Introduction

Communicating effectively is an essential skill for students, especially those in special education settings. One crucial aspect of communication is the ability to make connected comments during conversations. This helps ensure that discussions flow smoothly and prevents confusion. In this blog post, we will explore how to teach students the importance of making connected comments, provide a no-prep activity for educators, and offer discussion questions to stimulate further thought.

No-Prep Activity: Conversation Relay

This no-prep activity is designed to help students practice making connected comments in a fun and engaging way. Simply follow these steps:

1. Divide your students into pairs or small groups.
2. Choose a topic for the conversation (e.g., a recent school event, a favorite movie, or a shared hobby).
3. Ask the students to take turns making comments related to the topic, ensuring that each comment connects to the previous one.
4. After a set amount of time or a certain number of comments, switch to a new topic.

As students become more comfortable with the activity, you can introduce more complex topics or challenges, such as incorporating specific vocabulary or asking students to respond to hypothetical situations.

Discussion Questions

These discussion questions can help deepen students’ understanding of the importance of connected comments and encourage further reflection:

1. What happens when people don’t make connected comments during a conversation? How does it affect the flow of the discussion?
2. How do you feel when someone makes a disconnected comment in a conversation with you? How do you think the other person feels when you make a disconnected comment?
3. What strategies can you use to ensure your comments are connected to the topic of conversation?
4. Why is it important to be aware of the topic and the other person’s comments in a conversation?
5. Can you think of a time when you struggled to make connected comments? How did you handle the situation?

Related Skills

Teaching students to make connected comments during conversations is just one aspect of social-emotional learning. Other relevant skills for students in special education include:

• Active listening: Encourage students to listen attentively to others and respond appropriately to their comments.
• Empathy: Help students develop the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, which can improve their ability to connect with others during conversations.
• Non-verbal communication: Teach students to recognize and interpret facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice to better understand the context of a conversation.
• Conflict resolution: Assist students in learning strategies to navigate disagreements and find common ground during conversations.

Next Steps

Now that you have a better understanding of how to teach connected comments and the importance of this skill in social-emotional learning, it’s time to put these ideas into action. If you’re looking for additional resources to support your students, consider signing up for free samples at Everyday Speech. You’ll find a variety of materials designed to help students develop essential social-emotional skills, including connected comments and more.