CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.1c

ELA7th GradeComprehension and Collaboration

The Standard

Pose questions that elicit elaboration and respond to others' questions and comments with relevant observations and ideas that bring the discussion back on topic as needed.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts

What This Standard Means

Students need to ask questions that get classmates to explain, give evidence, or clarify their thinking. They also need to answer others in a way that connects to the topic, adds a useful idea, or helps the group refocus when the talk drifts.

Mastery sounds like a student saying, “What part of the text made you think that?” or “Can you explain your reason?” and then building on the answer. Students often get stuck asking yes or no questions, repeating what was already said, or changing the subject instead of connecting back to the shared task.

Ways to Teach It

Give each group question stems on cards, then have students use three cards during a short discussion about a shared article.
Ask students to write one question that would make a classmate explain their thinking, then trade and answer it in pairs.
During discussion, tally each student once for asking an elaboration question and once for giving a relevant response.
Watch a short interview clip, then identify which questions made the speaker give more detail and which did not.