Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Common Core State Standards, Grade 4, Speaking & Listening · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026
What SL.4.1 Means in Plain English
Fourth graders come to a discussion with the reading done and notes to point to, follow the group’s rules and carry out an assigned role, like summarizer. They ask specific follow-up questions, link comments to what others said, and close by reviewing the key ideas.
Third graders (SL.3.1) came prepared and said whether the talk changed their mind. Fourth grade adds roles and a closing review: someone states the key ideas, and each speaker explains their thinking in light of the talk. Fifth grade (SL.5.1) asks students to elaborate on remarks and draw conclusions.
SL.4.1 I Can Statements
I can come to a discussion with the reading done and notes ready.
I can carry out my role, like discussion director or summarizer.
I can review the key ideas and explain how my thinking changed.
SL.4.1 Worked Example
One group, one question about a Swedish town that had to move, and two wrap-ups from the student assigned to be the summarizer.
Prompt
Small-group discussion of the article “The Town That Moved,” about Kiruna, Sweden, where an iron mine is cracking the ground under the old town center. The group’s question: was it right to move the town instead of closing the mine? You are the summarizer. When the timer ends, review the group’s key ideas and say where you stand now.
Not YetWe talked about Kiruna. Everybody said a lot of stuff. I think the mine should close, because moving a whole town is crazy.A summarizer’s job is the group’s ideas, and this gives none of them. The speaker’s own opinion arrives without anything from the article, and nothing shows the discussion changed or confirmed it.
Meets the StandardBefore I sum up, Dmitri, did you mean the mining company pays for the new houses? (Dmitri: Yes, it’s on page 3.) Okay, our key ideas. Dmitri showed that the company is paying to move families, so nobody loses their home for nothing. Amara read us the part where people cried as their old street came down. Felipe said the wooden church was rolled to the new center in one piece, so the town kept what mattered most. I came in thinking the mine should just close. Now I think moving was fair, because the company pays for it and the mine is where many of the town’s jobs are.It opens with a question that clarifies a point before repeating it, then reviews one key idea from each speaker by name, each tied to the article. The last two sentences explain the summarizer’s own view and what in the discussion changed it.
Moves to Use
Come with the reading done and notes or page numbers to point to.Do the job your role names, and follow the group’s talk rules.Ask a specific question to clarify a point before you answer it or sum it up.Link each comment to a classmate by name and to what they said.Close by reviewing the key ideas and saying where your thinking landed.
Common Mistakes with SL.4.1
A role in name only
The summarizer says, “We talked about a lot of stuff,” and the word finder never mentions a word
Try this: Give each role a card with one sentence stem, like “Our key ideas were…”, and check that every card got used.
Prepared on paper, not in the talk
A student has six sticky notes in the book but argues from memory and never opens it
Try this: Ask speakers to say where an idea comes from, a page or a note, before the group responds to it.
Questions that go nowhere
“What do you think?” asked of every speaker, so nobody has to answer anything specific
Try this: Model follow-ups that name one exact point, like “Why did you say the move was unfair?”, and post three as stems.
Random Name PickerFree ToolSpin to hand out roles (discussion director, summarizer, word finder) so every student takes a turn closing the discussion.Assign rolesSummarizerSmall groups
Classroom TimerFree ToolRun eight minutes of talk, then a two-minute countdown for the summarizer’s review and each student’s one-sentence takeaway.8-minute talk2-minute review
What question does the summarizer ask before summing up, and why?
“Dmitri, did you mean the mining company pays for the new houses?” The summarizer checks the point before repeating it to the group.
Which key ideas does the strong wrap-up review, and from whom?
Dmitri: the company pays to move families. Amara: people were sad to see their street torn down. Felipe: the church was moved in one piece.
How did the summarizer’s own view change during the discussion?
At first they thought the mine should just close. Now they think the move was fair, since the company pays for it and the mine provides many of the town’s jobs.