Accountable Talk and a Freebie

Hello Bloggy Friends!! Do you ever have students who like to just blurt out answers or comments? Or have something negative to say if someone gives a not so correct response to a question.  Well I had that problem in my classroom. One Monday, during one of our weekly staff meetings/staff development we were introduced to Accountable Talk.  Well,  I have to admit that I was skeptical at first. I was thinking here we go again, giving me something that would be a challenge for my firsties!!  Needless to say I did not implement it right away.  Well one day after another one of those rude comments had been blurted out, I again spoke with my students about how we should treat and talk to one another.  This was a great segue to introduce Accountable Talk.  I explained to them what it meant and modeled the appropriate language to use. It was not hard for them to use the language at all, especially if there was a wrong (incorrect) response (they were quick to want to "disagree with what Bob said because..."  I got a kick out of hearing my babies sound all grown up!! In case you are not familiar with Accountable Talk, it refers to the ways that teachers skillfully encourage their students to think deeply, articulate their reasoning, and listen with purpose.  It is a great way for students to get actively engaged in classroom discussions. I will introduce this to my students on the first day of school this year.  So, I created Accountable Talk posters to help remind my students of the appropriate language to use.  I only used five of the basic comments for my kiddos.  Here is a list of more comments.  I have uploaded these posters to my Teachers Notebook store. Click on the picture below if you would like to get a copy.

I also made a bookmark for students to keep handy during buddy reading or refer to throughout the day. I hope this is something you will find useful. Click on the picture to get your free copy.

How do you hold your student's accountable for their learning? Do you use Accountable Talk in your classroom? If so, How did it work for you?  Share your thoughts and ideas about this.  The first three people to leave me a comment will get a copy of my Accountable Talk posters for free.  Please remember to include your email so that I can send them to you!!

Thanks for making me feel welcome in blogland!!!