Argumentative Literacy

Reading, Writing & Discussion in Social Studies

D.C. Everest Social Studies D.C. Everest Area Schools Weston, WI 54476

http://www.dce.k12.wi.us/jrhigh/socialstudies/

Promoting Critical Thinking Skills

DefinitionArgumentative literacy - ability to persuade, to debate, to clarify, explain why, evaluate, make judgments

-Graff, 2003

Authentic Literacy

Results Now: How We Can Achieve Unprecedented Improvements in Teaching and Learning

Mike Schmoker states that given a good text, an arresting issue,students like to argue, in small groups or as a class. Argument teaches them to think and is about the best inducement we have for getting them to read purposely and write with passion and energy.

Reading

Writing

Discussion

Evidence suggests that a high quality, common curriculum—including purposeful reading, writing and discussion is the most powerful factor that affects learning. -Marzano, 2003

Reading

Continue to use Thinking Like a Historian framework to focus students when reading

Continue to use Doug Buehl’s reading strategies

Remember that reading helps students increase their vocabulary

In choosing texts, look for high quality fiction and non-fiction that are likely to produce strong opinions and varied interpretations such as two texts in which the authors present opposing views. - Schmoker

The evidence is clear that writing improves all academic subject areas.

No matter how the writing variable has been measured, the results are the same: as emphasis on classroom nonfiction writing grows, student achievement improves. We have evidence not only of reading and writing score improvement but of scores in math, science, and social studies improving as well. -Doug Reeves

Writing

Writing

Emphasis on non-fiction writing

Continue to have students write essays/DBQs

Have students revise writing (process writing)

Have students write short summaries

Will look into the writing programs that evaluate writing online (e.g., My Access)

Despite the importance of

academic dialog [discussion], most students don’t engage in it until college or later. Unfortunately, according to the Learning 24/7 study, they found evidence of “academic dialog and discussion” in only 0.5% of the 1,500 classes they observed.

Schmoker, Results Now, p. 66.

Discussion

Discussion Discussion – Reasons to Use

Can increase comprehension/learning

The teacher can use to check for understanding

Can debate controversial issues

Can discuss issues/topics and work toward better understanding/consensus/see different perspectives

Students have opportunity to practice their oral proficiency skills

Helps create a more democratic society

Discussion

The causative relationship that exists between discussion and tolerance has long been one of the most powerful rationales used by those who advocate the need for discussion-rich environments in a democracy.

Diana Hess, Author

Controversy in the Classroom

Discussion Only 23% of adult in the United States engage in “cross-cutting” political talk (talking with someone with a different political perspective).

People that engaged in “cross-cutting” political talk became more tolerant.

Talking only with people who agree with you can cause your views to become even more extreme.

Diana C. Mutz, 2003

Levels of Questioning

Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy

To assess students’ critical thinking - use higher level questioning in discussions.

Discussion

Formative assessment Discussions provide opportunities for teachers to be formatively assessing student learning.

As students have discussions with a partner or in a small group, teachers should be listening for evidence of understanding. Teachers should be “eavesdropping” on conversations.

Discussion Formats

• Turn and Talk• Think Pair Share• Retelling• 3 x 3 Discussion• Four Plus One• 2 x 2 Rotating Debates• Structured Academic Controversy• Inquiry Circles• Debates –Socratic Seminar• Socratic Circles

Turn and Talk•Teacher poses question/idea

•Students talk for 20 seconds to a minute or two depending on the question

•Allows shy students, verbally challenged students to “try out/practice their responses.” •Teacher uses phrase “Pachia, what did you and your partner come up with?” (This takes some pressure off of the individual.)

•Should be using this strategy a minimum of 2-3 times per typical class period

Turn and Talk

Turn and talk to your partner about ideas/materials you have used from our DBQ Workshop.

Think - Pair - Share1. Teacher poses a problem or asks an

open-ended question to which there may be a variety of answers.

2. Teacher gives the students ‘think time’ and directs them to think about the question.

3. Following the ‘think time’ students turn to face their Learning Partner and work together, sharing ideas, discussing, clarifying and challenging.

4. The pair then share their ideas with another pair, or with the whole class. It is important that students need to be able to share their partner’s ideas as well as their own.

Think - Pair - Share

Assess yourself – on a scale from one to five – how have you been doing at formatively assessing students? Do you use the results to alter instruction?

Retelling

• Students have an opportunity to process what they have read by organizing and explaining it to others.

• Research shows that retelling increases quality of comprehension.

• It allows a teacher to assess a student’s understanding.

Retelling Steps1. Explain to students the

steps of how to retell and why its important. Model it.

2. Use a graphic organizer or an appropriate handout.

3. Have students work in pairs (Pair-Share).

4. Have students alternate retelling. Give person A 3-4 minutes to explain item #1 on worksheet, agenda, or organizer.

Retelling Steps cont.

4. Then move from Pair/Share format to Large group and get feedback from class.

5. Go to next worksheet item. Have B explain to A.

6. Return to large group Discussion.

7. Repeat until completed.*Begin with shorter readings , move

toward more complicated texts.

Person A reads “Misuses of Oral Language in the Classroom – Poverty, Language, and perceived Skill” pg. 21

Person B reads “Gender Differences – The Initiate-Respond-Evaluate Model” pg. 22

A tells B

B tells A

Whole group

Retelling

3 X 3 Discussion

This format works well when you have three differing viewpoints such as Patriot, Loyalist, and Moderate. It can also be used to make the the Socratic Circle a little smaller.

Students sit in rows arranged 3x3.

The rest of the students sit in rows behind the center 3x3 rows.

Students rotate forward every couple of minutes. The students who are in the discussion then rotate to the back row.

Observer

Four Plus One/College Study Group

1.Students sit in small groups of four people plus one observer.

2.Students are told that the purpose of the discussion is for everyone to come to a better understanding, not to “show off” their knowledge. They are encouraged to seek clarification on items they did not understand.

3. Speaker #1 starts with the first agenda item and then others chime in.

Four Plus One/College Study Group

4. When they are done talking about the first agenda item, Speaker #2 begins to discuss the second agenda item. Others then add their own responses.

5. The observer can tally comments/give points.

6. After a short period of time the observer becomes one of the speakers and Speaker #4 becomes the observer.

Observer

4 + 1 College Study GroupDiscuss the issue of homework.

•Should homework be considered “practice?”•What percent should homework count in the total grade?•Do we give homework that helps move the student toward the learning goals? What percent of a student’s grade should home

2 x 2 Rotating Discussion1.Each pair gets 2 minutes to present its position.

(Each person in the pair should speak for a minute.

2.While one pair is presenting, the other pair should be listening/jotting down what they hear, coming up with questions based on what they hear.

3.After both pairs have had a chance to present their positions, there will be 2 minutes for questions/debate in which both sides can talk at the same time.

4.Each debate will take a total of 6 minutes and then the positive pairs will rotate to a new pair for the next debate.

5.Some pairs will be asked to share their key points with the entire group.

Rotating 2 X 2’s

2 x 2 Rotating Discussion

Structured Academic Controversy

• Debate current events, controversial issues or historical problems.

• Set up a structure whereby students work in pairs in groups of four.

• Each pair is assigned a different position on the controversial issue (often “for” and “against”), and given a set of primary and secondary sources in order to study their position.

• Pairs then reverse perspectives and explain opposing viewpoint.

• Teacher debriefs with whole class.

1.

• I.   3 points related to Gun Control• a.  Point 1 – 2nd Amendment•      i.      The Second Amendment

Guarantees the Right to Bear Arms•      ii.      Gun Activists Misconstrue the

Second Amendment• a. Point 2 – Gun Control Laws•      i.      Gun Control Laws Reduce Violence•      ii.      Gun Control Does Not Prevent

Crime• b.  Point 3 – Role of Gun Manufactures•    i.      Gun Manufacturers Should be Held

Financially Responsible for Gun Related Deaths

•   ii.      Gun Manufacturers are Not Responsible for Gun Related Deaths

Structured Academic Controversy

• 1.   Class is divided into 6 groups.

•  2.   Each group is responsible to master the material found in their article for a presentation to the class.

3. After both points are presented to the class, the floor is open to debate the material presented during the presentation

Structured Academic Controversy

Inquiry Circles

Julie Klinner will share her experience with Inquiry Circles at the Middle School.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEREnJEfI2w

Socratic Dialog

• Effective seminars occur when participants study the text closely in advance, listen actively, share their ideas and questions in response to the ideas and questions of others, and search for evidence in the text to support their ideas.

• An effective Socratic Seminar creates dialogue as opposed to debate. Dialogue creates "better conversation."

Socratic Circles

• Divide your class into two circles, an inner circle and an outer circle.

• The inner circle explores the meaning of the text while the outer circle observes the discussion.

• The inner circle is given 10 – 12 minutes to examine and discuss the text

• The outer circle cannot interact or speak during the discussion. They are like the detective behind the two-way mirror. But rather than focusing on the content of what is being said, they are interpreting, evaluating and assessing the discussion process.

• Matt Copeland

Socratic Circles

Preparing for the Discussion

Teach students a systematic

method for annotating the text. Annotations (reading thoughts) can include predictions, opinions, reflections, visualizations, connections and most importantly questions. (Circle unfamiliar vocabulary words, underline key phrases, and write questions in the margins.)

Socratic Dialog

Socratic Circles

• After 10 – 12 minutes, we have a reversal of roles. The outer circle spends 5-10 minutes providing feedback on the discussion process while the inner circle listens attentively.

• Then the two circles switch. The maintaining of the discussion-feedback-discussion-feedback pattern is essential.

Socratic Circles

Consider having the inner circle sit on the floor with the outer circle students hovering over them in desks.

How do we use discussions to help us evaluate student learning?

1. Should group discussions be given a summative evaluation grade of x amount of points or should it be considered a formative assignment and either not graded or given a check mark (minimal pt. value)?

ｷ What type of rubric could be used to help the teacher evaluate and grade discussions?ｷ When grading how do you differentiate between quantity of participation and quality of participation?ｷ If you use a format like 1 x 1 or small groups of 4, how do you get around to really assessing whether they have learned the lesson objectives?ｷ Are you just grading participation or are you assessing discussion skills or are you assessing what the student knows about the subject matter? Does your scoring quide, observation guide or rubric reflect this?

2. How can you be fair with your grading assessment of a discussion when some students are naturally aggressive in discussion while others are shy and have trouble speaking up?

ｷ How can you modify the discussion format so that students who have trouble speaking out will have a fair opportunity?

Socratic Circles

Final Thought

Given a good text, an arresting issue, students like to argue, in small groups or as a class. We’re daft if we don’t see that argument teaches them to think and is about the best inducement we have for getting them to read purposefully and write with passion and energy” Mike Schmoker, Results Now.