Share in pairs or trios
Sharing in pairs or trios allows students to "try out" their thinking, receive feedback from a peer, and consider another person's perspective before sharing their responses with the whole class. This is an important support for all students, especially English learners.
Listening in on students' conversations allows you to consider which students you might invite to share first, second, etc., to launch the group discussion. As you prepare to facilitate the whole group discussion, invite at least one English learner to share his or her response. Teachers can talk to the student about this during the pair/trio share, so that he or she can be prepared to share with the whole class. Doing this can build a learner's confidence, help to create a more inclusive classroom environment, and encourage other English learners to share.
Teachers can use the "revoicing" technique to restate students' words to help them develop academic content and language skills. "Revoicing," proposing your academic-English translation of a student's words in the form of a question and giving the student an opportunity to accept, revise, or elaborate on what you say, is an Accountable Talk technique that turns ownership of the contribution back to the student. Using it gives both you and the speaker a chance to consider whether your interpretation of the student's words is valid. This quick double-check adds emphasis to the point by marking its importance and also gives students an extra moment to take in the new terminology and connect it to the example. It is a useful technique for all students, and the repetition and modeling of academic language is especially useful for English learners.
Ask students to take about two minutes to share their responses in pairs or trios before sharing with the larger group.
Discuss in whole group
Begin by asking a few students to restate the quotation in their own words. Then ask students if they agree or disagree with the speaker's view. Encourage students to talk to each other and to agree, disagree, question, or in some way respond to one another. Listen carefully to the substance of what students are saying so you can ask them at appropriate points to clarify or elaborate or explain how their responses relate to what was said previously. As part of the discussion, ask students to consider what effect the identity of the speaker had on whether they agreed or disagreed with the quotation. You might ask students if they would have felt the same way if a slaveholder, rather than former slave, spoke those lines.
Move into a discussion of one of the overarching questions of the unit by asking students:
- How do people inspire change? What are things that you have done or have heard of other people doing to inspire change?
Encourage students to think off of recent events in their city or neighborhood. List those on the board. After generating a substantial list, have students evaluate the effectiveness of the different approaches that are listed. Note the different approaches that involve speaking.
