Clear Conversation Skills

Grade Level:

6th Grade (Special Education)

Duration:

15 minutes

Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Alignment:

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1.C: Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.6.6: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

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Learning Objective:

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Ask and answer relevant questions to clarify meaning in at least 4 out of 5 conversational opportunities.
• Use vocabulary related to everyday activities (e.g., school, home chores, hobbies).
• Demonstrate conversational turn-taking and active listening skills with a partner.

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Materials:

• Visual prompt cards with images of everyday activities (e.g., brushing teeth, making lunch, walking the dog)
• Question stems printed on cards:
  • "Can you explain what you mean by...?"
  • "What do you do after...?"
  • "Why do you think...?"
  • "Can you tell me more about...?"
  • "What does ___ mean?"
• Timer
• Audio recording device or peer observation checklist for assessment

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Lesson Procedure:

1. Warm-up & Introduction (3 minutes)

• Teacher says: "Today, we will practice asking questions to understand each other better when we talk about our daily activities."
• Present one visual prompt (e.g., brushing teeth).
• Model a brief conversation with a student or a teaching assistant using simple language:
  • Teacher: "What do you do after you brush your teeth?"
  • Student: "I eat breakfast."
  • Teacher: "Why do you eat breakfast?"
  • Student: "Because it gives me energy."
• Emphasize using the question stems on the cards, showing the corresponding card on the board.

2. Paired Practice: Guided Question & Answer (8 minutes)

• Divide students into pairs.
• Give each pair 2–3 different visual prompt cards and a set of question stem cards.
• Directions for students:
  • Take turns describing the activity on the card.
  • Partner asks a question using a question stem to clarify or learn more.
  • Switch roles for the next prompt.
• Teacher circulates to support students, encouraging use of the question stems and helping students rephrase as needed.
• Use a timer to limit each conversational trial to about 1-1.5 minutes, aiming for 4-5 trials per student.

3. Group Reflection & Reinforcement (3 minutes)

• Regroup and ask 2–3 volunteers to share a question they asked and explain why it helped them understand better.
• Teacher reinforces positive examples, highlighting clear questions and responses.
• Display the question stems again and remind students how these help in conversations.

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Differentiation & Scaffolds:

• Visual prompts keep the context concrete to support language comprehension.
• Question stems provide sentence frames for students who struggle with open-ended questions.
• Teacher models and repeats phrases slowly for those needing additional auditory support.
• Pair stronger verbal skills with students who need more support.

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Assessment Plan:

• Formative Assessment during paired activity:
  • Use a simple checklist to note if student uses relevant questions in at least 4 out of 5 conversational turns.
  • Observe ability to respond appropriately to peer questions using vocabulary about everyday activities.
• Exit Ticket (to be completed in 2 minutes after class):
  • Each student verbally answers one prompt about an everyday activity asked by the teacher using a question stem.
  • Teacher rates whether the student asks or responds with at least one clarifying question or answer.

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Notes to Teacher:

• Emphasize patience and positive reinforcement.
• Use encouraging language like “Great question!” or “Thanks for explaining that!” after each trial.
• This short lesson can be repeated daily with different visuals to reinforce question-asking and listening skills.
• This focus on pragmatic conversational skills strongly supports future academic interactions and social communication.

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This lesson maximizes active student participation through paired conversations, visual supports, and real-world vocabulary aligned with Common Core Standards for speaking and listening skills. The use of question stems supports language development in a highly structured, accessible way tailored for special education learners.