Critical Reading for Civil Discourse
EQs:
How do we promote critical thinking in our
classrooms so students are the owners of
their learning?
What are the social justice issues in your world
that need to be voiced by students?
How do we
build a
learning
community
that seeks
to better
humanity?
“For apart from inquiry,
apart from the praxis,
individuals cannot be
truly human. Knowledge
emerges only through
invention and reinvention, through the
restless, impatient,
continuing, hopeful
inquiry human beings
pursue in the world, with
the world, and with each
other.”
Paulo Freire Pedagogy of
the Oppressed
“As a classroom
community, our capacity
to generate excitement is
deeply affected by our
interest in one another,
in hearing one another’s
voices, in recognizing
one another’s presence.”
― bell hooks, Teaching
To Transgress
“Liberating education
consists in acts of
cognition, not transferals
of information.”
Paulo Freire Pedagogy of
the Oppressed
From Book Love
by Penny Kittle
Balancing Structure & Freedom
Critical Reading & Civil Discourse
need a structure so kids can feel
safe diving into the thinking.
Big Shift=Teacher is not the center
of the room. Students’ thinking
becomes the sun that all else
revolves around.
http:/ / www.procon.org/ view.backgroundresource.php? resourceID=005476http:/ / www.procon.org/ view.bac
kground-resource.php? resourceID=005476
Key Mindsets for Learning:
Critical Thinking is the language of
all contents.
Critical Reading and Discussion are
tools to help us develop critical
thinking.
We are not
afraid of
student talk
here.
We have to
process before
we can
produce.
Start with the
Mission:
Why do we
critically read,
think and
speak?
“Liberating education consists in
acts of cognition, not transferals of
information.”
Paulo Freire Pedagogy of the
Oppressed
North Middle School Mission Statement:
NKMS is a literacy rich community
committed to character education,
collaboration and authentic learning
opportunities where all learners are
focused on mastery of essential skills:
Reading, Writing, Critical Thinking,
Problem-Solving & Civil Discourse
Now, it’s your turn….
EQs:
Golden
Rule=
Make your
thinking
visible on
the page
How do we promote critical thinking in
our classrooms so students are the
owners of their learning?
What are the social justice issues in your
world that need to be voiced by students?
3 Step Critical Thinking
Process:
1.Mission and EQ
2.Critical Reading & Annotating
3.Civil Discourse
Essential
Questions:
7 Defining
Characteristics
1. Is open-ended; that is, it typically will not have a
single, final, and correct answer.
2. Is thought-provoking and intellectually engaging,
often sparking discussion and debate.
3. Calls for higher-order thinking, such as analysis,
inference, evaluation, prediction. It cannot be
effectively answered by recall alone.
Courtesy of McTighe and Wiggins
4. Points toward important, transferable ideas within
(and sometimes across) disciplines.
5. Raises additional questions and sparks further
inquiry.
6. Requires support and justification, not just an
answer.
Use for all levels of learners to ground the skill of reading
Modified Harvard Model:
Annotating=making your thinking visible
Ques tions --Wha t is the text ma king you think a bout or
wonder?
Sta tements --Wha t is your res pons e to the text?
Connections --How do the idea s in the text connect to
other texts or idea s ?
Word Definitions --Wha t do words mea n a nd how does
tha t help me unders ta nd?
Speed Read:
Using one or more of the critical reading strategies make your thinking visible on the page.
Texts:
Artifacts around
the room, critical
thinking video
and/or article
EQ:
What are the social
justice issues in your
world that need to be
voiced by students?
Teachingtolerance.org
Resources
for
Finding
Social
JusticeOriented
Texts:
newela.org
Procon.org
cnn.com/studentnews
http://pushingtheedge.org/social-justice-resources/
http://www.glsen.org/unheardvoices.html
http://teachhumane.org/2015/05/28/4-resources-to-teach-kidsabout-social-justice-issues-using-music/
http://www.educolor.org/resources/
3 Types of Feedback:
“Feedback” is really three different things, with different
purposes:
Appreciation--motivates & encourages.
Coaching--helps increase knowledge, skill, capability, growth, or
raises feelings in the relationship.
Evaluation--tells you where you stand, aligns expectations, and
informs decision making.
Rubric for Critical
Reading
https://docs.google.com/
a/g.kirkwoodschools.org/
document/d/1hVhm_L7sE1jT0FkilbWlW_QYv
LeWq_qeTTcNnc9sX8/e
dit?usp=sharing
It’s all about
the Feedback
During Reading:
Let students settle into
the “zone.”
Before Reading:
Ready pencils;
open minds;
Critically read along
with students to get a
sense of pace and to
help generate your own
thinking.
Refocus on EQ-place on top of
the page;
Make thinking
visible on the
page
Circulate around the
room and comment on
annotations--ask
questions about
thinking. If a student is
stuck, start a dialogue
about their thinking.
After Reading:
Collect articles and respond
to at least 2 of the students’
annotations. Address their
thinking not their
interpretation, grammar, etc.
Push their thinking beyond
summary by asking questions
about their ideas.
Give back to students the
next day and have them
respond to your feedback-keeps the dialogue going.
Socratic Seminar Format Options: All students; no teacher
Whole Circle--close circle, no gaps
Whole Circle/Small Circle--start big, move small for non-talkers or special groupsn
(ketchup and mustard)
Coaching Fishbowl--inner circle discusses, outer circle takes notes and coaches
Face Time and Virtual fishbowl--inner circle face to face conversation; outer circle
todaysmeet.com or google doc dump
Team Challenge --https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/using-socratic-seminarsin-classroom
Great Debate Format: Have students form 2 teams; one team has pro and other con
of argument; 20 minutes to prep; have students square off and debate
Socratic Seminar Video Example: 8th Grade Learners
EQ: How do we transition from an oppositional election to a unified nation?
https://drive.google.com/a/g.kirkwoodschools.org/file/d/0BzG07nPNZBEvc3
pURlJyc29MazQ/view?usp=sharing
Lesson Plan:
https://docs.google.com/a/g.kirkwoodschools.org/document/d/1fgkO8vn8yI7
Pjm6kTdojegEVx7FCC1crocWSn6RbpjA/edit?usp=sharing
St. Louis Public Radio Article:
http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/school-today-watching-inauguration-nearand-far#stream/0
Socratic Seminar Feedback
Good Readers Reflect on Their Thinking
Steps 3-6 are all about thinking away from the text.
What did you take away?
What did it make you think about more deeply?
What connections did you make to other ideas and texts?
Write your collected thoughts about a part or the whole text at the end. Let your
brain loose on the page.
Lesson Plans:
https://docs.google.com/a/g.kirkwoodschools.org/document/d/1466U4EwTd9BQ2lRBp
ODcwogEutkX21pL_nQLq9L9rqs/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/a/g.kirkwoodschools.org/document/d/108mWMydrxUmQj5iD
wLkCbOJ2PgLlNXkWvkpELdcZu90/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/a/g.kirkwoodschools.org/document/d/1-wbFmxmYlEgPuK4zz719vn2NZmKuvL4EALBBTQPJZM/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/a/g.kirkwoodschools.org/document/d/1ddq2zwX7HRkS5m6cP
Oz039xVT2Ayxw2mPEnz7IiWcI0/edit?usp=sharing
Works Cited
"Five Reasons Why Feedback May Be the Most Important Skill - Cambridge Conversations." Cambridge Conversations. N.p.,
2015. Web. 04 Dec. 2016.
Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York : Seabury Press, 1968. Print.
hooks, bell. Teaching to Transgress. New York : Routledge, 1994. Print.
Kittle, Penny. Book Love: Developing Depth, Stamina, and Passion in Adolescent Readers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2013.
Print.
McTighe, Jay and Wiggins, Grant. “Chapter 1.” Essential Questions. April 2013
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/109004/chapters/What-Makes-a-Question-Essential%A2.aspx
RusulAlrubail. "Why We Should Care About Equity & Social Justice as Educators." Heart of a Teacher. N.p., 2016. Web. 04 Dec.
2016.
https://rusulalrubail.com/2016/06/02/why-we-should-care-about-equity-social-justice-as-educators/
"Why Teaching About Social Justice Matters." Why Teaching About Social Justice Matters | Teaching Tolerance - Diversity,