(Forced) Turn and Talk - Full Kit - SEI high-level Discourse

This product includes the entire kit! Implementation Guide, Large and Small Cutouts to Laminate, Template for Turn-and-Talk Script Handouts (with variations), and ideas for Differentiation for Language, Academic English Fluency, Content Mastery, etc.

This is one of the most useful things I've created and implemented, as an educator.

You can expand it to prepare 5-paragraph essays or have students run a quick version to create a solid Exit Ticket answer to a problem or question. You can quickly differentiate to empower SEI students to work with partners of vastly different fluency levels. It's versatile, aesthetically pleasing, and simple to use. Enjoy!

* It's fantastic for remote and distance-learning, as it keeps pairs on task, creating content, and focused on high-level expectations. Try it with your next Zoom class! *

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You say:

“Work with your teammate.” “Get the job done efficiently.” “Keep going!”

“Use your vocab words.” “Use academic English.”

“Knock off the chitchat, and get back to work.”

They say:

“Wait, what are we supposed to talk about?” "What did you do this weekend?"

“We did it already!” [ but they’re just chatting ] "Do we really have to do this?"

“No way - I’m not speaking.” “I need a new teammate.” “I’m confused.”

You think:

Why is it so difficult for students to work effectively in pair-and-share?

Are they just chatting? Sneaking a peek at their phones?

Do they think it’s break time?

Don’t they know that I’m giving them a great learning opportunity?”

Students can tend to “check out” a bit during pair-and-shares.

This is almost always a result of Language barriers, Social factors, Ambiguity in the Assignment, Abstract Expectations, or mismatched levels of Discourse.

Students do Not magically fall into “academic English mode” by being told to “Turn and Talk.” They don’t automatically know what the teacher expects of them.

We must make this task clear and concrete. We must explicitly teach these skills.

This Turn-and-Talk Kit [ Cues, Prompts, Scripts, and Images ]

provides clear Direction, Accountability, Ownership,

and comfortably “Forces” students to Participate.

Your scripts will both explicitly and implicitly teach Academic English,

as student accurately utilize vocabulary words, complete Sentence Stems,

and Model expected high-level Discourse for each other.

Benefits for Now:

* Students have access to academic language at the appropriate fluency levels.

* Students feel empowered to perform tasks because they are clear.

* Students practice objective-fulfilling discourse, using academic English and jargon accurately.

* Students take ownership for their share of the exercise. Cooperation is necessary for success.

* Students are forced to interact with each other in constructive, grade-level, professional ways.

Benefits for Later:

* Students learn about pair dynamics, groupwork, and how to keep their team moving forward.

* Students feel successful, knowing that they’ve used academic language fluently and accurately.

* Students get to work effectively with various partners, as social stressors are minimized.

* Students are forced to participate, without the usual fears and barriers to success.

SEI awesomeness for English Language Learners:

* It’s easy to differentiate fluency levels for the different Reading and Speaking roles!

* It’s easy to create various versions, customizing scripts to fit your students’ fluency levels.

* It’s also easy to add a mini glossary, word root info, or other aids to the handout!