English // Speaking & Listening
Group discussions
Participate actively in collaborative conversations staying on topic; continue a conversation through multiple exchanges; maintain attention in discussions
Quick check
When the learner is chatting with a friend or taking part in a group activity, can they keep a conversation going back and forth — listening, responding, and building on what the other person said?
Ask this to see whether the topic is secure.
Topic // Mastery
What mastery looks like
- Stay on topic during a conversation for multiple turns
- Build on what another speaker has said (e.g. 'I agree because...')
- Maintain focus and contribute meaningfully in group discussions
Topic // Map
Where this fits
- RequiredMust come first
- HelpfulHelps, but not essential
Before this
2 topics- Listening and respondingRequired
Speaking & Listening // Ages 4 to 11
Listening and responding foundational to conversation
- Exploring Ideas Through TalkHelpful
Speaking & Listening // Ages 4 to 6
Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
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Group discussions
Ages 4 to 11 // Method
Leads to
5 topicsSpeaking & Listening // Ages 8 to 11
Coming to discussions prepared extends active collaborative conversation skills
- Describing AloudHelpful
Speaking & Listening // Ages 4 to 8
Conversational skills support oral description
Speaking & Listening // Ages 7 to 8
Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
Personal & Social Development // Friendship & Cooperation // Ages 7 to 9
Resolving disagreements through conversation requires the collaborative speaking skills — staying on topic, building on others' contributions — from Speaking & Listening
- Working Well in a GroupHelpful
Personal & Social Development // Friendship & Cooperation // Ages 7 to 9
Group work benefits from collaborative conversation skills
Topic // Standards
Curriculum standards
- The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document
- Eng.SL.6
English // Speaking & Listening
More in Speaking & Listening
- Asking QuestionsAges 4 to 11MethodAsk relevant questions to extend understanding; ask and answer questions to seek help, get information, or clarify something not understood
- Reciting PoetryAges 6 to 10MethodLearn poems by heart and recite with appropriate intonation, adding visual displays to descriptions when appropriate, and producing complete sentences in spoken…
- Reporting & RecountingAges 8 to 11MethodReport on a topic or recount an experience with organised facts and descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace
- Expressing & Justifying OpinionsAges 4 to 6MethodArticulate and justify answers, arguments, and opinions; participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, and debates
- Identifying Reasons Behind a Speaker's PointsAges 9 to 10MethodIdentify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points, evaluating whether the reasoning is logical and the evidence is relevant
- Evaluating a Speaker's ArgumentAges 10 to 11MethodSummarise the points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence, evaluating the logic and relevance of the support
- Paraphrasing What You HearAges 9 to 10MethodParaphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, capturing the key ideas accurately in one's own words
- Summarising Spoken and Media PresentationsAges 10 to 11MethodSummarise a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats including visually, quantitatively, and orally