1 question that lingers

Categories can be changed depending on group or activity

 

Purpose: Save the last word is a small-group discussion protocol that lasts 20–30 minutes and is designed to help participants pull the main ideas out of a text, listen to one another, and build on one another's ideas.  Participants read a text in advance and choose a sentence or passage they consider important or striking. After a participant has read the passage he or she has chosen aloud, the other participants each have one minute to respond. Then, the first participant gets "the last word," with two to three minutes to explain why she/he chose that passage and to connect her/his thinking to that of her fellow participants.

 

Process/Ritual:

 

1. Participant A reads aloud the selected text (he/she may also direct group members to this excerpt in the actual text).

 

2. In a go-round, one at a time, each group member makes at least one comment about the selected text:

 

● I think that quote means…

● I think the author is saying…

● How does the word/phrase, “______” connect to…?

● What do you think the author means when he writes, “________”?

● I agree/disagree with _____ because ___________.

● I’d like to add on to what ____ said about _______.  _________

● This quote develops the author’s idea that…

● I’m a little confused by how/why…

 

 

3. Participant A then concludes the go-round:

● I chose this quote because…

● I think the author is saying…

● I’m not sure what the author means by, “__________”

● _______ helped me understand that ____________

 

 

4. The group then repeats the process for additional group members.

Decide…What have you decided to do about it

Discipline…What’s a 3 step plan of action

The classroom is broken up into groups of 4-5 with each group being assigned a letter. Every student in the group is assigned a number. Each group discusses the topic questions. When the classroom re-convenes the teacher can call on a group and choose a number from the jar and the student with the corresponding number is asked to discuss the group's answer. This strategy encourages students to speak who do not normally speak in the classroom setting and allows all students to have a discussion point from their group discussion.

Where were you?

What were you reading?

Were you able to read it and enjoy it? 

Could you get through the text?

 

Tell your partner about that experience 

 

When you’re done I want to show you a video:

 

 

After the participants watch the video, I have them reflect on the GAZILLION rules of reading in English.

 

Now on the tri-fold paper I have provided write a response for:

1)    the grapho-phonemic rules that Ricky encountered in section 1

2)    how many vowel phonemes there are in the English language in section 2

3)    how many grapho-phonemic rules there are in the English language in section 3

 

We come back to the large group and participants display their responses when I ask the three questions.  Normally, no one gets this correct, but it definitely gives them an idea of how difficult English is and facilitates the opportunity for academic discourse.

 

It is so difficult at times for a native speaker to project themselves in an ELL experience.  Although this video is funny, imagine a child making these mistakes, in front of their peers and on a daily basis.  This gives participants a perspective of an EL experience.

Do you struggle with student led discussion strategies? Been there; done that!  Before this school year started, as I was thinking of what I might focus on for a blog series, I kept coming back to the idea of classroom discussion. It’s the heart of what an ELA classroom is about. Our foundation is built on the exchange of ideas, the use of speaking and listening skills to process and further student learning.  Yet, depending on the class, it can be like pulling teeth to get a discussion rolling.  

If you are a tech-savvy soul, you will also want to check out this post about tech discussion strategies and tools for student discussion.

The Gist:  If you’re looking for a way for students to run their own discussion (hello, Danielson Framework Domains 2 and 3!), this is a simple and effective discussion strategy for you! When I first started thinking purposefully about student discussion during my national board process, this one of the first teaching hacks I used. 

Have students sit in a circle.  Give each student three different Silo cups – red, yellow, and green.  Discuss with students the procedure for using the cups during discussion:  they will invite their peers into the conversation based on the cup color displayed.  They are building a conversation with each other, not with you, the teacher.  This is a paradigm shift for many students, especially if they aren’t used to student-led discussion, and you may have to remind them that they are not looking to you for “approval” during the conversation. They should be most concerned with what their peers are saying.  

Tips:  Have students track their own participation and reflect/goal-set after a discussion. To encourage productive student led discussion, you may also need to jump in and call on students who haven’t had an opportunity to talk. At first, your participants may not always follow the norm of equity during discussion. That’s to be expected. Students usually catch on pretty quickly after I’ve done this a few times, especially if I have clearly set norms for conversation.  Hearing my voice means they are not doing their job!  A simple fix is to make sure students all know the names of other students in the class.  I digress, but it is always worth it to make time for team building.  In the beginning of the year.  During the year.  Always!

The Gist:  The basic premise of a snowball discussion is that students will form larger and larger groups over time.  This is great student led discussion strategy to use if you have a series of questions that build on each other or if you want students to hear a variety of different opinions while incorporating a bit of movement.  Most recently, I chose this type of discussion as a processing tool after students watched “The Danger of a Single Story” and responded individually to some questions about Adichie’s themes and ideas.  I had students start out with a partner, and then “snowball” to continue the discussion with another partnership and a different question.  By the time we formed one large “snowball,” the class was warmed up and ready to discuss.  Their last and largest question focused on the big picture “so what” and personal application of the TED talk to their own lives.

Change it Up:  If you want students to practice argumentation skills and have debatable question prompts, you could purposefully select certain students to be the “devil’s advocates” in the midst of the snowball discussion.

The Gist: Speed dating is one of my favorite student led discussion tools if I want to incorporate movement and a variety of different student partnerships.  I divide the class in half and line them up on different sides of the classroom (or hallway).  One of these lines stays in place. One of these lines rotates, with students moving to the left or right to a new discussion partner when I direct them to do so or after a certain number of minutes. Students who get to the end of the line will rotate back to the beginning of the line.

Change it Up: Have students form two concentric circles.  Again, one circle rotates and the other does not.  Set a time limit, and instruct students to rotate to their left or right to find their next discussion buddy.

The Gist: This is great as a warm-up, to help students process a complex topic, or to practice the skill of building a conversation. I will have students stand in a circle or sit on their desks. Everyone must “say something” new about a text or topic.  Each student must briefly summarizing the conversation/comment that came prior to his or her comment before building the conversation, playing devil’s advocate, or continuing with a new idea.  This reinforces the idea that one’s voice in a discussion does not exist in isolation and is really entering into a conversation.  It also challenges students to think of different perspectives and explore different angles for discussion and analysis since they cannot repeat something that has already been said. Like all good discussion strategies, this one is flexible. Want to continue around the circle another time? Sure!  Highlight a rock star moment to “spark” a new discussion topic for students to consider?  Sure!

Tips: As a teacher, you need to be ready and willing to jump in and “flag” a comment as a repeat.  You also may have to help students build a conversation at first by showing excitement, modeling effective “building” and “summarizing” comments, and asking questions.  You can even give this responsibility over to students/a teacher’s assistant.  Have him or her hold up a red card or wave a red flag if a comment repeats rather than extends the conversation.  

The Gist: This student led discussion strategy works well when students all have read different texts and are coming together to discuss a common theme.  It also works well if you want students to explore one text, but from different character perspectives or different analytical lenses. Students form lines, or sit in rows fanning out from a smaller circle of chairs/desks placed in the center of the room.  Throughout the discussion, students rotate into the center seat, seamlessly continuing the conversation.  To see this discussion in action, plus more tips, I suggest checking out this Teaching Channel resource.

The Gist: This tried and true student led discussion strategy is well-known, so I won’t spend a lot of time describing it. The premise of a fishbowl is that students discuss as a small group in the center of the room while the rest of the class observes. I have found that this works best when you set a purpose for the students who are not discussing.  What are they watching for or which student are they watching?  Will they write a reflection or respond to a brief question on Google Classroom afterward?  Are they going to be having their own discussion via a chat tool such as Today’s Meet?  Do you want to keep it lighthearted with by having the students play Fishbowl Bingo?

Change it Up: Assign one or two students as “coaches” to one student inside the fishbowl.  Give them a whiteboard or signs to hold up in order to “coach” the fishbowl participant.  

The Gist: This is student led discussion gold! Assign students any topic to research and discuss as “experts.” This works well if you want students to “teach” the class about different topics or explore inquiry-based questions. 

Change it Up: Allow students to rotate in and out of the panel or allow the audience to ask questions which, in turn, direct the conversation.  You could even set up dueling panels to facilitate exchange of ideas on two sides of an issue or synthesis of two related topics.

The Gist: This is a written student led discussion strategy.  Students respond to a question or write about a topic for a set amount of time before “passing” the paper to a partner who then writes for another set amount of time.  After two rounds of response and writing, the paper is passed a third time. This time, each student has to read the two previous responses and “synthesize” them together.  You may want to provide students with sentence stems for synthesis and response. This has natural extension to share-out or a whole-class share out.

Change it Up: Trash talk:  Have students wad their papers up into small balls and “throw” them into the air or to another student.  Each student grabs one, smooths out the paper, responds, and then wads it up again to pass it on.  

The Gist: Think of this as a student led discussion on wheels. Students write or create something and then present it to the class by posting it on a wall or table in the room.  You may choose to divide the class and have half of the students stand by their paper or project in order to explain it to their peers as they stop by, or you may have all students circulate, taking notes to identify trends, ideas with which they agree or disagree, or leaving a sticky note comment/response for each student.  

Tips:  After spending time in the “gallery,” you can have students come back together to discuss what they learned, trends they observed, and extend their learning with a “big picture” application or synthesis question. You could also have students return to their posted work and categories sticky notes left by classmates, write a written reflection, or share out briefly.

The Gist: I’ve used this to generate classroom discussion about reading homework by asking students to “graffiti” the board or a large sheet of paper with a meaningful quote and image to represent their reading.  Then, I ask students to look at the wall and look for trends and patterns to connect the quotes and images together.  You can also ask students to then select a quote or image that they did not personally contribute to the graffiti wall and respond to it in writing before sharing out with a partner, small group, or with the whole class.

Change it Up: You can create an online graffiti wall using Google Drawings or Padlet.

I hope you have gained a new teaching idea or two. Sometimes the best experiences come from a slight tweak or change-up of a tried-and-true discussion strategy. Here’s to flexibility and responsiveness!