Cincinnati Public Schools Content: English Language Arts, Secondary

Professional Development

Date: 22 October 2018 Subject: Questioning and Discussion

Location: Walnut Hills HS
Time Allotted: 120 minutes

Employed strategies: Think-Aloud Text Set, Jigsaw, Turn and Talk, Think-Pair-Share, Round Robin Share

Text Set:
“The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson
Excerpt from Being and Time, Karl Heidegger (11-CCR, AP)
“The Trouble With Tradition”, Human Rights Watch (10-12)
Bullfighting article (7-8)
New Year’s Traditions article (<7, ELL, SWD)

Time Activity/Instructions
Allotted

Pre-Presentation

(SLIDE 1) Before everyone begins, please ask all participants to engage in the Secondary ELA Adopted
Resources survey. Explain that only 50 secondary teachers participated, and that is only a few teachers
to make decisions for many, many classrooms. If a teacher says they have engaged in the survey, they
do not have to complete the survey a second time.

(SLIDE 2) Facilitator ensures all participants are signing into the session. Ready for each participant in
the room should be:
-1 materials packet (excerpts from “The Lottery” and accompanying informational readings)
-1 Questioning and Discussion Strategies handout
-1 Questioning “Stairstep” Handout
-1 stack of Post-Its
-Parking lot (on wall accessible to participants)
Parking lot categories (in quadrants)
-Questions about Questioning
-Questions about Discussion
-Ah-Ha! Moments
-Reflections/Next Steps
-Baggie with colored cards
-Classroom arrangement should be formed in grouped structure (pods, tables, groups of desks)

(5 minutes) Icebreaker
Materials: Baggie with colored cards (6+ cards per bag)
Strategy: Circle Reflection stems; Give me three

(SLIDE 3) Participants will select a colored card from their bag - the color of the circle will determine the
sentence stem they will discuss. Have participants stand and pair up with a participant with a different
color card, and share their response to their sentence stem. (2 minutes)

Have participants pair up with another person with a different colored circle, and share their response, as
well as the response from their previous partner. (2 minutes)
 Then have participants return to their seat. Use “Give Me Three” strategy to have three participants
share either the response to their sentence stem or something they heard from a person they paired up
with. (1 minute)

(5 minutes) Review Agenda and Norms

(SLIDE 4) Facilitator reviews agenda with group. Facilitator can expound on any section particularly
important to the day’s goals, giving a brief highlight of each step. (2 minutes)

(SLIDE 5) Facilitator reviews norms and logistics with the participants. Facilitator asks if the group
agrees to adhere to these norms. The group can add or challenge norms at this time, but facilitator
should remind the group to keep the norms to a short, focused list.
This is also probably the best time to inform participants of the location of the restroom. (3 minutes)

(20 minutes) AM Session review

Materials: Post-It notes

Strategies: Quick Write, Turn and Talk

(SLIDE 6) Remind participants that the goal of the morning session was to help all teachers be able to
answer these three questions in the frame of their own practice. Per request, the two high-effect
strategies that faculties asked to review were questioning and discussion.

The goal of this session is to see some more of these strategies in practice through the CPS Secondary
ELA Curriculum Framework, and reflect on how we, as practitioners, can help students reflect with
intention and depth as they progress through the curriculum.

This may be a time for teachers to see if they have any questions based on the morning session that
they can add to the parking lot NOW, and see, by the end of the session, if any of the questions were
answered. (5 minutes for all above)

In pairs, have teachers discuss,”What are the major issues are with implementing discussion and
questioning strategies in our classrooms?” (5 minutes)

(25 minutes) Discussion Questions with Increasing Complexity

Strategies: Turn and Talk, Whole Group Discussion

(SLIDE 7) Open up discussion to participant group with the following: “What do questioning and
discussion have in common within our classrooms?” Have participants turn and talk to their shoulder
partner. Ask for participants to answer with responses their partner shared.

Reinforce here that questioning and discussion both contribute to feedback and assessment. Both
increase our effectiveness to gauge student understanding of the curriculum, give power and ownership
to students to direct their own learning, and build student confidence to ask for clarification, being
unashamed of their mistakes. (5 minutes)

(If participants give pushback, facilitator should reinforce that this sometimes requires a culture shift or a
[very] tightly controlled and regulated environment, allowing students the freedom to make the mistake.
Either way, it is up to the teacher to decide which needs are best for their students, and how they can
put the power to determine learned content back into students’ hands.)
 Explain that you are going to walk the participants through a deliberate series of questions, and open up
the questions to whole group discussion.

(SLIDE 8) Display the excerpt from Karl Heidegger’s Being and Time on the projection space. Ask
participants to read the passage silently.

Facilitator should take the conversation through the following questions, in order, to keep pushing the
whole class discussion into further depth:

-What does Heidegger have to say about tradition?

-What is tradition supposed to “transmit”?
-If Heidegger says that tradition makes us forget that they had an origin, why do we continue them?
-Does tradition affect our ability to have an awakening?
-How does tradition inform our actions?

(Facilitators: If you believe that these questions are being answered before they are asked, you can
modify the questions, or further encourage the conversation to be continued by participants before you
ask another follow-up question.) (15 minutes)

(SLIDE 9) After the short discussion, ask participants to look at the slide demonstrating funneling
questions versus focusing questions. Explain that you began the last conversation with focusing
questions, and ended the conversation with focusing questions.

Solicit responses from participants: “Study the chart. What are the significant differences between
funneling and focusing questions?” Allow responses to be shared amongst the group.

(SLIDE 10) Review the definitions given for each category of questions. These quotes are taken directly
from Visible Learning from Literacy. Ask if teachers have any further reflections on the type of questions
presented.

(10 minutes) Break (10 minutes)

(SLIDE 11: If there is more time needed because the conversation above went over time, modify
and adjust the break time as necessary.)

(40 minutes) Balancing Text Sets with Questioning and Discussion Strategies

Supplies: ‘Stairstep’ Questioning Handout, “The Lottery” Text Set

In reference to slide 10, clarify that the questions in Category 1(“some questions”) aren’t ‘bad’; they
simply help a student with building beginning schema and understanding. The questions in Category 2
(“other questions”) allow for higher-order, open-ended thinking and responses, expanding opportunities
for creativity and skills assessment.

(SLIDE 12) This slide explains the function of scaffolding questions as a route to a more open-ended,
thematic inquiry. Explain that scaffolding questions require readers to be more “information-dependent”,
looking directly at texts and various sources to generate responses. However, the questioning should
evolve away from just texts and go to a broader and wider approach, where a reader would use multiple
sources to support an idea or claim.

(SLIDE 13) Explain the process using the Heidegger excerpt shown on slide 7. As you click through,
explain that the questions began as text-dependent, and progressively evolved into something more
open-ended. The focus question at the top was the goal of the entire discussion, but the scaffolding was
necessary to allow students to answer with ease. Explain that each question should bring the student to
a greater independence to answering the focus question, allowing the student to access the given text,
 as well as make other text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world connections to better answer the focus
question. Questions should be treated as access points. The fewer students that can access the broad
focus question, the more scaffolding questions may be required for students to be successful.

(SLIDE 14) This slide walks through the questioning approaches to reach a focus question in English 10,
Unit 1. For each scaffolding question, a text and at least one discussion strategy were considered in
order for students to reach the question. Writing products were not yet determined; this is for
questioning and discussion. Explain that the idea behind the questions present were to assess, and
ultimately, give feedback to students to see if they are understanding the text with a particular thematic
framework.

(SLIDE 15) The text set that all teachers will have was taken with the following unit in mind: English 9,
Unit 2.

The read-aloud excerpts were taken from Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” – one of the texts
recommended for this unit.
The non-fiction texts were taken from a variety of sources to demonstrate how differentiation can occur
within the unit, the implementation of the text, or to accommodate the reading levels within the
classroom itself.

The groups upcoming will create questions and discussion according to text difficulty. That does not
mean the questions themselves should be more difficult, but the readings become more accessible for
readers that need more help.

Teachers will be creating a set of questions and a follow-up discussion for an imagined set of students.
Teachers will get into four groups – randomly number 1-4. Each group will be assigned an informational
text to connect to the three passages. Objective will be to connect the passages regarding tradition to
the text, “The Lottery”.
Objective 1: Create three questions that elicit discussion and help students connect with our focus
question: How do people react to “This is what we have always done?” (standard modes of behavior,
traditions, social mores, etc)
Objective 2: As a group, think about what structures could be used in order for students to thoroughly
discuss the texts and make connections.
Teachers will be asked to discuss their thinking, and what they want students to determine or
understand. (30 minutes)

(SLIDE 16) Distribute ‘Stairstep’ handout to all participants. Explain that teachers will use handout to
create scaffolded questions to arrive at focus question. Teachers will work in groups

Each group will use any (or all) of the three excerpts of “The Lottery” with the following passages:
-Group 1: Heidegger excerpt
-Group 2: “The Trouble With Tradition”
-Group 3: Bullfighting article
-Group 4: New Year’s Traditions article

After 30 minutes of work time, ask groups to nominate a speaker to discuss the processes they created
as a group. Facilitators: make sure that teachers get to the focus question, and discuss the strategies
they want students to use to interact, and why. (10 minutes)

(5 minutes) Adding to Our Strategy Bank

Supplies: Post-Its, Questioning and Discussion Strategies Handout

(SLIDE 17) From both the AM and the PM session, the following strategies were used. Have them
 quietly think about the intentional use of the grouping, the questioning, the discussion setup that has
been used throughout the day.

Show participants the slide with all the strategies that have been used throughout the day.

(SLIDE 18) Then, ask participants to consider discussion and questioning strategies/considerations that
have NOT been used today. Allow time for participants to share out various strategies that have had
some success in their classroom. Nominate a scribe to write such strategies on a poster-sized Post-It
note, allowing time for participants to debrief the strategies and considerations.. (5 minutes)

(SLIDE 19) Hand out Questioning and Discussion Strategy Bank sheet to all participants.

(10 minutes) Next Steps/Closing

(SLIDE 20) Again, using the colored cards, the facilitator will ask the participants to reflect on their use of
questioning and discussion strategies.

Facilitator will ask some participants to reflect, specifically those with orange and yellow cards. Ask
those participants to write their questions/concerns on a post-it, and put the post-it on the parking lot.

(SLIDE 21) Finally, engage in plus/delta session, asking for constructive criticism of the professional
development session.

(SLIDE 22) Thank participants for their engagement and attention; transition to exit survey.

-fin-
From Being and Time, Martin Heidegger

Public Domain

Our preparatory Interpretation of the fundamental structures of Dasein1 with regard to the average kind of Being which is

closest to it (a kind of Being -i.Q. which it is therefore proximally2 historical as well), will make manifest, however, not only

that Dasein is inclined to fall back upon its world (the world in which it is) and to interpret itself in terms of that world by

its reflected light, but also that Dasein simultaneously falls prey to the tradition of which it has more or less explicitly

taken hold. This tradition keeps it from providing its own guidance, whether in inquiring or in choosing. This holds true-and

by no means least-for that understanding which is rooted in Dasein's ownmost Being, and for the possibility of developing

it-namely, for ontological3 understanding. When tradition thus becomes master, it does so in such a way that what it

'transmits' is made so inaccessible, proximally and for the most part, that it rather becomes concealed. Tradition takes

what has come down to us and delivers it over to self-evidence; it blocks our access to those primordial4 'sources' from

which the categories and concepts handed down to us have been in part quite genuinely drawn.1 Indeed it makes us

forget that they have had such an origin, and makes us suppose that the necessity of going back to these sources is

something which we need not even understand. Dasein has had its historicality so thoroughly uprooted by tradition that it

confines its interest to the multiformity5 of possible types, directions, and standpoints of philosophical activity in the most

exotic and alien of cultures ; and by this very interest it seeks to veil the fact that it has no ground of its own to stand on.

Consequently, despite all its historiological6 interests and all its zeal for an Interpretation which is philologically7

'objective', Dasein no longer understands the most elementary conditions which would alone enable it to go back to the

past in a positive manner and make it productively its own.

1
Heidegger’s term for “being present” - an absolute presence and awareness of the surrounding world.
2
situated toward the point of origin or attachment - “My car was proximally located to the apartment
building.”
3
of or relating to ontology, the branch of metaphysics that studies the nature of existence or being as
such - “Religion’s collective creation myths are ontological texts.”
4
pertaining to or existing at or from the very beginning - “Amoebas are considered Earth’s primordial
ancestor.”
5
having many different shapes, forms, or kinds - “A multiformity of texts exist when non-verbal media is
included.”
6
the study or knowledge of history - “Social studies teachers are often proficient in historiology.”
7
philological - the branch of knowledge that deals with the structure, historical development, and
relationships of a language or languages
From “The Trouble With Tradition”

Published by Human Rights Watch, 2018

In Saudi Arabia, authorities cite cultural norms and religious teachings in denying women and girls the right to participate

in sporting activities—“steps of the devil” on the path to immorality, as one religious leader called them (Steps of the Devil,

2012). In the United States in the early 1990s, “traditional values” was the rallying cry for evangelist Pat Robertson’s

“Culture War”—code for opposition to LGBT and women’s rights that he claimed undermined so-called family values.

Today, it is familiar rhetoric of the US religious right, which has used the same language to oppose gay marriage and to

accuse political opponents of undermining tradition and “Western civilization.” And in Kenya, the customary laws of some

ethnic communities discriminate against women when it comes to property ownership and inheritance; while some

traditional leaders have supported transforming these laws, many others defend them as embodying “tradition” (Double

Standards, 2003). As one woman told us, “They talk about African traditions, but there is no tradition you can speak of—

just double standards.”

International human rights law—including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against

Women, and the Protocol to the African Charter of Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa—calls for

customary and traditional practices that violate human rights to be transformed to remove discriminatory elements.

United Nations treaty monitoring committees, such as the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Committee

Against Torture (CAT), have also stated that customs and traditions cannot be put forward as a justification for violating

rights. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in June 2012 told the New York Human Rights Watch Film Festival, “In all

regions of the world, LGBT people suffer discrimination—at work, at home, at school, in all aspects of daily life…. No

custom or tradition, no cultural values or religious beliefs, can justify depriving a human being of his or her rights.”

But such authoritative statements have done little to dampen growing support among UN member states for resolutions

that support “traditional values.” Not only did September’s HRC resolution pass easily—with 25 votes for, 15 against, and 7

abstentions—it was the latest in a series of efforts that Russia has championed in an effort to formalize an abstract set of
universal moral values as a lodestar for human rights. In October 2009, for example, the HRC passed a resolution calling

for the UN high commissioner for human rights to convene an expert workshop “on how a better understanding of

traditional values of humankind … can contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights.” And in March 2011,

the council adopted a second resolution requesting a study of how “better understanding and appreciation of traditional

values” can promote and protect these rights.

Tradition need not be out of step with international human rights norms and standards. For many people living in rural

areas, such as parts of sub-Saharan Africa, traditional values interpreted in customary law may be the only recourse to

any form of justice. Nor is the substance of the HRC resolution all bad. It does not, for example, necessarily indicate a

global consensus (many countries, including some from the developing world, did not support it), and its text specifically

states that “traditions shall not be invoked to justify practices contrary to human dignity and that violate international

human rights law.”

But unfortunately, such language can seem out of touch with a reality in which “tradition” is indeed often used to justify

discrimination and crackdowns on rights—especially those of women and members of the LGBT community, among

others—and is easily hijacked by nations determined to flout the rights of particular groups and to quash broader social,

political, and legal freedoms.

In such environments, “tradition” subordinates human rights. It should be the other way around.
Ban on bullfighting is reversed by the court in a region of Spain
By Agence France-Presse, adapted by Newsela staff
12/07/2016
On Thursday, Spain's Constitutional Court cancelled a bullfighting ban in Catalonia. The decision is likely to worsen
tensions between Spain's capital, Madrid, and the separatist region of Catalonia. It also drew an outcry from animal rights
activists.
The decision represents an important victory for supporters of the centuries-old tradition. These supporters have long
sparred with animal rights organizations that believe bullfighting is a cruel, outdated event.
In a statement, the court argued bullfighting was classified as part of Spain's traditions. Therefore, a decision on banning
it was a matter for the central government, which could overrule Catalonia – a semi-independent region.
The ban has been declared "unconstitutional and void," it said.

Catalonia Was The First Region In Spain To Ban Bullfighting

Catalonia's regional parliament voted to get rid of bullfighting beginning January 1, 2012. This came after animal rights
groups gathered 180,000 signatures for a petition.
It was the first region in mainland Spain to ban the tradition, though the Canary Islands abolished bullfighting in 1991.
Catalonia is a region of Spain with its own language, a fierce sense of identity and a desire to seek independence from
Spain. When the bullfighting ban was first introduced there, critics argued it was motivated more by politics than by
animal rights.
The court decision is likely to increase already-high tensions between Madrid and Catalonia. The regional government in
Catalonia is making moves to separate from Spain and has announced a vote on the issue next year.

Politicians Weigh In On The Decision

The decision drew immediate reactions from politicians on both sides of the divide.
"In the Spanish state, it's unconstitutional to ban the public torture and murder of an animal. Enough said," tweeted Gabriel
Rufian, a Catalan separatist lawmaker in national parliament.
Meanwhile Alicia Sanchez-Camacho, part of the conservative Popular Party that took the ban to court, said she
"welcomed" the decision.
She tweeted that the party would "continue to defend" freedom and bullfighting.
Even Spain's animal rights party PACMA criticized the decision as politically motivated.
"Once more they have been found to use animals in a political war," said party member Ana Bayle.
"They don't know anything about animals, nor do they care."

Bullfighting Is Controversial
The debate does not only touch on Spain's intense issues of regional independence.
Bullfighting has drawn increasing disagreement and protests around Spain in recent years.
No other region has banned bullfighting since Catalonia made the move. However, in June, the Castile and Leon region in
the northwest of Spain abolished the killing of bulls at town festivals.
The move targeted the region's controversial Toro de la Vega festival. There, horsemen chase a bull and spear it in front
of onlookers.
Several cities have also put a stop to bullfights or bull-running festivals over the years.

Some Claim It Is An Important Part Of Spanish Culture

But supporters of bullfighting, known as "aficionados," are not giving up without a struggle.
They see bullfighting as an art that is a central part of Spanish culture, like flamenco. This Spanish art form includes
singing, dancing and guitar playing.
Spain's first pro-bullfight lobbying group, the Bull Foundation, is made up of bull breeders, matadors (bullfighters) and
"aficionados." This group argues that bullfighting is good for the economy, maintaining around 200,000 jobs directly or
indirectly.
Simon Casa is a former matador whose company now manages bullfighting rings in Madrid and other cities. He
welcomed the court decision.
"It's an art form that is part of the identity of some people," he said of bullfighting. "It was totally absurd that a political
institution – the Catalan government – was able to ban it."
"The debate wasn't about liking or not liking bullfighting, being for or against it, it was a constitutional issue and the court
sorted it out," he added.

Other Traditions Involving Animals

Other controversial traditions involving animals have also been banned over the years. This includes throwing a goat off a
tall church steeple to a crowd below.
Others, however, continue to take place. For example, people still place flammable balls of tar on the horns of bulls. They
set the balls on fire and then let the animals loose in the street.

© Agence France-Presse, 2016. It is expressly forbidden for Subscribers located in France or Japan to use this AFP text article for any purpose

whatsoever, including for personal use.

The history of popular New Year's traditions

By ThoughtCo, adapted by Newsela staff

12/21/2017

The start of a new year is a moment of change. It is a time to reflect on the past. It is also a time to look ahead to the

future. The past year may have been good or bad. Either way, the hope is that better days are ahead.

People celebrate New Year's all around the world. Over the years, they have created different traditions to ring in the next

chapter. Here are some of the most popular.

Auld Lang Syne

The official New Year's song in the U.S. is "Auld Lang Syne." It is actually a song from Scotland. "Auld Lang Syne" means

"for old times." People started singing it over 200 years ago. Today, it is sung in countries all over the world.

Times Square Ball Drop

One of the most famous New Year's events is the Times Square ball drop. It takes place in New York City. A ball is

mounted on a flagpole at the top of a tower. It is huge and sparkly. The ball drop happens at midnight. First, people count

down to the new year. At midnight, the ball is lowered in Times Square. This tradition has been around for more than 100

years. The first ball drop welcomed the year 1908.

New Year's Resolutions

Another New Year's tradition is making resolutions. This tradition is an old one. It probably began with the Babylonians.

These ancient people lived about 4,000 years ago. The Babylonians held a festival each year. People made resolutions to

win favor with the gods. A resolution is a promise to do something. People might promise to pay off old debts. Some

would promise to return things they had borrowed.

People still make resolutions today. For most people, resolutions are goals for themselves. The most popular are saving

money and feeling less stressed out.

New Year's Traditions From Around The World

How does the rest of the world celebrate the new year?
In Greece, people bake a special pie. A coin is hidden inside it. At midnight, the lights are turned off. Families begin cutting

the pie. Whoever gets the coin is said to have good luck for the entire year.

China, Vietnam and Korea celebrate the lunar new year. This is usually in February. The Chinese mark the New Year by

hanging red lanterns. They also give envelopes filled with money.

Islam is one of the world's main religions. People who practice Islam are called Muslims. In Muslim countries, the new

year is also based on a lunar calendar. The new year is called "Muharram." It falls on different dates each year. People

celebrate by praying at their mosque. A mosque is a place of worship in Islam.

Importance Of New Year's Traditions

New Year's traditions are about honoring the passage of time. They give us a chance to reflect on the past. They also help

us look forward to the future.

“The Lottery” Close Reading #1

Mr. Martin and his oldest son, Baxter, held the black box securely on the stool until Mr. Summers had stirred the papers

thoroughly with his hand. Because so much of the ritual had been forgotten or discarded, Mr. Summers had been

successful in having slips of paper substituted for the chips of wood that had been used for generations. Chips of wood,

Mr. Summers had argued. had been all very well when the village was tiny, but now that the population was more than

three hundred and likely to keep on growing, it was necessary to use something that would fit more easily into the black

box. The night before the lottery, Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves made up the slips of paper and put them in the box, and it

was then taken to the safe of Mr. Summers' coal company and locked up until Mr. Summers was ready to take it to the

square next morning. The rest of the year, the box was put way, sometimes one place, sometimes another; it had spent

one year in Mr. Graves's barn and another year underfoot in the post office. and sometimes it was set on a shelf in the

Martin grocery and left there. There was a great deal of fussing to be done before Mr. Summers declared the lottery open.

There were the lists to make up--of heads of families. heads of households in each family. members of each household in

each family.

There was the proper swearing-in of Mr. Summers by the postmaster, as the official of the lottery; at one time, some

people remembered, there had been a recital of some sort, performed by the official of the lottery: a perfunctory tuneless

chant that had been rattled off duly each year; some people believed that the official of the lottery used to stand just so

when he said or sang it, others believed that he was supposed to walk among the people, but years and years ago this

part of the ritual had been allowed to lapse. There had been, also, a ritual salute, which the official of the lottery had had to

use in addressing each person who came up to draw from the box, but this also had changed with time, until now it was

felt necessary only for the official to speak to each person approaching. Mr. Summers was very good at all this; in his

clean white shirt and blue jeans. with one hand resting carelessly on the black box. he seemed very proper and important

as he talked interminably to Mr. Graves and the Martins.

“The Lottery” Close Reading #2

"They do say," Mr. Adams said to Old Man Warner, who stood next to him, "that over in the north village they're talking of

giving up the lottery."

Old Man Warner snorted. "Pack of crazy fools," he said. "Listening to the young folks, nothing's good enough for them.

Next thing you know, they'll be wanting to go back to living in caves, nobody work any more, live that way for a while. Used

to be a saying about 'Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.' First thing you know, we'd all be eating stewed chickweed and

acorns. There's always been a lottery," he added petulantly. "Bad enough to see young Joe Summers up there joking with

everybody."

"Some places have already quit lotteries." Mrs. Adams said.

“The Lottery” Close Reading #3

"It's Tessie," Mr. Summers said, and his voice was hushed. "Show us her paper. Bill."

Bill Hutchinson went over to his wife and forced the slip of paper out of her hand. It had a black spot on it, the black spot

Mr. Summers had made the night before with the heavy pencil in the coal company office. Bill Hutchinson held it up, and

there was a stir in the crowd.

"All right, folks." Mr. Summers said. "Let's finish quickly."

Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones. The pile

of stones the boys had made earlier was ready; there were stones on the ground with the blowing scraps of paper that

had come out of the box Delacroix selected a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands and turned to Mrs.

Dunbar. "Come on," she said. "Hurry up." Mr. Dunbar had small stones in both hands, and she said. gasping for breath. "I

can't run at all. You'll have to go ahead and I'll catch up with you." The children had stones already. And someone gave

little Davy Hutchinson few pebbles.

Tessie Hutchinson was in the center of a cleared space by now, and she held her hands out desperately as the villagers

moved in on her. "It isn't fair," she said. A stone hit her on the side of the head.

Old Man Warner was saying, "Come on, come on, everyone." Steve Adams was in the front of the crowd of villagers, with

Mrs. Graves beside him.

"It isn't fair, it isn't right," Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her.
 Questioning and Discussion Strategies for the Classroom

Gallery Walk -Stations or posters set up around classroom, on walls or tables.

-Students are set up in groups, traveling and working together to perform some kind of task.

Philosophical -Begin with a statement that has two possible responses (agree/disagree)
Chairs -Students move from one side of the room or another, coordinating with their opinion/position
-Students take turns defending their positions
-When students respond to an opposing idea, the student begins by summarizing what they
heard, then responding with an “I Statement” or a follow-up question.
-Absolute two-sided conversation could be replaced with a continuum organization.

Pinwheel -Students are divided into 4 groups

Discussion -Three of the groups are assigned a specific point-of-view. Fourth group plays “devil’s
advocate” to keep conversation continually challenging.
-One person from each group forms a “pinwheel” – students pose questions to one another
that are prepared in advance
-As conversation continues, have one group rotate in and out of the pinwheel to get different
perspectives.

Socratic -Students begin to prepare by reading a text/group of texts in advance of conversation

Seminar -T gives instruction on writing higher DOK (focusing) questions to continue conversation
-T assigns discussion leader(s) to keep conversation going; other S can either locate or
prompt others to locate textual evidence to reinforce responses.
-Discussion should happen naturally; students should not raise their hands to speak, but
students should also conduct the conversation in a professional and cordial manner.

Fishbowl -Variation of a Socratic seminar – Students still need to prepare by reading a text/group of
(Inner-outer texts in advance.
circle) - Students form concentric circles: Part of class sits within larger circle and begins discussion
Discussion
-Outer circle takes notes on inner circle discussion; eventually, students switch roles to further
comment/critique first seminar, or continue discussion with different questioning, articles, etc.

Concentric -Students organize themselves in concentric circles, with one student facing another.
Circle -Teacher poses a question to the whole group, and pairs discuss responses with each other
Discussions under timed constraints.
(aka Speed -After time expires, inner circle rotates and conversations continue.
Dating) -Can be used with multiple different discussion questions, as a peer teaching format, or to
gain multiple perspectives on the same question.

Conversation -Students are organized into groups of 4-6

Stations -Each group is given a question or a discussion topic; questions/topics can be the same or
different
-Group assigns 1-2 students to stray from the group and sit with other groups, learning what
they discussed.
-After students return to home groups, they share what they have learned with the original
group, comparing discussions for similarities and differences.

Hot Seat -A student assumes the role of a book character, significant historical figure, or a concept (i.e.
(aka tornadoes, social media, a restaurant’s kitchen)
“Characters -While the student sits in front of the rest of the class, other students take turns asking
on Trial”) questions. The expectation is that the student in the ‘hot seat’ remains in character.
 Hot Seat -Hot Seat can be expanded to a ‘hot panel’ to gain perspective on an entire cast of
(cont.) personalities.

Backchannel -While any classroom activity is occurring, students can ask questions using backchannel
Discussions websites such as Mentimeter, BackChannel Chat, and GoSoapbox. It is recommended that
(Online students are given parameters to structure their questions, as they are posted publicly.
‘parking lots’)
-Students and teachers can attempt to answer questions at any time during the activity.

Sentence -Teacher distributes sentence frames to use with a specific discussion topic.
Frames/Talk -Students are required to use the sentence frames as they speak, to keep the discussion
Moves moving
-Frames help students remain on-task and engage in a more formal, academic discussion.
-Sentence frames can help students paraphrase, ask for clarification, dis/agree, add detail, and
summarize ideas.
Examples:
-“You made a good point when you said…”
-“That makes/doesn’t make sense because…”
-“Another way to look at it is…”
-“Are you saying that…?”
-“What I heard you say is…”
-“Can you please clarify…?”

Jigsaw -Small student groups are assigned a piece of a class-reviewed text.

-Students are given a particular task, so they become experts on the piece of reviewed text.
-Teacher then orchestrates structure for the whole class to learn about their specific piece of
the reviewed text.

DOK -Teacher begins with funneling questions to clarify student schema.

Sequencing -Teacher then continually asks questions going through DOK levels, ending at Level 4, open-
ended questions.
-Students can work in groups or individually on questions, working toward contributing to a
larger group.

Teacher -Strategically get other students within groups (not just the ones that ALWAYS answer the
Selection questions) to orally participate by choosing the participants according to other traits (i.e.
shortest hair, wearing the most black, shortest pencil, etc.)

Classroom Questioning and Discussion “Think Pieces”:

-Prepare the structure in advance. Discussion can be controlled, yet loose enough to allow expanded thought. Consider
timing, who is speaking in which order, the role of the discussion in later lessons, etc.
-Address inequity in participation – assign roles to get everyone involved.
-Regulate the discussion. Talkative students happen. Invite them to continue the discussion in other ways so that quieter
students can contribute.
-Think time is often necessary to generate meaningful discussion. Give time for a student to immerse themselves in the
subject.
-Model active listening. As an instructor, students will look to you to model behaviors (even if they are mocking you, they
get the point).
-Give time restraints. Racing the countdown clock gives students an incentive boost.
-Make the amount of work known and clear. The workload should challenge, but not overwhelm.
-Make the expectations public – let students know they are expected to share their progress in a public manner.