Questions for literacy

Question

Viridiana: The old man seems scary but maybe people have just made up stuff about him. Maybe people just think he’s scary but don’t even know if he’s actually nice.

Student: I agree Viri. That’s a great point. I didn’t even think of that but Old man Svenson may just be an ordinary man but people make up rumors about him since he lives alone.

(pause)

Student: I also didn’t like that Wanda walks to school alone and that the girls laugh at her so much. I am curious about why Wanda says she has a hundred dresses and sixty shoes.

4. Notice that the students says more than “I agree. “ or “good point” in replying. How could the reply of the student encourage Viridiana to share and be confident in replying?

Answer 1

Student confirms the worth of Viridiana's contribution by saying "I agree" -- Viridiana's not alone in her perception of what's going on in the story. Student bolsters this by adding "That's a great point." Then Student says, "I didn't even think of that." This tells Viridiana that not only is she not wrong, but that she added a new and valuable insight to the conversation.

Rather than end the conversation, Student offers Viridiana an opportunity to add more, by noticing a similar situation to the one Viridiana underlined, and saying, "I am curious about why....".