Speaking & Listening in KindergartenSL.K Standards

Short answer. These standards grade something you've been teaching since your child could babble: how to have a conversation. SL.K asks kindergarteners to take turns talking, stay on topic through several back-and-forth exchanges, ask questions when they don't understand something, and describe familiar people, places, and events clearly enough that a listener can follow.

Two clusters split the work. Comprehension and Collaboration covers the listening half: following discussion rules, confirming understanding of a read-aloud by asking and answering questions, and asking for help when something's unclear. Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas covers the speaking half: describing things with detail, adding drawings to a description, and speaking audibly. If your child's teacher mentions 'turn and talk' at conferences, this is the domain she's referencing.