More in CommonAn experience by Monica Zambrano(opens portfolio in a new tab)

For teachers

Teaching toolkit

Conversation modeling, language supports, inquiry and creative extensions.

Teach this lessonPrintable bingo & conversation cards

Modeling activity

Conversation 1

A conversation that stops
  1. A: What movies do you like?
  2. B: Action.
  3. A: Cool.
  4. B: …

Conversation 2

A conversation that grows
  1. A: What movies do you like?
  2. B: Action.
  3. A: Which ones?
  4. B: Spider-Verse.
  5. A: What do you like about it?
  6. B: The art style looks like a comic.
  7. A: How did you get into it?
  8. B: My brother showed me.
  9. A: I love that one too! Have you seen the sequel?

“What made one conversation more interesting?”

  1. Act out the short conversation with a volunteer (or play both parts).
  2. Act out the developed conversation.
  3. Ask: "What made one conversation more interesting?" Let partners talk for one minute first.
  4. Collect students' ideas on the board in their words before naming any principles.
  5. Only afterwards, connect their ideas to the reusable follow-up questions.

Conversation cards · Grades 6–8

Follow-ups that work on any card

Which ones?What's your favorite?What do you like about it?Why?How did you get interested in that?Can you tell me more?What makes you say that?What happened next?How about you?

Movies & TV

Open with

“What kind of movies or shows do you enjoy?”

Follow up

  • “Which ones?”
  • “What makes it good?”
  • “Would you recommend it?”

Example conversation

  1. A: What kind of movies do you enjoy?
  2. B: Horror movies.
  3. A: Really? Which ones?
  4. B: The Conjuring.
  5. A: I haven't seen that one. What makes it scary?
  6. B: The music and suspense.
  7. A: Interesting! What else would you recommend?

Challenge · Find it in common: Narrow down: genre → title → favorite scene.

If it's different: "I'm not into that genre, but what got you into it?"

Music

Open with

“What have you been listening to lately?”

Follow up

  • “Which artist?”
  • “What do you like about their sound?”
  • “Favorite song right now?”

Example conversation

  1. A: What have you been listening to?
  2. B: Reggaeton.
  3. A: Which artists?
  4. B: Bad Bunny mostly.
  5. A: What's your favorite song?
  6. B: It changes every week.
  7. A: Same! Which one this week?

Challenge · Find it in common: Find the same artist or song, not just the genre.

If it's different: "I don't know much about them. What should I listen to first?"

Books

Open with

“Read anything good lately — books, comics, manga?”

Follow up

  • “What's it about?”
  • “Who's your favorite character?”
  • “How did you find it?”

Example conversation

  1. A: Read anything good lately?
  2. B: Manga.
  3. A: Which one?
  4. B: My Hero Academia.
  5. A: Favorite character?
  6. B: Deku, because he never quits.
  7. A: I like him too!

Challenge · Find it in common: Find the same series, author, or character.

If it's different: "I haven't read it. What would make me like it?"

Sports

Open with

“Do you play or follow any sports?”

Follow up

  • “Which team?”
  • “What position?”
  • “Best game you remember?”

Example conversation

  1. A: Do you follow any sports?
  2. B: Basketball.
  3. A: Which team?
  4. B: The Spurs.
  5. A: Best game you remember?
  6. B: Last season's comeback.
  7. A: I watched that one too!

Challenge · Find it in common: Find the same team, player, or position.

If it's different: "I'm not a big sports person — what makes it fun to watch?"

Hobbies

Open with

“What do you do when you have free time?”

Follow up

  • “How did you get into it?”
  • “What's the hardest part?”
  • “What are you working on now?”

Example conversation

  1. A: What do you do in your free time?
  2. B: I bake.
  3. A: What do you bake?
  4. B: Mostly cookies.
  5. A: How did you get into it?
  6. B: Watching videos.
  7. A: I've been learning cookies too!

Challenge · Find it in common: Find the same hobby plus one specific detail.

If it's different: "I've never tried that. What would a beginner do first?"

Games

Open with

“What games are you into?”

Follow up

  • “Which one?”
  • “What's your strategy?”
  • “Who do you play with?”

Example conversation

  1. A: What games are you into?
  2. B: Board games.
  3. A: Which ones?
  4. B: Uno and chess.
  5. A: What's your chess strategy?
  6. B: Protect the queen!
  7. A: I play chess too.

Challenge · Find it in common: Find the same exact game.

If it's different: "I don't know that one. How does it work?"

Food

Open with

“What's a food you could eat every day?”

Follow up

  • “Where's the best one?”
  • “Who makes it best?”
  • “Spicy or not?”

Example conversation

  1. A: What food could you eat every day?
  2. B: Pizza.
  3. A: What kind?
  4. B: Pepperoni with jalapeños.
  5. A: Spicy!
  6. B: Yeah, the hotter the better.
  7. A: Me too!

Challenge · Find it in common: Find the same food or the same way you like it.

If it's different: "I've never had it that way. What's it like?"

Travel

Open with

“Where's somewhere you've been or want to visit?”

Follow up

  • “What would you do there?”
  • “Why that place?”
  • “What surprised you?”

Example conversation

  1. A: Where do you want to visit?
  2. B: Japan.
  3. A: Why Japan?
  4. B: The food and the anime stores.
  5. A: What would you eat first?
  6. B: Ramen.
  7. A: I want to go to Japan too!

Challenge · Find it in common: Find the same place or the same reason.

If it's different: "I don't know much about it. What made you curious?"

Personal goals

Open with

“What's a goal you're working toward this year?”

Follow up

  • “Why does it matter to you?”
  • “How's it going?”
  • “What's helped?”

Example conversation

  1. A: What's a goal you have?
  2. B: Make the volleyball team.
  3. A: How are you preparing?
  4. B: Practicing serves every day.
  5. A: What's the hardest part?
  6. B: Staying consistent.
  7. A: That's hard for me too.

Challenge · Find it in common: Find the same goal or the same challenge.

If it's different: "That's different from mine. How did you choose it?"

Future careers

Open with

“If you could try any job for a week, what would it be?”

Follow up

  • “Why that one?”
  • “What would a day look like?”
  • “Who inspired you?”

Example conversation

  1. A: What job would you try?
  2. B: Game designer.
  3. A: Why?
  4. B: I like making levels.
  5. A: What kind of game?
  6. B: A puzzle platformer.
  7. A: I'd love to design games too!

Challenge · Find it in common: Find the same job or the same skill it uses.

If it's different: "I hadn't thought of that. What do they actually do?"

Want to learn

Open with

“What's a skill you want to learn?”

Follow up

  • “Why that skill?”
  • “How would you start?”
  • “Who could teach you?”

Example conversation

  1. A: What skill do you want to learn?
  2. B: Guitar.
  3. A: What songs would you play?
  4. B: Rock, maybe.
  5. A: How would you start?
  6. B: YouTube lessons.
  7. A: I want to learn guitar too.

Challenge · Find it in common: Find the same skill.

If it's different: "That's not on my list, but why does it interest you?"

Curious about

Open with

“What's a question you've always wondered about?”

Follow up

  • “What made you think of it?”
  • “What's your best guess?”
  • “How could you find out?”

Example conversation

  1. A: What have you wondered about?
  2. B: The ocean.
  3. A: What about it?
  4. B: What lives at the very bottom.
  5. A: What's your guess?
  6. B: Glowing fish.
  7. A: I wonder about that too!

Challenge · Find it in common: Find the same question or topic.

If it's different: "I hadn't wondered about that. What's your theory?"

Optional opening: The Five-Second Farmyard

Practice voice, clear instructions, attention signals and self-regulation. Not required for the main activity. Run it from the projector view.

  • • Give specific instructions before you start.
  • • Model the expected behavior yourself.
  • • Speak at a normal conversational volume.
  • • Do not shout over students — wait for the signal to work.
  • • Rehearse your attention signal the same way every time.
  • • Respect sensory and communication differences: nonverbal or quiet participation is fine.
  • • Follow your school's established safety procedures.

Explore our discoveries

“What does this visualization make easy to believe that might not actually be true?”

Student-led discussion comes before any writing. Don't supply conclusions — ask for evidence.

1. Notice

  • What do you actually see?
  • What patterns stand out?

2. Interpret

  • What might it mean?
  • What are you assuming?

3. Support

  • What evidence supports your thinking?

4. Question

  • What don't we know?
  • What else could explain this?
  • What assumptions might be wrong?
  • What should we ask next?

5. Reconsider

  • Has your thinking changed?
  • What evidence changed it?
I notice that…This might mean… because…My evidence is…I respectfully disagree because…Building on what ___ said…Another explanation could be…At first I thought… but now…

Extensions · Grades 6–8

Student interview

Talk first: Plan three follow-up questions with a partner.

  1. Interview a classmate about a shared interest.
  2. Take short notes.
  3. Share one surprising detail.

Compare and contrast

Talk first: Discuss how your interests overlap and differ.

  1. Make a Venn diagram with a partner.
  2. Find one surprise in each section.
  3. Explain it to another pair.

Explain the data

Talk first: Talk about what the word cloud does and doesn't show.

  1. Pick one pattern.
  2. Write a claim with evidence.
  3. Add one limitation.

Collaborative report

Talk first: Agree on a question to investigate as a group.

  1. Choose one interest category.
  2. Gather classmates' perspectives.
  3. Present findings in 2 minutes.

Fictional example — inspiration, not a template

"Three Things the Cloud Didn't Show" — fictional report

Our class cloud showed "Minecraft" as the biggest word. But we only had 15 minutes, and many people said they chose their favorite matches, not all of them. So the cloud shows what was recorded, not what everyone likes.

Students should create their own work in their own voice; this example shows one possibility only.