Card

Yes, Because...

This strategy reinforces speaking and listening skills, allowing students to add to peers' statements through summarizing, contributing, making connections, or affirming what others are saying. Students practice skills while engaged in conversation with others.

Yes, Because...

Summary

Working in pairs, participants take turns reading from a list of prompts or statements. The reader's partner elaborates, contributes, or affirms the statement, responding with the phrase, "Yes, because..." This strategy provides a structure to discuss, review, or express learning or ideas. It can be used with any content area and grade level. This strategy is adapted from the "Yes, and..." speaking and listening exercise commonly used in the improvisational theater (improv) community.

Procedure

Use the Fold the Line strategy to create two equal rows (A and B) so each participant is facing a partner in the opposite row.
Hand a prepared list of prompts or statements to the first person in row A. Have participants read one at a time in the order listed (round-robin style).
After the first person in row A reads the first prompt, their partner in row B should reply beginning with, "Yes, because..." and complete the phrase with their own elaboration or affirmation of the prompt.
This pattern continues until each person in row A has read a statement and their partner in row B has responded.
Then, have row B begin the same process of reading the prompts with row A responding with "Yes, because..." and an affirming phrase. Continue until each person has had a turn.