South Dakota ELA 4.SL.1.e

ELA4th GradeSpeaking & Listening

The Standard

4.SL.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

Cooperate and problem solve as appropriate for productive group discussions.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students work with classmates toward a shared answer. When the group disagrees or gets stuck, they listen to each idea and help choose a next step.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student asks classmates to explain their reasons. They suggest checking the story for evidence, then help the group agree on an answer.
Common Misconceptions: Some students think cooperating means agreeing with the loudest speaker. Others repeat their own idea or let one classmate make every decision.
How to Assess It: Give trios this prompt: 'One person says the third little pig was brave. Another says he was careful. Which fits best, and why?' Listen for each student asking for a reason and helping the group decide.

Lesson moves

Give groups four sentence strips from a story and ask them to agree on the strongest evidence for a character trait.
Ask, 'What could you say when a classmate chooses different evidence, so both ideas get heard?'
Play a disagreement relay: pairs draw conflicting character claims, ask each other for evidence, and agree on a claim.
Give groups two snack choices and a class party budget. Ask them to hear each person's reason before choosing one.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 4.SL.1.e, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

Keep exploring

Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.