There’s a social theme to this week’s Talk Time.
In our school, we have 3 school rules:
- We keep our hands, feet and objects to ourselves.
- We follow instructions.
- We respect everyone and everything.
Is it important to have rules to follow in and outside of school? Is there a rule that we’re missing?
This week’s R2s (‘remember tos’) will help you to provide a balanced argument before you reach a conclusion:
- What are the reasons for having rules to follow (the pros)?
- What are the reasons against having rules to follow (the cons)?
- Reach a decision. Is it valuable to have rules to follow?
- One list may have more points than the other.
- Some points have a greater importance than others.
One way to approach this Talk Time is to have a debate with people in your household. This will not only help you generate ideas but also practise a range of oracy skills. Last year, one of the oracy focuses was building on the views of others and reasoning. When someone raises a point that you’re in agreement with, use one of the following phrases to start your response:
- I agree with you because…
- That’s a good point. I also think that…
- Furthermore, I’ll add that…
On the other hand, you may disagree with a point made by a family member. When that’s the case, it can be hard not to interrupt them. Another oracy focus from last year was turn-taking. To be respectful of others’ opinions, wait until a person has finished speaking and then respond using one of these sentence starters or one of your own:
- I hear what you’re saying but…
- That’s a good point. However…
- I take your point but…