This document provides information about strategies for engaging children in substantive conversation. It discusses three conversation strategies: clarify/extend, question/tell, and think-aloud. The clarify/extend strategy involves listening to what a child says, picking up an idea from their talk, and adding to or clarifying it. The question/tell strategy involves joining a child in an activity, drawing attention to details, maintaining interest based on their efforts, and offering praise. The think-aloud strategy involves verbalizing thoughts and modeling how to think through a task or problem to a conclusion. The document emphasizes that these strategies can help teachers build students' oral language and knowledge through everyday conversations.

1. What?
How?
Why?
Make it your Own!
Engaging young children in substantive conversation is an art. The Conversational Strategies
Easy Guide adds three conversation strategies, recommended by Roskos, Tabors & Lenhart
(2009), to a teacher’s communication toolkit. These strategies are: 1) Clarify/extend, 2)
Question/tell and 3) Think-Aloud. The Easy Guide provides an explanation of each of these
strategies.
Teachers can create opportunities to build oral language and deepen knowledge through
everyday conversations. One of the most effective strategies for promoting oral language is to
engage students in extended, interactive, and informative conversations. The Conversational
Strategies Easy Guide provides tips for getting the most out of conversations with students.
Listening and talking are the fundamental aspects of conversation and the basis of relationship
forming interactions. Speaking and listening skills learned in the preschool years are essential
to future reading and writing achievement and school success. By using the conversational
strategies of clarifying, extending, questioning, telling, and thinking-aloud, teachers can hone
the art of engaging students in substantive conversation.
For teachers
As a teacher, use your unique understanding of your student’s interests to form the
most successful conversations. If a student has difficulty conversing in English,
conduct a conversation in a student’s home language if you are able.
Oral Language
Communication Toolkit
Conversational Strategies

2. CommunicationToolkitSimplifiedStrategies
OralLanguage
ConversationalStrategies
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2
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Adaptedfrom Roskos,Tabors&Lenhart,2009
Involvethechildinwhatyouaredoing
Verbalizeyourthoughts
Modelhowtothinkthroughataskorproblem
toaconclusion
Think-Aloud
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2
3
4
Jointhechildinanactivity
Drawattentiontopartsanddetails
Maintaininterestwithtalkcontingentonthe
child’sefforts
Offerpraiseandencouragement
Question/Tell
?
Listentowhatthechildsays
Pickupanideafrom thechild’stalk
Addtoit,explainfurther,clarifyanyconfusion
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2
3
Clarify/Extend
Strategies
SimplifiedStrategies,LLC-www.simplifiedstrategies.org