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Lesson Plan
Better Lesson

Better Lesson: Introduction to Accountable Talk

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st Standards
In this lesson, students will take a more active role in their learning by discussing a read aloud with their partners. The teacher will become more of a facilitator in the lesson and allow the children to "wrangle" with the content.
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Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Choosing Clear and Varied Dialogue Tags: A Minilesson

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Contains plans for one 50-minute instructional activity that teaches about using dialogue tags like "he said" or "she answered." In addition to student objectives and standards, these instructional plans contain links to PDF handouts and...
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Professional Doc
Other

Interactivity Foundation: Guidebook for Student Centered Classroom Discussions

For Teachers 1st - 9th Standards
This downloadable guide includes strategies and best practices for supporting student-centered classroom discussions.
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Article
Understood For All

Understood: 4 Parts of a Conversation:how to Help Kids With Social Skills Issues

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
Navigating a conversation can be difficult for kids with social skills issues. Here's a look at the four parts of a conversation, the skills involved, and how to help your child navigate each one.
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Lesson Plan
Better Lesson

Better Lesson: Shared Inquiry Discussion

For Teachers 2nd - 4th Standards
Students learn to generate ideas with a clear focus in response to questions while participating in a shared inquiry discussion. Included are shared inquiry guidelines, and tips on discussing fiction and non-fiction books using this method.
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Professional Doc
Scholastic

Scholastic: Helping Young Children Express Themselves

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st Standards
We know that communication is central to the learning process. Communication can be specifically linked to the expanding skills of listening and speaking, as children connect to the reading and writing behaviors that characterize early...
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Lesson Plan
Education.com

Education.com: Peer Conferencing 101

For Teachers 2nd - 4th Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] At the completion of this lesson, students will be able to use the peer conference format to provide feedback to a peer.
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Lesson Plan
Other

San Diego County District Attorney: Communication

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Teaching young people how to communicate effectively helps them maintain healthy relationships, resolve conflicts peacefully, excel in school, and eventually get and keep jobs. In these lessons, students practice different forms of...
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Activity
Other

Centervention: Body Language Activities Using Telephone Game

For Students 2nd - 5th Standards
In this activity, students will play the game of "Telephone" in two different ways. Students will first play "Telephone" with the traditional version of the the game and then only communicate via their body language.
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Lesson Plan
Michigan State University

Michigan State University: Interventions for Reading Strategies: Qar Strategy

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
This Michigan State University site suggests three question-answer relationships strategies, rather than four, leaving out "author and you." Includes examples of each relationship, steps for teaching, and assessment.
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Website
Scholastic

Scholastic: Questioning the Text

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
In this magazine article originally featured in Instructor, the reading strategy called "questioning the text" is explained by the renowned literacy consultant and staff developer, Stephanie Harvey. The steps included for questioning the...
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Website
Other

Reading Educator: Question Answer Relationships

For Teachers 2nd - 8th Standards
Based on the presumption that every teacher shares responsibility for teaching reading, this page offers a brief look at question-answer relationships, as well as suggestions for putting the strategy to use in the classroom.
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Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Using Science Texts to Teach the Organization of Nonfiction

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Contains plans for three lessons that use science textbooks to teach about the organizational features of nonfiction such as labels, captions, headings, and fonts. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains...
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PPT
Robin L. Simmons

Grammar Bytes: Subject Verb Agreement Power Point

For Students 3rd - 5th Standards
Learn about subject-verb agreement and practice identifying correct agreement in questions that could be found on standardized tests.
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Professional Doc
Wisconsin Response to Intervention Center

Wisconsin Rt I Center: Pals [Pdf]

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
Classroom teachers will learn about Peer Assisted Learning/Literacy Strategies (PALS) an engaging instructional strategy for students. Teachers will learn how to implement PALS, understand how to measure progress with PALS, and find...
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Professional Doc
Other

Center for Teaching Excellence: Activities to Engage Students [Pdf]

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
This resource gives numerous strategies to engage students in different types of collaborative discussion.
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Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Talking About Books to Improve Comprehension

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
This lesson is a conversation-starter! In this lesson, students learn about striking up deep-thought conversations and staying on topic in the form of a book talk.
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Professional Doc
Other

Literature Circles Resource Center: Teaching Students How to Discuss

For Teachers 1st - 8th Standards
Teachers are given strategies and hands-on approaches to help students prepare for a discussion and participate as active members of it.
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Unit Plan
Read Works

Read Works: Oral Histories

For Teachers 3rd Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the importance of listening to and writing about people's life stories. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
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Handout
University of Colorado

University of Colorado: Active Listening

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
The site descibes what active listening is and provides some links for further study.
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: A Princess Who Can Tune an Engine

For Students 3rd - 4th Standards
CommonLit.org is a wonderful resource to use in a Language Arts classroom. Each story or article is accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. In addition, students can click on words to see...
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Everella's Want

For Students 3rd - 4th Standards
CommonLit.org is a wonderful resource to use in a Language Arts classroom. Each story or article is accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. In addition, students can click on words to see...
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Lesson Plan
Better Lesson

Better Lesson: W.3.1: Write Opinion Pieces on Familiar Topics or Texts

For Students 3rd Standards
Links to 37 lessons that focus on skills within third grade reading standard W.3.1.
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Lesson Plan
Better Lesson

Better Lesson: W.3.2c: Use Linking Words and Phrases to Connect Ideas

For Students 3rd Standards
Links to 7 lessons and activities that build student skills in standard W.3.2c: Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also, another, and, more, but) to connect ideas within categories of information.