41 Walk and Talk
Olivia Capitano
Strategy Overview:
A walk and talk can be conducted as a whole group activity, or one-on-one with a student who needs a behavior cool down, or even at home! Teachers can take their student(s) outside (if it is one student, it can be around the school) and take a lap or two around the field/playground/etc. As the class is walking, the teacher can pose questions that activate students’ senses or spark their curiosity.
Strategy in Action
Sample Questions:
- “Let’s be quiet… what do you hear (smell, see, feel)?”
- Or if you hear a familiar sound, stop and say, “Do you hear that knocking sound? What do you think that could be? Maybe it’s a woodpecker — let’s look up and see if we can spot the bird.” (cite oral)
- Maybe you see construction workers outside of the school and you ask, “What do you think they are building or fixing? Have you ever built something?”
This activity will allow students to listen to the teachers’ questions, talk about their experiences, wonderings, and thoughts, and listen to their classmates’ ideas as well.”
