I introduced “accountable talk” in my classes today to give the students some support in developing their discussion skills. Along with the list of sentences starters, I pointed out the acronym, SLANT, that will help them maintain positive body language in their small group discussions.
S- sit up
L- look at the person
A – act like you care
N – nod your head
T- take turns
We had a few sticking points as we read down the list. For one, many took issue with “act like you care.”
“But what if you DO care? Then you won’t have to act!” one student said.
“That would be great,” I said. “I hope you won’t have to act.”
Another student wondered aloud, “But what if you aren’t a very good actor?”
“Well, I guess all we can do is ask that you try your best. And you may just trick yourself into caring for real.”
The other line that got us off track a bit was “nod your head.” If you’ve ever spent any time in a sixth grade classroom, you would have no trouble picturing the vigorous head bobbing that ensued with that one.
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