Exploring Discussions

Overview

This 45-minute interactive lesson is designed for two Year 4 students to develop their speaking and listening skills in line with the National Curriculum for England. The focus is on engaging in discussions about familiar topics, making appropriate contributions, asking questions for clarification, and responding to straightforward questions.

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Curriculum Links

National Curriculum Programme of Study – English (Years 3 & 4)

• Spoken Language
  • Pupils should be taught to:
    • Listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers.
    • Ask relevant questions to develop understanding and knowledge.
    • Articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions.
    • Use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas.

Key Skills Developed

• 1.1 Follow the gist and main points of discussions on familiar topics.
• 1.2 Make appropriate contributions to discussions on familiar topics.
• 1.3 Ask questions to clarify understanding.
• 1.4 Respond to straightforward questions.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the session, pupils will:

• Confidently listen and identify the main points in a discussion about a familiar topic.
• Make relevant contributions that build on peers’ ideas during discussion.
• Formulate and ask clear questions to check understanding.
• Answer straightforward questions with thoughtful, complete responses.

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Resources

• Visual prompt cards depicting familiar topics (e.g., favourite hobbies, school life, pets, holidays)
• A “Questioning Cube” – a cube with different question stems on each face (e.g., What? Why? How? When?)
• Whiteboard and markers
• Talking tokens (e.g., a soft ball or token to manage turn-taking)

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Lesson Structure

1. Engage & Activate (5 minutes)

Begin by introducing the topic: “Our Favourite Things”. Show pictures representing common hobbies or interests. Ask each student to choose one and briefly say what it is.

• Teacher models: "My favourite hobby is reading because I love stories."
• Focus: Activate prior knowledge and set context for discussion.

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2. Guided Listening & Identifying Main Points (10 minutes)

Students listen to a short, teacher-led conversation about a chosen topic (e.g., school subjects).

• Teacher reads a scripted dialogue twice.
• After listening, together, identify and list 3 main points from the conversation using the whiteboard.

Assessment: Can students accurately pick out the main points?

Extension: For stretch, ask students to summarise the conversation in their own words.

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3. Structured Discussion & Contributions (15 minutes)

Role-Play Setup: The two students take turns discussing their favourite hobbies or school subjects using the talking tokens to manage turns.

• Teacher prompts: Use sentence starters on the board:

  • "I think..."
  • "I agree with you because..."
  • "That’s interesting, I also..."

• Encourage students to expand on each other’s points, linking their ideas.

Assessment: Are the contributions relevant and linked to the topic? Is turn-taking managed well?

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4. Questioning for Clarity (10 minutes)

• Introduce the Questioning Cube.
• Each student rolls the cube and must ask their partner a question based on the prompt on the cube related to the ongoing discussion (e.g., "Why do you like that hobby?" or "When do you usually do it?").
• Partners answer straightforwardly; then swap.

Assessment: Are questions clear and relevant? Do answers address the questions fully?

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5. Reflect & Review (5 minutes)

• Quick round: Each student says one thing they learned from their partner or about the topic.
• Teacher provides positive feedback highlighting use of listening skills, appropriate contributions, questioning, and responses.

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Differentiation

• Support: Visual sentence starters and prompts; additional modelling by teacher.
• Challenge: Encourage students to justify their opinions with reasons and elaborate answers.

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Assessment and Feedback

• Observational notes on each pupil’s ability to follow discussions, contribute appropriately, ask clarifying questions, and respond effectively.
• Informal formative assessment through participation quality and relevance.
• Provide individual verbal feedback at lesson end to reinforce strengths and areas to improve for future discussions.

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Extension Ideas

• Use similar strategy in a paired debate on a topic like “Best animal” or “Favourite season.”
• Record the discussion for playback and self-assessment.

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This lesson immerses pupils in purposeful spoken language use, helping them meet key national curriculum objectives with engaging, personalised activities tailored for their age and stage.