Activities

1. Collaborate with several students to make an anchor chart with group discussion rules.
   
   
2. Collaborate with several students to make a four-square anchor chart with discussion ideas for active listening, respectful feedback, sharing your ideas, and keeping the conversation going.

3. Given a question, after watching a background or informational video, participate in a Think, Pair, Share discussion.
   
   
4. Given the question, “Should students be required to volunteer in the community,” participate in a Get Off the Fence discussion. 

5. Given a rigorous literary text, read text and participate in a Socratic Seminar.  
   
   
6. Given the topic, “School should be held year round,” discuss with your group, the benefits, drawbacks and what it might look like logistically. 

Answer Key/Rubric

1. Student collaborates with several students to make an anchor chart with group discussion rules.  Anchor chart is correct and complete.  Student listens to other group members.  Student collaboration is respectful.  Student remains with group.  Student uses voice that is appropriate.  Anchor chart contains rules such as:

• Listen carefully without interrupting.
• Respect each other’s opinions.
• Give feedback in a kind way.
• Use voice that is appropriate.
• Stay with your group.

2. Student collaborates with several students to make a four-square anchor chart with discussion ideas for active listening, respectful feedback, sharing ideas, and keeping the conversation going.  Student listens to other group members.  Student collaboration is respectful.  Student remains with group.  Student uses voice that is appropriate.   Anchor chart contains an adequate number of correct ideas about discussion.  For example:

3. Given a question, after watching a background or informational video, participate in a Think, Pair, Share discussion.  Student thinks about given question (Think).  Student shares his thoughts with the person next to him (Pair).  Student listens carefully to the person’s thoughts next to him (Pair).  Student gives positive or constructive feedback to partner, if appropriate (Pair).  Student and partner may combine their ideas or choose the best idea and share with whole class (Share).  Student uses a voice appropriate to the partner conversation.  Student remains next to his partner.  Student uses a voice with adequate volume to share ideas with class.  Student’s ideas are conveyed to class in a clear way.
   
   
4. Given the question, “Should students be required to volunteer in the community?” student participates in a Get Off the Fence discussion.  If student agrees with the statement, he moves to the right side of the room along with other students who agree.  If student disagrees, he moves to the left side of the room along with other students who disagree.  If the student is not sure, he moves to the center of the room with other students who are not sure.  Student clearly explains his/her opinion, based on where he/she stands in the room.  Student can give an example that backs up his/her opinion.  Student closely listens as other students explain their opinions.  Student may move his/her position in the room if he/she is persuaded by another speaker’s ideas.  If the student changes positions, he/she clearly explains why he/she moved and why his/her opinion changed.     
   
   
5. Given a rigorous literary text, student reads text and participates in a Socratic Seminar.  Student closely reads and studies text.  Student annotates open-ended questions he/she wants to pose to the group for clarification or feedback.  Student sits in small circle with several other students.   Student poses questions clearly to other group members.  Questions may not have one right answer.  Questions might similar to:

• What do you think was meant by this line…
• This part of the text meant a lot to me because…
• Why do you think the author…

     Student listens for their clarification or feedback.  Student makes notes.  Student responds to other group members questions.  Student listens
     without interrupting.  Student is respectful of other’s opinions and ideas. Student gives appropriate feedback.  Student uses a voice appropriate to the
     discussion.  Student remains in group.  Student builds on others’ ideas and comes up with new conclusions or ideas.  Student expresses ideas clearly. 
     Student knows how to keep discussion going if there is a lull.  For example, student may ask, “John, you haven’t said much, what do you think?”  
     Student understands discussion is not a debate, but a collaborative discussion in which ideas can be exchanged and built on.  Student has increased
     understanding of text after the Socratic Seminar.     

6. Given the topic, “School should be held year round,” student discusses with his group, the benefits, drawbacks and what it might look like logistically.  Student listens to other group members.  Student collaboration is respectful.  Student remains with group.  Student uses voice that is appropriate.  Student builds on others’ ideas.  Student expresses his ideas clearly.  Student makes notes.  Student notes include multiple benefits of year round school.  Student notes include multiple drawbacks of year round school.  Student has a reasonable plan of what year round school may look like logistically.