About the Episode
Episode 7 of the Sing to Speech series focuses on conversational skills to use when learning something about a friend. The original song, “I Wanna Know About You,” provides important facets of social interaction in the chorus. For each verse, a key question is introduced, such as, “What’s your favorite hobby?” The verse then continues with important follow-up questions and comments that can be made to continue the conversation. Examples of these follow-ups includes, “What do you like about that?” and “I like that, too!” It is emphasized that these follow-up questions and comments are related to the key questions so that we stay on the same topic.
This song can be used for students who are working on social conversation for learning about a friend or meeting someone new, as well as for students working on extending conversations with longer responses. By following a simple melody and repetitive musical pattern, students can easily learn many ways to interact with others in social conversations.
Ways to Continue Practicing
Students at home can continue to use this song by creating their own key questions, such as, “What’s your favorite food?” or “Where do you like to hang out?” They can also create new follow-up questions and comments that are specific to the topic at hand. For instance, if the response to “What’s your favorite food” is, “I like pizza,” a student might use the follow-up question, “Do you like pizza with just cheese or pizza with pepperoni?” Furthermore, students can practice in real life by asking these questions to their family members or to friends they may be able to connect with online.