In the previous session, we examined how teachers go about preparing texts and questions for discussion. In this fourth and final session, we focus on how teachers, once they've prepared the texts and questions, then prepare students to engage in discussions. We envisioned this process of preparing students in two phases. One, the teacher structures how students independently interact with ideas and texts. As teachers, we all know that good discussions can only happen when students arrive to the discussion having read and thought about the material. Even the best prepared teacher can't lead a productive discussion if students come unprepared. So what are some things teachers can do to support students in engaging with ideas and texts ahead of time? Second, once students have individually grappled with taxing questions, how can the teacher structure opportunities for students to collaboratively think and talk about the ideas and text before the whole class discussion. In this session we'll outline some instructional approaches. Ask you to view and reflect upon videos of teachers applying some of these strategies. And then, have you planned how you might do this work in your own classroom? So let's talk about some ways that teachers structures students' independent preparation. One approach is to give students opportunities to think about the big ideas that will be at the heart of the discussion. For example, you could use what's called an anticipation guide, which asks students to take a stance on a range of statements that are relevant to the text. For example, before students begin reading the Great Gatsby, I might ask students to consider to what degree they agree or disagree with such statements as America is still a land of opportunity. You can become whoever you want in America. All is fair in love. If I were preparing students in a history classroom for a discussion on civil rights movement. I might use an anticipation guide before students investigate primary source documents to ask students to consider to what extent they agree with statements like, there are times when it's okay to break the law. Fighting for civil rights is everyone's responsibility. An individual on their own can change the course of history. Statements like these engage students with the topics and ideas at the heart of a text prior to their reading. If you'd like to see more examples of anticipation guides and other tools, we invite you to explore our resources page. In addition to asking students to wrestle with the set of ideas relevant to the text, teachers should also structure students' interaction with the text prior to discussion. This can take the shape of annotating, filling out a graphic organizer, responding to guiding questions, or generating their own questions about texts. For example, you can ask your students to annotate a text with attention to the questions that surface for them as they read, patterns they notice, or passages that evoke a specific emotion. Students can annotate historical documents with attention to the source, the date, and what questions surface about an account's perspective or reliability. Graphic organizers are also useful tools for structuring students' textual interaction in relation to our goals for student learning. For example, if my goal is that students will understand how authors shape characters, I might use a graphic organizer that asks students to track what characters say and do as well as how the author describes them. If my goal as a history teacher, is to help students understand how to use evidence from multiple primary sources to construct a historical argument. I would use a graphic organizer that provide students with space to record textual excerpts, interpret this evidence and consider this evidence collectively in order to draft a thesis statement for their argument. Again, we invite you to explore our resources page which includes a variety of examples of graphic organizers. So those are some approaches to preparing students to independently interact with texts and ideas. And now it's time for them to practice, in smaller groups, the kinds of discussion skills you want them to use during whole class discussion. For example, let's imagine that your goal for students learning, in terms of speaking and listening skills, is that students will be able to ask followup questions that ask for evidence. Students will need practice asking their peers to back up their assertions with evidence. So how might a teacher structure this kind of practice opportunity? Let's take a look at a video of a teacher doing this work. In the video, you're about to watch, the teacher, Emily is pairing students for discussion. You'll see Emily explicitly teach her students a new discussion skill and provide opportunities for students to practice in small groups how to enact this skill. As you watch, note your responses to the following questions. One, what do you notice about how the teacher introduces the new discussion skill? And two, what do you notice about how she structures students' practice?
