Take part in discussions: come prepared, use what you know about the topic, follow agreed-upon rules, link your comments to others and ask for clarification

Learning goal: This lesson teaches the five parts of Ohio's 2026 standard for taking part in discussions about third grade topics and texts in pairs, small groups or whole-class settings, first implemented in 2027-28. You will come to discussions prepared, having read and studied the materials; explicitly use the information known about the topic; follow agreed-upon rules for discussion, such as taking turns respectfully, listening carefully and speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion; make comments that link to the remarks of others; and ask for clarification and further explanation as needed.

Why discussions need skills. In a discussion, people think out loud together about a question. You may talk with one partner, in a small group of three to five, or with the whole class. The setting changes how many people you listen to and how long you may wait for a turn, but the same five skills work in all three. A good discussion is not a contest to talk the most. It is a way to understand a text or a topic better than anyone could alone.

a. Come to discussions prepared. Being prepared means you have read and studied the materials before the discussion starts. To prepare: read the text, and reread the parts you need until you understand them; mark two or three important facts and write the paragraph number beside each; write one question you still have; and think about what you already know about the topic from other books, from class or from your own life. Bring these notes. Being prepared does not mean deciding your answer and refusing to change it. You prepare so that you can talk about the text, check what others say and change your mind when the evidence is better. A student who says, "I didn't read it, but I think…" has not come prepared.

b. Explicitly use the information known about the topic. When you make a point, say the information it comes from, out loud and plainly. That is what explicitly means: the group should not have to guess what you are thinking of. Name where the information comes from: "The article says, in paragraph 4, that…"; "In our science unit we learned that…"; "When I watched the maple tree, I saw…". The information has to be about the topic and has to be something you know, not a guess. If you are not sure, say so: "I'm not sure, but I think…". Compare "Leaves change because it's fall" with "The article says that in fall the tree stops making new chlorophyll, so the green fades and the yellow that was already there shows." The second one uses the information, so others can check it and build on it.

c. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussion. Before a discussion, the group or class agrees on its rules, so everyone knows them. Agreed-upon means decided together and accepted by everyone. Most groups use rules such as these. Speak one at a time: when someone is talking, wait until the speaker has finished. Take turns respectfully: do not take every turn, and invite a quiet member in ("Dev, what do you think?"). Listen carefully: look at the speaker, think about what is being said, and be ready to repeat the main point. Stay on the topic and the text under discussion. If a rule is broken, remind the group kindly, without blaming: "Let's let Cara finish," or "Let's get back to the leaves." Listening carefully is a rule you can show: someone who was listening can repeat or build on what was said.

d. Make comments that link to the remarks of others. A linked comment connects to something a person just said. Make the connection clear: say the part of the remark you are responding to, and then add to it, agree with it and give a reason, or disagree with it and give a reason. Naming the speaker is a helpful way to make the link easy to hear, but the link comes from responding to the idea, not from the name. Sentence starters help: "I agree with Ben that ___, because ___." "Adding to what Ana said about ___, ___." "I see it differently from Cara, because ___." A comment links only if it really responds to the remark. Saying a classmate's name and then talking about something else does not link. Disagreeing is fine when you disagree with the idea, give a reason, and stay respectful.

e. Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed. Ask for clarification when you did not understand a word or an idea: "What do you mean by chlorophyll?" or "Did you mean the yellow was there all summer?" Ask for further explanation when you understood but want to know more, such as a reason or where the information comes from: "Why does the green fade in the fall?" or "Where in the article does it say that?" As needed means you ask when something really is unclear or needs support, not just to fill time. Wait until the speaker has finished, then ask.

Original article — Why Leaves Change Color

(1) In summer, the leaves of a maple tree are green. In fall, many of them turn yellow, orange or red, and then they drop.

(2) Leaves are green because they contain chlorophyll. Chlorophyll helps a leaf use sunlight to make food for the tree.

(3) Leaves also have yellow and orange colors in them all summer long. There is so much green chlorophyll that it covers those colors up.

(4) In fall, the days get shorter and the nights get cooler. The tree stops making new chlorophyll, and the green fades. The yellow and orange that were there all along can now be seen.

(5) Red is different. In some trees, such as some kinds of maples, the leaves make new red color in the fall.

(6) Not every tree loses its leaves in the fall. Pine trees keep their needles all winter.

A worked model inside the lesson. A small group of four, Ana, Ben, Cara and Dev, discusses the question "Why do many leaves turn yellow or orange in the fall?" They agreed on their rules before starting. Ana: "The article says in paragraph 4 that the tree stops making new chlorophyll in fall, and the green fades." Ben: "Adding to what Ana said, paragraph 3 says the yellow was there all summer, hidden by the green. So the yellow isn't new." Cara: "What do you mean, it isn't new? Doesn't the tree make the yellow in fall?" Ben: "No, the article says the yellow and orange were there all along. Only the red is new, in paragraph 5." Dev, who has not spoken yet, is invited in by Ana: "Dev, what did you mark?" Dev: "I marked paragraph 6. My grandpa's pine tree stays green all winter, and the article says pines keep their needles." Ana used the text explicitly (b); Ben linked his comment to Ana's (d); Cara asked for clarification (e); Ana followed the rule of taking turns respectfully by inviting Dev (c); Dev came prepared with a marked paragraph and used what he knew from his own life (a, b). Dev's comment is true and prepared, but it is about trees that stay green, a little away from the question about yellow leaves; a group member could gently link it back.

Worked example 1 — A preparation card. Before the discussion, Cara reads the article twice and makes this card. Facts I marked: "paragraph 2, chlorophyll makes leaves green and helps make food"; "paragraph 4, shorter days, cooler nights, tree stops making chlorophyll." My question: "Why are some leaves red if red isn't hidden all summer?" What I already know: "In my yard the oak leaves turn brown." The card shows she read and studied the material (two facts with paragraph numbers), has a question to ask, and has information from her own life to use. She does not write "My answer: it's cold" as a final answer to defend; her notes let her check what others say.

Worked example 2 — Spotting rules followed and broken. In another group, Max says, "The green fades because—" and Lily cuts in: "My dog likes to jump in leaf piles!" Then Max and Lily both talk at once. Rules broken: Lily did not let Max finish (speaking one at a time), and her comment is not about the topic or the text (staying on the topic). Max and Lily talking together breaks speaking one at a time again. A kind fix: "Let's let Max finish, and then let's get back to why the leaves change." Lily could save her dog story for another time. In the first group, the rules were followed: each person waited for the speaker to finish, Ana invited Dev in, and Ben showed that he listened carefully by restating Ana's point about the green fading and adding to it.

Worked example 3 — From unlinked to linked, and from unsupported to explicit. Ben says, "The green fades in fall." Three replies: (1) "I like fall." This does not link to Ben's remark and uses no information. (2) "Ben, leaves are pretty." It names Ben but does not respond to what he said, so it still does not link. (3) "I agree with Ben that the green fades, and paragraph 4 says that is because the tree stops making new chlorophyll in the fall, when the days get shorter and the nights get cooler." This links to his remark, agrees, and explicitly uses information from the text with its paragraph number.

Worked example 4 — Clarification or further explanation? Dev says, "Red leaves are made, not uncovered." Ana did not understand: she asks for clarification, "What do you mean by made, not uncovered?" Dev explains: "Yellow was already in the leaf and gets uncovered; red is new color the leaf makes in fall, paragraph 5." Cara understood but wants more: she asks for further explanation, "Do all maples make red, or only some?" Dev rereads: "Paragraph 5 says some kinds of maples." Each question was asked after the speaker finished, and each one was needed.

Discussion tracker (record task): During a small-group discussion of a text your teacher chooses, keep a tracker with five rows, one for each skill: came prepared, used information explicitly, followed a rule, linked a comment, asked for clarification or further explanation. In each row, write one thing you said or did and when, and one thing you heard someone else do well. Bring your preparation card and staple it to the tracker.

Independent performance: Take part in three discussions about third grade texts or topics: one with a partner, one in a small group and one with the whole class. Prepare a card for each. Success criteria: (1) your card shows at least two facts with paragraph or page numbers, one question and one thing you already knew; (2) at least once in each discussion, you explicitly name the information you are using and where it came from; (3) you follow the agreed-upon rules: you speak one at a time, let speakers finish, take turns respectfully and stay on the topic; (4) you make at least two comments that clearly respond to what a speaker said (naming the speaker helps) and add a reason; (5) you ask at least one question for clarification and one for further explanation when you need them; (6) afterward, you write two sentences: one thing you understood better because of someone else's comment, and one rule you want to follow better next time. Your teacher or a partner observes the discussion; a worksheet alone cannot show that you did these things.