Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
Common Core State Standards, Grade 2, Speaking & Listening · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026
What SL.2.1 Means in Plain English
Second graders discuss books and class topics in small and large groups. They get the floor politely, tie their comment to an earlier speaker’s (“That goes with what Mia said”), and ask what someone meant when an idea is unclear, instead of nodding along.
First graders (SL.1.1) answer the person who just spoke and keep a talk going for several turns. Second grade reaches further back, linking a comment to something said earlier, and asks a speaker to explain more. Third grade (SL.3.1) adds coming prepared, with notes from the reading.
SL.2.1 I Can Statements
I can wait for a pause before I start talking.
I can connect what I say to what a classmate said.
I can ask a friend to explain an idea I don’t understand.
SL.2.1 Worked Example
One small-group question about a class pet, two versions of the same three-way talk, and the difference is whether anyone links back.
Prompt
Small-group discussion: Our class can get one pet this spring. Should it be a goldfish? Talk it over until the timer rings, then share what your group thinks.
Not YetMia: “Yes, goldfish are cute.” Leo (talking over her): “My cousin has a lizard!” Jada: “I think no.” (The group goes quiet and looks at the timer.)Three separate comments with nothing linking them. Leo grabs the floor mid-sentence with a story that is off the question, and nobody asks Jada why she said no, so her reason never comes out.
Meets the StandardJada: “My goldfish lived for six years.” Mia: “I think yes, because goldfish are easy to feed.” Leo (waits for Mia to finish): “Can I add on? Mia said they’re easy to feed, and Jada said hers lived six years, so a goldfish could stay with our class a long time.” Jada: “But somebody has to clean the tank.” Mia: “What do you mean, clean it? Do we take the fish out?” Jada: “No, you scoop out some old water and pour in clean water, every week.”Leo waits for a pause and asks to add on (part a), then joins Mia’s point to one Jada made earlier (part b). Mia asks Jada to explain what cleaning means (part c), and the answer teaches the whole group something new.
Moves to Use
Wait for a pause or raise your hand, then say “Can I add on?”Look at the speaker and listen to the whole idea.Link your idea to a classmate’s: “That goes with what Mia said.”Ask “What do you mean?” or “Can you tell more?” when an idea is unclear.Talk only about the question your group is discussing.
Common Mistakes with SL.2.1
Comments that float alone
Each child says one opinion, and no comment mentions anything another child said
Try this: Give every child two talking chips, and have them name whose idea they are connecting to each time they spend one.
Grabbing the floor
Two or three children start at once, and the loudest voice decides the topic
Try this: Teach two polite ways to get the floor, a raised hand and “Can I add on?”, and practice them in a fishbowl round.
Nodding instead of asking
A child hears “clean the tank,” has no idea what that involves, and says nothing
Try this: Model “What do you mean by…?” in your own talk, then praise the first child who asks it of a classmate.
Random Name PickerFree ToolSpin for who adds on next, so every child practices linking to the comment before theirs, not only the confident three.Who adds onSmall groupsWhole class