MS.37 Conversations in Groups
This LifeKnowledge Middle School lesson (MS.37, “Conversations in Groups”) teaches students how to initiate and sustain conversations with people they don’t know well. Students learn three conversation openers, the difference between open-ended and closed questions, and the “free information rule” for picking up on personal clues, then practice the techniques in paired conversations.
At a glance
- Learning objectives
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- Demonstrate methods of initiating a conversation.
- Formulate open-ended questions.
- Identify effectively for personal clues in a conversation.
- Time required
- Instruction time for this lesson: 50 minutes.
- Grade level
- Middle School
- Materials
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- None provided.
- Sheet of paper and a pencil or pen (for students' notes)
- Unit
- Stage Two of Development—WE
- Problem Area
- How Do I Initiate Relationships with Others?
- Precepts
- H2: Present self appropriately in various settings. B2: Interact and work with others.
- Key Terms
- Closed question; Free information rule; Open-ended question
- Resources
- Garner, Alan. Conversationally Speaking: Tested New Ways to Increase Your Personal and Social Effectiveness, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1981.
Downloads & Links
Aligned Standards
National Standards
- NL-ENG.K12.4Communication Skills – Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.