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I love to do work with mirrors vs windows for students. Our multiple perspectives unit is about seeing other people's perspectives and building empathy leading up to the Holocaust unit. I have students watch SZA/Kendrick's "All the Stars" music video and pick an image from this researched article to analyze further. Each image represents some sort of symbol, theme, or movement in African culture/heritage. This is just one way that I try to make 'window' perspectives meaningful.

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All The Stars Music Video Article - Themes and Visuals

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This is a one-day lesson I do when we begin our Holocaust unit in April. I borrowed this from colleagues, but it really works well to frame the Holocaust (and other similar events) in a way that becomes applicable to their real lives. We also use Ray Bradbury's "All Summer in a Day" to discuss how people isolate others and allow a person with harmful intent (like Hitler) to take over

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What does reading look like in your classroom? Do you provide time for independent reading? Do you take trips to the school library? Do you have a repertoire of titles that students are encouraged to explore? Do you challenge students to explore books outside of their comfort zone?

How do you feel about the answers you just gave? If you aren't satisfied with what reading instruction looks like in your classroom, how could you go about addressing it in the future?

This article that discusses Penny Kittle's ideas/philosophies about Book Talks is SO helpful and important!

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You want your students to read more, but the books aren't exactly flying off the classroom bookshelves. A book talk may be just the tool you need to engage your students in a new book. A book talk could sell your students on the idea of picking up a new title or author or give them the push they need to find a book they love and convince their peers to read it.

[📷: Top image by mrs._cronk on Instagram.]

What is a book talk?

A book talk is a short presentation about a book with the goal of convincing other people to read it. It's not a formal book report or review. And, it's more persuasive than expository-think sales and marketing. In a book talk, the goal is to engage the listeners and present a fun, exciting, and even suspenseful commercial for your book. A book talk could highlight the plot, like this example featuring the book Smile by Raina Telgemeir. It could focus on a character, like this talk on the book Matilda by Roald Dahl. Or, it could recreate a book's mood to ignite readers' curiosity. Teach your students how to do book talks by modeling the practice. Then hand the reins to students by assigning them book talks in partners or as presentations.

What are some good book talk examples?

Books talks can take many forms. Here are some of our favorite examples:

As you get started, use a book talk template to help students organize their talks.

Choosing a book to talk about

Probably the best way to choose a book for a book talk is to find one that you really like. If students need inspiration to find a book to talk about:

Provide a box of books that are recommended for their grade level, like this list for 4th grade.

As you get to know students, slip them a note card with a personalized book recommendation. The personal touch will give them the confidence to know that they can read the book and that it's a good choice.

Focus on a theme, like Women's History Month, by providing a shelf of books inspired by the topic.

Ensure that students will connect with a book by having them choose a book written in first person with characters that reflect their experiences (check out this list of diverse titles for ideas).

Planning the best book talk

You have a book and know you have to sell it, but students need more guidelines than that. Here are some parameters that will maximize the book talk format:

Don't give away the ending (the exception may be for a series or book of short stories where incorporating the ending to one story might excite readers about reading more from that author).

Similarly, show the book, title, and author at the end of the book talk. Don't lead with it! That'll keep the audience engaged and wondering, Have I heard of this book?

Start with a hook that will get the audience's attention. This can be verbal, like reading a portion of the story (perhaps a cliffhanger), or nonverbal, like reenacting a major fight scene.

End with a hook. Leave the audience wanting to know more by creating a cliff-hanger, like authors do at the end of a chapter, and ending with it. A book talk is successful when the audience has questions.

A book talk should be short. Aim for between one and five minutes, depending on your audience.

No two book talks should sound the same! Bring your own personality and voice to the book talk and encourage students to do the same.

Choose a book that has a strong theme that will be of interest to your class. In middle and high school, books about love, humor, magic, friendship, and problems they deal with every day (breakups, family, school, etc.) are likely to resonate.

Prepare for a book talk while you read by taking notes and placing sticky notes at cliff-hangers, quotes, scenes that surprise you, and parts that you connect with.

Think about craft: What does the author do to keep you engaged?

Like any good presentation, don't memorize it but do have your major points in mind.

Engage your audience-ask questions, take a poll, have them guess what will happen next. The author kept you on the edge of your seat, get your students on the edge of theirs.

Practice, practice, practice! (Teacher bonus: Unlike your students, who take your class only once, you can perfect a book talk and give it year after year.)

Book talks = learning and love of reading

So they're fun and spirited, but there are also real academic benefits to incorporating book talks into your classroom:

They get kids reading-really reading. When students do a book talk, they have to know the book and know it well. A book talk will fall flat if they haven't read the book and can't talk about it.

They get kids sharing reading with others. Reading can be contagious, and book talks are a great way to spread a love of reading throughout your class, one book at a time.

They teach note-taking. As students prepare for a book talk, taking notes and using those notes to summarize the story is an important skill they'll develop.

They build presentation skills. The process of reading the book, thinking through how to present it, and practicing are good rehearsal for later presentations.

They build listening skills. When students aren't presenting, they're listening. The practice of participating in book talks, listening, and asking questions refines students' listening skills.

Bringing book talks to the next level

Already do book talks? Here are some ways to kick it up a notch:

The cardinal rule of book talks is to talk about a book you like, but challenge your students to give a book talk about a book they don't like. Can they convince people that they actually liked the book?

Partner book talks: As students get comfortable with book talks, you can pair them up in class or across classes for them to have conversations with peers. As they talk about different books, encourage them to find similarities and differences between what they're reading.

Picture-book talks: Challenge older students to hone their presentation skills by having them give a book talk on a picture book.

Peer review: Create a rubric or checklist (like this one) and have students give each other feedback.

Come and share your book talk ideas in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook. Plus, check out 8 ways to amp up book talks.

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What Is a Book Talk?: Your Guide to Making Them Work in the Classroom

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What is a book talk and how can you use book talks in the classroom? Our WeAreTeachers guide is chock-full of teacher and student tips.

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Tricia Ebarvia's Catalogue of Resources 

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Tricia Ebarvia's Catalogue of Resources 

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Here is an entire list of anecdotes, strategies, recommendations, ideas, reflections, and more from the author in how her perspective has been shaped with the following topics:

"On nurturing (independent) reading..."

"On analysis and critical thinking..."

"On writing authentically..."

"On building community..."

"On other important things..."

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Years ago, my friend Kim Parker recommended I share my “back catalogue” of all the writing and thinking I’ve done about teaching here on my blog and elsewhere. I finally got aroun…

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Here is an hour long webinar from the author in which she discusses the most poignant and impressionable parts of the book. I haven't watched all of it yet but from what I have seen, it's really valuable to hear the integral parts of the process and perspectives that the author brings, and how this then connects to how each of us interpret the text!

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Anti-Bias Literacy Instruction for Stronger Readers, Writers, and Thinkers

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When we read texts, we bring the sum of who we are into that reading experience. Race, gender, and class are just a few of the identities that affect…

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I found an online copy of the study guide for "Get Free", and I think some of the questions would be really great to embed within discussions with students (and of course be tailored towards the appropriate age group, topic/unit, etc) but also for teachers to use in their reflective writing practices as they revisit their pedagogical techniques.

Perhaps some examples of questions to use with students based on the study guide:

What role does narrative storytelling play for readers?

What takeaways might a reader have from a poem that could differ from an informational text?

Why is it important that we read and engage with multiple genres of writing?

Why do you think each of us interpret a text differently? Why is this a good thing when we discuss our takeaways, noticings, overarching themes, etc of a text?

Why is it important to be active listeners and engaged readers? What does it mean and look like to hold these titles?

Perhaps some examples of questions to use with yourself when looking through the lens of a teacher based on the study guide:

What was a time that you failed to truly hear a student and their perspective? How would you do things differently after applying the takeaways we've discussed from this book?

What does your classroom library look like? If your school has a library, what kind of selection is provided there for students? As you reflect and analyze the titles that are present, what are you noticing about the titles that aren't? Are there patterns of specific marginalized groups/identities who are left out of the narrative? How could you potentially make a positive change to these libraries in the future?

In restrictive, censored environments, where could you possibly empower students with choice and agency in exploring their own identities and how this affects they ways in which they interpret texts?

How do you build a community of readers in your classroom? Or if you feel that you need to improve on this skill, what are some steps you could take moving forward?

Think of a a piece of work that one of your students made that really resonated with you. What was it about that piece that stuck with you? How did they make meaning with what they created, and how did you make meaning with it? How do these interactions with their piece differ and also mirror each other?

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A KWL chart has been a classic tool used by teachers as an anticipation guide, pre-assessment, formative assessment, and more. Ebarvia discusses a KWL chart but with a twist, in which another section is considered that is used to discuss students' preconceived notions, including naming and recognizing biases, assumptions, stereotypes, and more that are usually associated with the focused topic being discussed.

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You must understand the systemic systems of oppression in place in our communities & schools

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Guidelines for Inclusive Text Selection 

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Guidelines for Inclusive Text Selection 

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"Is it any wonder that some kids and teens of color don't like to read much?" - referring to how the canon of "educated" literature is predominately white narratives

The texts we ask students to read become the schema of their world and their own place in it.

It is the job of the educator to DISRUPT curricula that is not inclusive

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Set up class in groups of 3

Two students engage in a discussion on a topic going back and forth

The third student takes notes on the positions and points between the two students talking

The third student reads their summary of the convo to the other two to see if it reflects what they were saying

Take turns with one student getting to be the notetaker at least once (3 rounds)

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Use a discussion board and give a scenario

Each student asks a question

Students question each others' questioning to further conversation

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Focused Listening Skills- Partner Talk in a Dyad

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Focused Listening Skills- Partner Talk in a Dyad

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What I Heard, What I Think, What I Wonder

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What I Heard, What I Think, What I Wonder

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Students summarize what they heard the teacher, another student say, a video or audio clip

They reflect on what it makes them think

They write a question about what is furthering their thinking

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What I Heard, What I Think, What I Wonder

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Tell me more...

I'm not sure, but I wonder...what do you think?

I don't know. What do you think?

I used to think...but now I'm wondering...what do you think?

That's an interesting point. It makes me wonder...does this make sense?

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Your POV on an Issue- Use the Compass as a Centering Tool in the Classroom

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Your POV on an Issue- Use the Compass as a Centering Tool in the Classroom

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Where do you find yourself more heavily situated on this compass when a certain topic is discussed?

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"Research shows us that the less a person knows about a subject, the more confident they become in speaking about it...because they don't know what they don't know, they are more confident in the little they do know"

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"Avoidance perpetuates our inability to engage, diminishing our capacity to hold the discomfort necessary for growth"

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"...for it is not difference which immobilizes us, but silence. And there are so many silences to be broken" ~ Audre Lorde

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Write your ideas for the student on a separate sheet of note paper instead of marking up the original work. That way when you are dialoguing with your student they are focused on your conversation instead of just reading the notes.

Making this more of a conversation instead of a "right or wrong" mark up.

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”Many of the students you spend the better part of your day with live a hyphenated life… I tell you that it’s not easy growing up hyphenated in America. The duality of your existence is questioned by implicit or explicit messages around you. You can be seen as just one of “us”- or quickly ushered into a space of othering…You are American when all is well, but quickly labeled by only other parts of your hyphen when convenient by the oppressor” (p. 102)

Have students create identity maps or visual biographies that could help to navigate or represent that hyphen or dual life. You could also do Heart maps, Hand Maps or Home Maps!

I’m sharing a controversial split portrait poster I’ve had kids make in the past in my ESL class to explore the “deficit views” others have of them versus how they view themselves- this could be an activity unshared but in the writer’s notebook

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2 Sided "Real Me" Portrait Art Directions

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”The over emphasis on analytical writing at the expense of narrative writing comes with real costs. Stories, after all, are the heartbeat of who we are as human beings, and there are few, if any, areas of our lives that are not touched by stories” (p. 90)

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1. Teacher Models strategy themselves with the whole class!

2. Have students bring in a photo of themselves when they were younger

3. They exchange with a partner

4. The partner looks at the photo ——> writing 3 things they notice & 3 questions

5. Ask students to look back at their identity inventories at the beginning of the school year to see what identity is represented in the photo

6. Can make a story from the photo or partner could write a story from the “birds eye view” perspective

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Have students write what they are an expert on! It could be the perfect way to eat an Oreo or how to score highest on Fortnite, etc.

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Have your students engage with the visible and invisible parts of their identity!

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Booksource Info: Making Library More Responsive

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Booksource Info: Making Library More Responsive

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This is just some info about what Booksource offers if you want a look into my online library!

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What are ways that you make your classroom safe and inviting? What is a sacred space (time or physical space) that you keep for students ?

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- Getting to know you Jenna

-Teacher writes a letter to students and asks the students to reply —-> Could also further this by partner students to respond to a letter (potentially could make this anonymous by someone else in the class)

- NAPs (Notice & Appreciation) google forms about a student in the class & their writing —-> share later on google classroom & start of class the next day (snaps moment?)

-Show & Tell- I would do this in a speed dating style & allow for students to let their t-shirt be their item if they have nothing to bring in or be willing to print a picture for them to represent an item they can’t bring in

-Notes to the teacher where they write a comment, fear, concern or question from that day, respond to each child —-> builds rapport with the teacher & student on an individual basis (Wow! They read what I write)

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Are you a literature teacher or a literacy teacher?

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"A literature teacher teaches books and everything that they have to offer. A literacy teacher, on the other hand, teaches not what, but how: how to read, think, wonder, critique, evaluate, interrogate, compose, deconstruct, unpack, analyze, question, compare, contrast, synthesize, recommend, and act" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 227).

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"Teaching with an antibias lens requires that we set aside the bias our society tends to place on the Text and instead put our students at the center of instruction and plan around the tensions (the 'big ideas') that can engage their imagination" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 215).

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Try this before teaching a text!

"Finally, when teaching a text that deals with issues that you know could be challenging for your students, one reflection strategy to prepare is to ask two clarifying questions: (1) What's the best-case scenario in teaching this text? (2) What's the worst-case scenario in teaching this text?" (Ebarvia, 2024, pp. 225-226).

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"The framing effect is a simple but powerful cognitive bias: how we introduce an issue or topic affects the way we interpret all subsequent information and make decisions" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 223).

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"And because antibias education is about addressing inequities, we must work to center and amplify the voices of historically marginalized groups-the counternarratives-when building rich text sets for our students" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 221).

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"[...] plan for diverse and inclusive text selection from the beginning of a unit or study rather than treat diversity and inclusion as an 'add-on' to an already existing unit" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 220).

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1. Identity

2. Diversity

3. Justice

4. Action

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Four determining factors to organize a unit of study using tension:

1. Students (who)

2. Context (where/when)

3. Texts (what)

4. Skills (how)

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"The more we can normalize seeking multiple perspectives - ways of seeing, interpreting - in our classrooms, the more students will seek those multiple perspectives outside the classroom walls" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 216).

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"[...] the power and purpose of reading lies in the invitation to wrestle with deep tensions in the human experience: to better understand ourselves, others, and the world around us" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 215).

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"Reading and writing are about imagination. We are stewards of stories and of the imaginative possibilities these stories offer" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 214).

"[...] the texts we teach are a means, not an ends, to engage the imagination" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 214).

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"One of the most critical changes I made in recent years was shifting from teaching a novel to teaching ideas, from teaching a text to teaching students to wrestle with questions and tensions a text and other texts raise" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 214).

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"The most rigorous and challenging academic work students can do necessitates a close and careful examination of the biases they bring to their literary experiences" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 213).

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"The paradox of great teaching remains: the longer you teach, the more there is to learn" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 213).

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“If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together” - Lilla Watson

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How might this wheel be helpful for educators in analyzing the multi-layered complexities of their identities and how they intersect? How about students?

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"This is America", written by Childish Gambino, is an incredibly powerful song that is raw, open, and transformative in its commentary about political and social unrest in the US, with a specific focus on police brutality, gun violence, and systemic racism. He directly "calls out" the harmful bias, prejudice, and stereotypes that are wielded against Black Americans and how misconstrued the Black Lives Matter movement is.

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Childish Gambino - This Is America (Official Video)

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Taylor Swift's song, "Only The Young", was featured in her documentary titled Miss Americana. When examining the lyrics, Swift makes political commentary about the frustrations regarding the Trump administration. This song was born from her process of examining her own identities, bias, and privilege, and finding ways to utilize it for positive change in the future.

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Taylor Swift - Only The Young (Featured in Miss Americana / Lyric Video)

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This is another great strategy that could be used with students to challenge them to expand their understanding and viewpoint of identity. In this first chapter, Ebarvia writes of the importance surrounding teachers' ability to recognize and be self aware of their own identities and the privilege that comes with those (Ebarvia, 2024). It's not only important for teachers to strengthen this skillset, but to inspire their students to do so as well. This wheel is a great visual aid and organizer for students to begin to understand each "piece of their pie" that makes up who they are as an individual.

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The document discusses filling out an identity wheel to learn about oneself. It prompts reflection on which parts of the wheel were easiest and hardest to fill out, and whether any important identities were missing. It then asks the reader to identify an important social identifier and complete sentences about loving, struggling with, wanting others to know about, and never wanting to hear again about that identifier.

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"[...] we must constantly reflect and evaluate on the ways in which we are - or aren't - reaching each student and helping them to grow in their critical discourse skills" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 197).

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Reminds me of Paige's Interactive Demo!

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How to Run & Assess HARKNESS DISCUSSIONS

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"When we consider what equity really looks like in our classrooms, we must have the structure and support that allow all voices, especially those traditionally marginalized, to be heard" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 185).

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IT'S ALSO OUR JOB AS TEACHERS TO PROVIDE A STRUCTURE THAT MINIMIZES HARM WHILE STILL ALLOWING ALL STUDENTS TO HAVE A VOICE

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IT'S ALSO OUR JOB AS TEACHERS TO PROVIDE A STRUCTURE THAT MINIMIZES HARM WHILE STILL ALLOWING ALL STUDENTS TO HAVE A VOICE

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I like this idea of walking around and circling, and commenting on what stands out in their classmates' ideas! I want to try it in my classroom!

"Silent discussions give students the option for being heard without speaking" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 182).

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I would love to try this strategy in my classroom!

"Musical Talk gives students practice in talking to anyone as soon as the music stops" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 179).

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"When we give students clear, manageable structures for their critical conversation practice, students understand their role in the conversation" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 177).

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"I define a 'learning stance' as one that puts humility and curiosity at the center of our interactions with others. A learning stance is one where not knowing versus Knowing is the default position" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 172).

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"The Compass, I explain to students, is a tool to help us find our way when we're in a conversation with others. Sometimes we might feel lost and not know what to say or not to say, but the Compass helps us find something to contribute to the conversation" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 165).

See pages 164-171 for more details

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Ask Students to Name What Makes a Good Conversation

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Ask Students to Name What Makes a Good Conversation

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I would love to try this idea in my classroom!

p. 162

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Celeste Headlee: 10 ways to have a better conversation | TED

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"With a shared understanding of the difference between opinion and informed knowledge, students approach discussions in the classroom with a sense of humility" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 162).

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"Whose voices in your classroom are most often heard and whose are least often heard, whose voices are 'preferably unheard,' and whose voices are even silenced?" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 161).

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Try to read at least one of these books before the beginning of the school year to inform ourselves in navigating conversations about race:

1. Courageous Conversations About Race by Glenn Singleton

2. Race Talk and the Conspiracy of Silence by Derald Wing Sue

3. So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

4. Teaching Race by Stephen Brookfield and associates

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Teacher Success for Critical Conversations

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Teacher Success for Critical Conversations

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"In addition, we can prepare ourselves by viewing student voices with respect, by steeping ourselves in the topics of discussion, and by being ready to support students when a conversation turns to race" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 158).

See pages 158-161 for more details

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Teacher Success for Critical Conversations

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Reframe the challenges of critical conversations to guidelines:

1. Be prepared

2. Establish ground rules for discourse

3. Model and promote a learning stance

4. Support students with structures for conversations that legitimately encourage engagement

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"us that the less a person knows about a subject, the more confident they become in speaking about it - a phenomenon called the Dunning-Kruger Effect" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 156).

Why do you think this is?

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The Dunning-Kruger Effect (Explained in 3 Minutes)

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"We are always teaching from our values, whether we realize it or not" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 155).

Examples of values to have authentic, meaningful, and rigorous critical conversations:

1. Open-mindedness

2. Flexibility

3. Curiosity

4. Care

5. Humility

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"Conversation is inherently dialogical, open to and actively seeking contributions from all participants."

vs.

"But having a critical conversation requires more than an exchange of ideas - it requires us to take a critical look at ourselves, each other, and the world" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 155).

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WE MUST EMBODY A RADICAL OPENNESS TO LEAN INTO CONVERSATIONS IN ALL THEIR COMPLEXITIES, AND, OFTEN, THEIR MESSINESS

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WE MUST EMBODY A RADICAL OPENNESS TO LEAN INTO CONVERSATIONS IN ALL THEIR COMPLEXITIES, AND, OFTEN, THEIR MESSINESS

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"[...] as an exercise to deepen our understanding and seek truth rather than to debate and win" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 153).

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How would you get students into this losing mindset?

"The goal of debate is to win. Yet to apply an antibias lens requires us to lose - to seek and to acknowledge the ways in which our thinking is limited or even wrong" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 153).

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WHEN A DEBATE IS FRAMED TO FORCE STUDENTS TO CHOOSE ONE OF TWO OPPOSING SIDES, AS IT ALMOST ALWAYS IS, THEN DEBATE BECOMES LESS ABOUT UNDERSTANDING THE COMPLEXITIES OF ISSUES AND MORE ABOUT WINNING THE ARGUMENT

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WHEN A DEBATE IS FRAMED TO FORCE STUDENTS TO CHOOSE ONE OF TWO OPPOSING SIDES, AS IT ALMOST ALWAYS IS, THEN DEBATE BECOMES LESS ABOUT UNDERSTANDING THE COMPLEXITIES OF ISSUES AND MORE ABOUT WINNING THE ARGUMENT

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DEBATE PROMOTES BINARY THINKING: AFFIRMATIVE AND NEGATIVE, YES AND NO, PRO AND CON, WINNERS AND LOSERS. MANY, IF NOT ALL, OF OUR MOST PRESSING ISSUES FACING US TODAY CANNOT BE REDUCED, MUCH LESS SOLVED, USING SUCH BINARY THINKING

# data[].attributes.subject
DEBATE PROMOTES BINARY THINKING: AFFIRMATIVE AND NEGATIVE, YES AND NO, PRO AND CON, WINNERS AND LOSERS. MANY, IF NOT ALL, OF OUR MOST PRESSING ISSUES FACING US TODAY CANNOT BE REDUCED, MUCH LESS SOLVED, USING SUCH BINARY THINKING

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"Binary thinking leads to the oversimplification of complex issues" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 153).

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"Given the problems we face in the world today, it is crucial that we make space and time in class for students to discuss issues that they will not only face in the world but that they face right now" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 152).

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CALLS FOR CIVILITY HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY USED AGAINST PEOPLE OF COLOR AND OTHER MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES AS A WAY TO DISMISS THEIR VAILD GRIEVANCES

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CALLS FOR CIVILITY HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY USED AGAINST PEOPLE OF COLOR AND OTHER MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES AS A WAY TO DISMISS THEIR VAILD GRIEVANCES

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AVOIDANCE PERPETUATES OUR INABILITY TO ENGAGE, DIMINISHING OUR CAPACITY TO HOLD THE DISCOMFORT NECESSARY FOR GROWTH

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AVOIDANCE PERPETUATES OUR INABILITY TO ENGAGE, DIMINISHING OUR CAPACITY TO HOLD THE DISCOMFORT NECESSARY FOR GROWTH

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I find this strategy interesting! I could certainly use this in my first-grade classroom. It goes back to my idea of finding a purpose for their work!

"I survey my students to ask what issues they're most interested in learning about" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 151).

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"[...] how can we create conditions that invite students to stay in the conversation, to be present for one another" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 151).

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Transforming Student Engagement Through Dialogue: 3 Approaches for Every Classroom

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By Danielle Isbell & John Sarrouf - Applying the core principles of Essential Partner’s Dialogic Classroom can transform classroom dynamics.

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A QUIET ROOM DOESN'T GUARANTEE LISTENING, JUST LIKE A LOUD ROOM DOESN'T MEAN CHAOS

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A QUIET ROOM DOESN'T GUARANTEE LISTENING, JUST LIKE A LOUD ROOM DOESN'T MEAN CHAOS

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"Making critical conversations central to our work means creating a space in which every student has the opportunity to listen, learn, and speak their truth in ways that move our collective understanding forward with respect, humility, and empathy" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 150).

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This is why there are speaking and listening standards!

"Yet, when we consider the powerful and enduring messages that students internalize as a result of not being heard, or of not learning to listen, we can see why we must teach listening and speaking skills if we want a truly equitable classroom" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 150).

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"[...] we are what we write, and what we choose to write can illuminate much about how we see the world, even if unconsciously" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 142).

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Scan the QR code on page 140 for more details.

Basic Criteria:

1. Ideas

2. Organization

3. Voice

4. Word Choice

5. Sentence Fluency

6. Conventions

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(Ebarvia, 2024, p. 138)

Refer to pages 139-141 for examples of each guideline.

1. Distinguish between assessing student writing (the product) versus assessing student writers (the person).

2. Develop shared language and expectations around the specific areas of focus or skills to be assessed.

3. Practice looking at writing craft together as a class using mentor texts.

4. Provide multiple opportunities for students to self-assess and talk through their own writing.

5. As a teacher, embody the role of reader versus evaluator when assessing writing.

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Such a strong quote! Ties into creating the brave space from chapter 2.

"Yet no matter what identities I might possess, we can signal our support for all students through our choices in the classroom, by being intentional about the voices we feature on our classroom walls, the books we have available in our classroom libraries, or the pronouns we use in our language. Students are watching; every day is a test to see if we are worthy of their trust, if our classroom is a space that is safe enough for them to be brave" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 130).

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How do you decorate a culturally diverse classroom? - Diversity in Mind

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In this post, I share how we decorate our culturally-diverse classroom. With over 60 nationalities, we have plenty of diversity!

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I want to try and remember this when teaching personal narratives this year!

"When students write personal narratives, they are composing themselves and claiming identities" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 128).

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"[...] select mentor texts that will provide students with an opportunity to build empathy for the experiences of others and speak to their own" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 127).

"The more we know about our students, the better able we are to select material in the curriculum to meet their unique needs" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 127).

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"[...] education, at its heart, is about what it means to be human beings living among and with one another" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 126).

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"The clearer students see themselves, the brighter the light they shine on the biases that might be lurking beneath the way they read and write their world" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 126).

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"[...] students explore the complexities of their own identity(ies) and then can apply to their analysis of the identity(ies) of characters as well as their analysis of social issues in their communities and greater world" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 124).

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USMC Marching Cadence Parris Island Marines

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"No matter what mentor texts you choose, providing students with the opportunity to understand their own names and others can be a powerful invitation for self-reflection and developing empathy for others' experiences" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 113).

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"[...] how our initial observations and readings are almost always not only incomplete but sometimes wrong" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 110).

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"What I also appreciate most about this writing is that it reminds students that their identities can shift and change over time" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 108).

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"Asking students to write from photographs also gives them practice in thinking from both a bird's-eye view and an 'outsider' stance" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 108).

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There are two ways to complete this lesson:

1. Have students bring in photos, spanning a wide range of their lives. Students are then guessing as to what was happening in the photo. Then, students are to write and reflect on their photograph.

2. Musical chairs - Move around the room when the music plays. When the music stops, share the photos with someone closest to you. Then go back and reflect.

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Another notebook prompt.

Read Artwell's (2002) Questions for Memoirists.

Students can choose from any of Artwell's questions.

Use in Free-Write Friday.

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Ethos from the Average Joe Writing Prompt

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Ethos from the Average Joe Writing Prompt

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"I use this notebook prompt as a way to introduce the idea of ethos when teaching arguments. Ethos refers to the credibility of the writer, and when writing, it's important to consider the extent to which a writer might need to establish their authority on the subject at hand" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 106).

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Another notebook writing prompt.

"[...] simply asks kids to think about things they know about - topics, issues, hobbies that they know they are an 'expert' on, or at the very least, those things that they might know a little bit more than the 'average' person, however they define that" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 106).

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"Any time we can get students to recognize the complexities behind their identities increases their capacity for reading texts with a greater self-reflection" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 106).

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Another visual form of student identity.

"What I appreciate the most about these pie charts is that they allow students to see the complexities in any area of their identity or otherwise" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 106).

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"The power of drawing is that visuals can often help students capture the contradictions and dualities of their identities in ways that words cannot" (Ebarvia, 2024, p. 102).