Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
Common Core State Standards, Grade 1, Speaking & Listening · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026
What SL.1.1 Means in Plain English
First graders talk about books and class topics in pairs, small groups and the whole class, with classmates and adults. They listen with care, speak one at a time, answer what the last speaker said, and keep that going for several turns instead of each child giving a speech.
Part c is new to this standard: a child who gets lost asks “What does that word mean?” or “Wait, who pulled first?” instead of going quiet. In kindergarten (SL.K.1) the goal was a talk that keeps going, and 2nd grade (SL.2.1) adds linking one classmate’s comment to another’s.
SL.1.1 I Can Statements
I can listen to my friends with care.
I can talk about what my friend just said.
I can ask a question when I get mixed up.
SL.1.1 Worked Example
Three children, one question about The Enormous Turnip, and two versions of the same small-group talk.
Prompt
Small group after reading The Enormous Turnip: Who helped the most to pull up the turnip? Talk it over until the timer rings.
Not YetRuby: “The old man.” Kofi: “I ate a turnip once. It was yucky.” Dev: “The mouse!” (Ruby and Dev both start talking again at once, and nobody answers anybody.)Three answers and no conversation. Kofi drifts from the story to his own dinner, nobody responds to anyone else, and the talk falls apart when two children speak at once, which breaks the part a rules.
Meets the StandardRuby: “The old man helped the most, because he pulled first.” Dev: “But they couldn’t get it out until the mouse came.” Kofi: “Wait, why did the mouse matter? It’s so little.” Dev: “Because it was the last pull. Everybody pulled together and it popped out.” Ruby: “So maybe everybody helped the most.”Five turns on one question. Dev pushes back on Ruby with a story detail (part b), Kofi asks a question to clear up his confusion (part c), Dev answers it, and Ruby changes her mind because of what she heard.
Moves to Use
Look at the speaker and wait until they finish.One voice at a time: if two start, one waits.Start from what the last person said: “But…”, “And…”, “So…”Stuck? Ask “What does that mean?” or “Can you say it again?”Change your mind out loud when a friend gives a good reason.
Common Mistakes with SL.1.1
Waiting to talk, not listening
Hands wave while a classmate is mid-sentence, and the next comment has nothing to do with the last one
Try this: Make the next speaker begin by naming the last idea, “Ruby said the old man,” before adding their own.
Silent confusion
A child who lost track nods along, then answers a question nobody asked
Try this: Post two clearing-up questions on a card, “What does that mean?” and “Who did that?”, and praise every child who uses one.
The teacher as the switchboard
Every comment goes to the adult, who repeats it, and children never speak to each other
Try this: Sit back from the group, keep your eyes on your notes, and redirect any comment aimed at you with “Tell Kofi.”
Classroom TimerFree ToolThree minutes on the board for a small-group talk, long enough that one answer each will not fill it, so children have to build.3 minutesSmall groupOn the board
Random Name PickerFree ToolSpin for who opens each small-group talk, so the quickest talkers are not always the ones who set the direction.Small groupsWho startsBook talk