Repeats and reformulations in primary classrooms as windows of the nature of talk engagement∗

This analysis concerns the ways in which primary school‐age children engage the teacher's attention through active solicitation. Examining these interactions reveals both what the children do, and allows the redefinition of a conceptualization of talk engagement. The data are drawn from videotapes of 10 classrooms ranging from nursery through third grade; periods of individualized instruction time were analyzed. A general notion of “vector of activity” emerges from examining “service‐like events” and children's persistent use of “replays” (repeats and reformulations) to engage the teacher's attention.