S&L Response - Amy D.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.4
Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

My students have been working on these skills every week during our morning meeting sharing. This is not necessarily related to reading, but the format they have been following will transfer nicely when we begin our book discussions and book groups/clubs. We have discussed as a class what makes a "share" interesting to listen to without giving too many details, but just enough information to make others wonder and ask questions. Transferring this skill to book talks and retelling parts of stories will hopefully make it easier for students to grasp the skill. I've noticed that sharing has become more interesting and some students become a little competitive when hearing a good share from a classmate. It certainly has increased confidence among students who are shy or apprehensive about talking in front of the whole class. 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1.C
Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.

This skill is also transferable between our morning meeting shares when the speaker asks for comments and questions. It is a more difficult skill to cultivate, but it will be so important when students are asked to respond to classmates after hearing a retelling of a book or the explanation of a theme or main idea they've discovered. Making a response relevant and meaningful in order to contribute to the discussion takes some practice from what I've seen and heard so far, but practice makes progress!