A pupil may know relevant facts but find it difficult to organise an explanation, comparison or justification. A short speaking frame can make the relationship between ideas visible without supplying the answer.

The frame should match the reasoning the task requires. It is not a script to use in every lesson.

Choose the reasoning first

Identify what pupils need to do with their ideas. For example:

• explain a cause;

• compare two examples;

• justify a choice;

• connect evidence to a claim;

• describe a sequence; or

• draw a conclusion.

Then provide the shortest frame that exposes that relationship.

Primary examples might include:

• “I think ___ because ___.”

• “My answer is ___ because ___.”

• “Both ___ and ___, but ___.”

• “First ___, then ___, so ___.”

• “The clue is ___, which tells me ___.”

Secondary examples can use the language of the subject:

• “My claim is ___. The evidence is ___. This shows ___.”

• “The two methods differ because ___.”

• “This factor led to ___ because ___.”

• “The result suggests ___; however, ___.”

• “The evidence suggests ___ because ___.”

Model a complete response

Say one strong answer aloud and make the reasoning explicit. Show pupils how each part of the frame has a job.

If essential vocabulary is unfamiliar, teach the small number of terms needed for the response. Do not overload the frame with a word bank or turn it into a gap-fill exercise.

For example, in science:

“The material is a conductor because the bulb lit when it completed the circuit.”

The frame has helped connect the conclusion to the evidence. It has not told the pupil which material to choose.

Let the pupil supply the thinking

Ask the pupil to complete the frame in their own words. Follow up on the connection between ideas:

• “Why does that evidence support your answer?”

• “What is similar, and what is different?”

• “What happened as a result?”

• “Which part of the text led you to that conclusion?”

If the completed sentence sounds correct but the pupil cannot explain the link, revisit the reasoning rather than accepting the frame as proof of understanding.

Use frames selectively

Keep a frame available for the part of the task that is difficult. A pupil might use one for an oral answer before writing, during a paired discussion or when explaining a method.

Avoid giving several competing stems. One well-chosen structure is more useful than a sheet of phrases that the pupil has to search.

Fade the structure

Once the pupil uses the relationship reliably:

1. remove one prompt;

2. replace the full frame with key words;

3. ask the pupil to choose an appropriate structure; and

4. move towards an independent response.

Return to a fuller frame when the reasoning demand changes, such as moving from explanation to evaluation.

Common problems

• supplying the content as well as the structure;

• using the same frame for every type of reasoning;

• rewarding a formulaic answer that does not connect the ideas;

• introducing too much vocabulary at once; and

• leaving the frame in place after it has stopped being useful.

Further reading

• Oral language interventions

• Metacognition and self-regulation toolkit