T. A. G. Strategy

We want our students to reflect on their own work but also to be able to give effective feedback to each other. This is true for writing, conversations, or digital work. It's tough for us as adults and even more difficult for our students - no matter the grade level.

As we have started using Seesaw (https://web.seesaw.me/) and its student Comment feature, I've seen lots of "I like ..." and "That's cool" comments. Not very meaningful.

I recently came across this simple strategy called T.A.G: Tell, Ask, Give. An easy to remember acronym and a good way to get students started in making effective comments.  I've seen several variations but like these descriptors for the acronym:

Tell - something you learned or was meaningful ("like" if they are specific about what they like)

Ask - a question

Give - a compliment or recommendation (depending upon the purpose for the comment)

Download a pdf here.

Here are some additional resources for the T.A.G. strategy:

Librarian Arika: Tell Ask Give Strategy

TAG Samples pdf

TAG Sentence Starters

Any ideas or suggestions on how to use or improve this strategy for students?

Enjoy!