Linking Your Comment to Theirs

A 40-minute Grade 2 lesson on discussion rules and on linking a comment explicitly to what somebody else said.

Linking Your Comment to Theirs is a free 40-minute Grade 2 English lesson plan for Common Core standard SL.2.1 — discuss a topic in a group, linking your comment to what was just said. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the meaning, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.

Grade:: Grade 2
Length:: 40 minutes
Standard:: SL.2.1

Grade 2 · Speaking & Listening

SL.2.1

Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

Objective

Students will be able to follow the class discussion rules and start a comment by linking it to what the previous speaker said.

Students are successful when they can

Waits for the speaker to finish and looks at them while they talk.
Starts a comment with a link, e.g. "Building on what Ada said..." or "I agree with Sami because...".
Names the earlier speaker's idea correctly before adding their own.
Asks the group a question to bring in somebody who has not spoken.

What you need

Poster of three discussion rules: look at the speaker, wait for the end, link your comment
Sentence stem cards: "I agree with ___ because...", "Building on what ___ said...", "I see it differently because..."
A talking object such as a beanbag
The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — the broken conversation

5 min

Ask two children to help act out a bad conversation. Child 1: "I like dogs because they are friendly." Teacher: "My favorite color is green." Child 2: "We had pasta for tea."
Ask: "Was that a conversation? What went wrong?" Fish for "nobody listened" and "they all talked about different things."
Replay it well. Child 1: "I like dogs because they are friendly." Teacher: "I agree with Maya, because my dog always wags his tail when I get home."

“A conversation is like a chain. Each comment has to hook onto the one before it.”

Teach — hook on, then add

13 min

Show the rules poster and read the three rules. Add the hand signal for "I want to link": two fingers hooked together.
Pose the discussion question: "Should our class get a pet fish?" Model the first comment yourself: "I think we should, because fish are calm and easy to feed."
Ask a child to answer with a stem card. Coach them to name you: "I agree with Mr. B because..." or "I see it differently because...".
Point out the two parts on the board: Part 1 — the hook (who and what they said). Part 2 — the add (your new idea or reason).
Model a weak link and a strong link. Weak: "I agree." Strong: "I agree with Sami that fish are easy to feed, and also they are quiet, so they won't disturb us." Ask which is better and why: the second repeats the idea and adds something new.
Show the disagreeing stem politely: "I see it differently from Rana, because fish need their water cleaned every week."

“First hook on: say whose idea you are talking about. Then add: tell us something new.”

Guided practice — the chain

12 min

Groups of four sit in a circle with the beanbag and a stem card each. Question: "Is it better to play inside or outside at recess when it rains?"
Only the child holding the beanbag speaks. Each comment must start with a stem and name the last speaker.
The teacher walks round and listens for the hook. If a child says "I think inside" without a hook, ask: "Whose idea are you linking to?"
After two rounds, each group reports one strong link they heard, e.g. "Building on what Leo said about the wet grass, we could play board games inside."

“Before you talk, ask yourself: who am I hooking onto?”

Independent practice

8 min

Students complete the printable. One sheet gives a discussion situation and a sentence with a missing word to finish, such as "I see it ___, because..."; the other asks them to write what they will say before a discussion.
Remind them that every finished sentence should be something a person could say aloud in the circle.

Close

2 min

One child gives a comment on "Should we have longer lunch?" A second child links to it out loud using a stem. The class checks: did they name the idea?

What goes wrong, and why

Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.

Says "I agree with Ada" and then gives an idea that has nothing to do with Ada's comment.

Why: They have learned the stem as a polite opening phrase, not as a promise to talk about the same idea.

Fix: Ask them to repeat Ada's idea first: "What did Ada say?" Only then add. Model "I agree with Ada that fish are quiet" so the idea is named, not just the person.

Repeats the last speaker word for word: "I think fish are easy to feed too." and stops.

Why: They have hooked on correctly, but think matching the last comment is the whole job, because agreeing feels like joining in.

Fix: Point to Part 2 on the board, "add." Ask: "What new reason can you give?" Give the word "also" as a bridge.

Waits for their turn without listening, then says the idea they had planned all along.

Why: Planning what to say feels like the important part, so attention goes inward while others talk.

Fix: Before any child speaks, ask them to summarize the last speaker in five words. If they cannot, ask the last speaker to repeat, and give them another go.

If they are not there yet

Give one stem only, "I agree with ___ because...", and practice it before adding the disagreeing stem.
Pair the child with an adult who models a hook before the child tries one.
Let the child draw their idea before the discussion so they can listen instead of holding the idea in their head.

If they finish early

Act as discussion leader for one round: invite quiet children in and sum up what the group agrees on.
Link to two earlier speakers in one comment: "Ada said X and Leo said Y, and I think both are right because...".
Disagree politely with a reason and an example, then change your mind out loud if someone gives a better reason.

Exit ticket

Sami said: "We should plant flowers by the gate because bees like them." Write what you would say next to link to Sami.

What to look for: A named link plus a new idea: "I agree with Sami about the bees, and also flowers make the gate look nice." A bare "I agree": hooks on but does not add. A new topic with no link: needs the chain warm-up again. A polite disagreement with a reason is a strong answer.

Printable practice for SL.2.1

Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.

Linking Your Comment to TheirsFinish each sentence.

Questions about Linking Your Comment to Theirs

How long does the Linking Your Comment to Theirs lesson take?

40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.

Which standard does Linking Your Comment to Theirs teach?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1 — SL.2.1, Speaking & Listening for Grade 2: “Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.” In plain terms, discuss a topic in a group, linking your comment to what was just said.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

Poster of three discussion rules: look at the speaker, wait for the end, link your comment, sentence stem cards: "I agree with ___ because...", "Building on what ___ said...", "I see it differently because...", a talking object such as a beanbag and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.

What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?

Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: says "I agree with Ada" and then gives an idea that has nothing to do with Ada's comment; repeats the last speaker word for word: "I think fish are easy to feed too." and stops and waits for their turn without listening, then says the idea they had planned all along. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.

How do I know whether the lesson worked?

The exit ticket asks: “Sami said: "We should plant flowers by the gate because bees like them." Write what you would say next to link to Sami.” A named link plus a new idea: "I agree with Sami about the bees, and also flowers make the gate look nice." A bare "I agree": hooks on but does not add. A new topic with no link: needs the chain warm-up again. A polite disagreement with a reason is a strong answer. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.

Is there a worksheet to go with Linking Your Comment to Theirs?

Yes — 1 printable SL.2.1 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.

Is Linking Your Comment to Theirs free to use?

Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on October 8, 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.

Last reviewed 2026-10-08. Aligned to SL.2.1 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.