help.

Step 1 of 6 · Spark

Lesson 1 of 4 · Book Talk: Taking Turns and Sharing Favourites

Same book, two conversations

For the helper

Start with the question at the top and chat about it. There is no wrong answer here: it gets your learner thinking about what they already know.

Picture two conversations about the same book. In the first, your family is around the dinner table. Someone's laughing, someone's passing the peas, and your little brother says, 'Ooh, ooh, me next!' In the second, you're in an online group with a discussion leader and five kids you've only just met. The leader says, 'Who'd like to share what they thought of chapter one?' Would you talk the same way in both? Something tells you no. Today you'll find out exactly what changes, and what stays the same.

Same book, two conversations. The talking rules quietly change.