How to introduce Talk Trees
It may feel intimidating to talk to your students about how they are contributing to classroom discussions, so here’s a playbook to help you first introduce Talk Trees to your students.
1
First, start a conversation with students about why classroom discussion matters. You might say:
Today we’re going to talk about our class discussions and why they matter. I’ll ask a few questions, first discuss them with a partner, then we’ll share as a group.
Ask students:
Do you think talking with other students in class matters? Why or why not? Does it matter more for certain activities or topics?
When do you feel most comfortable sharing your ideas? When do you feel least comfortable?
What could we do as a class to have better discussions?
2
Next, introduce Talk Trees by explaining what they are, how they help track and celebrate student talk, and what the different parts of the tree represent.
Show students a Talk Tree and ask:
What do you notice? What flowers do you see (or not see) and what might that tell us about our conversations?
What goals could we set for our discussions?
What actions would help us reach those goals, and how might that appear on the tree?