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Common Core ELA3rd GradeSpeaking & Listening

SL.3.1: Take Part in Collaborative Discussions

Also written as CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1 · Cluster: Comprehension and Collaboration.

Spin for Who Adds OnAll 42 3rd Grade ELA Standards

The Official Wording

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

Common Core State Standards, Grade 3, Speaking & Listening · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What SL.3.1 Means in Plain English

Third graders come to a discussion having done the reading, a page marked to point to. They ask to add on instead of interrupting, link their comment to the last speaker, ask “Do you mean…?” when unsure, stay on topic and say how the talk changed their thinking.

Second graders (SL.2.1) followed the talk rules, linked comments to others’ and asked for clarification. Third grade adds preparation: students draw on the reading and what they already know, then say whether the talk changed their mind. Fourth grade (SL.4.1) adds assigned roles and reviewing the key ideas.

SL.3.1 I Can Statements

  • I can come to a discussion with the reading done and a page marked.
  • I can ask to add on and link my comment to a classmate’s.
  • I can say how the discussion changed or confirmed my thinking.

SL.3.1 Worked Example

One discussion question about armadillos, two replies to the same classmate, and only one shows the speaker did the reading and was listening.

Prompt

Small-group discussion of the article “Little Armored One,” about armadillos. The group’s question: is an armadillo’s shell enough to keep it safe? Respond to Odette, who just said, “Yes. An armadillo just rolls up into a ball, so nothing can bite it.”

Not YetArmadillos look like tiny dinosaurs! I saw one at the zoo and it was digging. Also my favorite animal is an armadillo.It talks past Odette instead of answering her, and none of it comes from the article. It is about armadillos but not about the group’s question, so the discussion stalls.
Meets the StandardCan I add on to Odette’s idea? Odette, do you mean every kind of armadillo? Because I marked page 3, and it says only the three-banded armadillo can roll up into a whole ball. Most armadillos run away or dig a hole fast, since a coyote can still bite their soft belly. So I thought the shell was enough, but now I think running and digging keep them safe too.It asks for the floor, checks what Odette meant, and answers her exact point with a detail from a marked page. The last sentence says how the speaker’s idea changed because of the discussion.
Moves to Use
Come with the reading done and a page or two marked to point to.Ask to add on, or wait for a pause, and speak one at a time.Say the classmate’s name and connect to what they just said.Check that you understood: “Do you mean…?”End by saying how the talk changed or confirmed your idea.

Common Mistakes with SL.3.1

On the topic, off the question

“My favorite animal is an armadillo,” in a discussion about whether its shell keeps it safe

Try this: Write the group’s question on a card in the middle of the table, and have speakers check each comment against it before they talk.

Grabbing the floor

Two students start talking at once, and the louder one wins

Try this: Practice one signal for wanting a turn, like a thumb up at the chest, and let the current speaker finish before anyone starts.

Nodding instead of asking

A student agrees with a comment they clearly did not follow, then repeats it as their own

Try this: Teach “Do you mean…?” and “Can you say more about…?” as the first move whenever a comment is unclear, before agreeing or disagreeing.

Where SL.3.1 Fits

Comes BeforeSL.2.1Follow agreed-upon talk rules, link comments to others’ and ask for clarification.
AlongsideRI.3.1Ask and answer questions about a text and point to the exact words, the preparation a speaker brings.SL.3.3Ask a speaker questions and answer with detail, the same move in a talk instead of a circle.
Comes NextSL.4.1Carry out assigned roles, pose specific questions and review the key ideas of a discussion.

Practice SL.3.1

Random Name PickerFree ToolSpin for who adds on to the last comment, so students keep listening when it isn’t their turn to talk.Add onSmall groupsWhole class
Spin a Name
Classroom TimerFree ToolGive each group five minutes on one question, then one minute where every student says whether the talk changed their mind.5-minute rounds1-minute wrap-up
Start a Timer

Quick Check

  1. Which sentence in the strong reply checks that the speaker understood Odette?
  2. What detail from the article does the strong reply use, and where did the speaker find it?
  3. How did the speaker’s idea change during the discussion?

SL.3.1: Other Names

SL.3.1CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The explanation, I can statements, example, mistakes and practice on this page are EMStudio’s own, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.