First Table Talk Topic ~ Jan 29 2013

Today Grade 5 EALs started ‘Table Talks’ which encourage speaking & listening skills. Students are responsible for 3 cubes which they used to contribute to the conversation.

We started out discussing what helps us feel ‘safe’ in conversations. Students brainstormed what helps them feel confident when they are speaking English. Some students also shared some tricks they use to ‘block out’ the audience and concentrate on what they are saying.

The goal was for each student to contribute 3 cubes by the end of the conversation. Each time a student spoke or shared an ‘agree/disagree’ statement, they put a cube in the center of the table.

By the end, most students had used all their cubes, and I only needed to intervene 3 times to encourage them to build off each others ideas. For example, we moved from simply stating ‘I agree/disagree because…’ to ‘ I agree with ______ when he/she said______because…’. This encouraged students to be better listeners as they needed to repeat what was already said.

Click here to see a video from today’s Table Talk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiAmwbV7ceY