For instance, when introducing or summarizing a Christmas story, discussing the children's Christmas presents and the stories behind them seems relevant, as does allowing a charming digression about how "Old Ironsides" is a tourist destination, complete with a place to have lunch. In the latter case, the 'battle' between teacher and student seemed less of a determination to keep the student on-topic than the fact that the student wished to tell her personal experience about the visit to Old Ironsides, during which historical facts were incidentally introduced, while the teacher wanted to make the student's story into a history lesson in a way that ignored the child's personal experience. This made...

However, a presentation about chicks that deteriorated into a story about how the child's presentational materials were Xeroxed seems to be beyond what constitutes an interesting 'reach' and it is odd that the authors see the discussion as equally important as the other examples they cite. Still, it is worthwhile remembering the idea that digressions are both socially and academically useful to create an interested and captivated group about a text. Using personal digressions 'well' before and after a story is discussed is an important skill for every teacher facilitating a group discussion.