Melissa & Lori Love Literacy ™ Building Better Academic Talk Routines in K-8 Classrooms
Feb 21, 2025
In this engaging conversation, Jami Witherell, an early elementary science teacher with a passion for multilingual learners, shares her strategies for academic discourse. She emphasizes giving students time to think before speaking and discusses innovative approaches like Socratic seminars and fishbowl discussions. Lauren Proffitt, a fourth-grade teacher, highlights the importance of oracy in education, showcasing her school's initiatives to boost students' speaking skills. Together, they explore creating supportive environments for vibrant, inclusive classroom discussions.
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Read, Think, Chat, Write Routine
- Use the "read a little, think a little, chat a little, write a little" routine to promote academic talk.
- Give students time to formulate thoughts before discussion to improve conversation quality.
Use Sentence Stems and Facilitate
- Use sentence stems to help students, especially multilingual learners, start academic conversations.
- Join groups to facilitate and encourage quieter students to share their thoughts.
Socratic Seminar Success Story
- Jami was amazed at her first Socratic seminar with second graders where even a supported learner talked nonstop.
- This experience made her realize students can meet high academic expectations if given the chance.
