Listen, Link and Keep Talking - Year 1

Teach children to use what a partner says to keep a conversation connected. Short teacher-read models introduce a clear sequence: listen, link, add or ask, then listen and reply again. Practical partner and small-group activities build from familiar topics to a fresh bridge conversation and a three-person two-seed conversation.

The unit includes explicit modelling, supported practice, extension, accessible response options and formative checks within each lesson. Children repair an interrupted or unrelated turn and give specific feedback about the conversation. An observation rubric captures pair and group evidence and the help provided without grading personality, accent, eye contact or writing.

What's included

• Unit Plan PDF: 40 portrait pages, including cover/Table of Contents, one teacher quick-start page, five two-page detailed lessons, a response-card teacher key and 27 resource pages.
• Editable teaching presentation: 17 PowerPoint slides.
• Editable quiz: 18 PowerPoint slides; eight questions with immediate answer and explanation slides.
• Three colour display/model pages.
• Eight scene cards across two pages and twelve response cards across three pages.
• Partner and small-group conversation mats.
• Conversation Chain cooperative game: rules and eight challenge cards.
• Five worksheet/reflection sheets: What did you hear?; Keep the same topic; Ask, listen, follow up; Repair our conversation; My conversation.
• Seven matching red answer/model pages: five for the worksheet/reflection sheets and two for fresh assessment contexts.
• Fresh bridge and two-seed conversation assessments and a three-criterion observation rubric.
• 75-page Preview PDF: complete Unit Plan, then all teaching and quiz slides. Page 1 is clean and the remaining pages are watermarked PREVIEW.

Learning focus

Listen for another person's idea; give a linked reply; add a useful detail or question; use a partner's answer; give or invite a turn; repair and reflect on a conversation.

Classroom use

Five lessons; teacher-led modelling; paired speaking and listening; small-group conversation practice; cooperative game; individual evidence gathered within pair and group assessment. Teachers read text aloud. Speaking, pointing, drawing, pictures, communication devices and adult recording are supported. Open-ended models are examples, and other relevant linked replies are accepted.

Formats and answers

Unit Plan: 40-page portrait PDF. Teaching presentation: 17-slide editable PPTX. Quiz: 18-slide editable PPTX. Preview: 75-page mixed-format PDF. Seven matching worksheet/assessment answer or model pages are included, with quiz feedback and a response-card teacher key. Native teaching/quiz text is editable; the original illustrated resource pages are embedded artwork in the PDF.

Teacher benefits

One concise quick-start page; ready-to-use teacher-read models; practical partner/group resources; low-ink worksheet and assessment pages; specific lesson differentiation; fresh-context observation; model responses with flexible acceptance guidance.

Digital product and licence

Digital teaching download. No physical item is supplied. A PDF reader and PowerPoint-compatible software are required. Use and redistribution follow the purchase licence and applicable store terms. Preview pages are intended for pre-purchase viewing.