Argumentative
Literacy
Reading, Writing &
Discussion in Social
Studies
Promoting Critical
Thinking Skills
D.C. Everest Social Studies
Definition
Argumentative literacy
- ability to persuade,
to debate, to clarify,
explain why, evaluate,
make judgments
Graff, 2003
D.C. Everest Area Schools Weston, WI 54476
http://www.dce.k12.wi.us/jrhigh/socialstudies/
Authentic Literacy
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.
Results Now: How We Can Achieve Unprecedented
Improvements in
Teaching and Learning
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
Writing
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
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)
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
Discussion
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 – 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
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 discussionrich environments in a
democracy.
Diana Hess, Author
Helps create a more democratic
society
Discussion
Controversy in the Classroom
Levels of Questioning
Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy
-To assess students’
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
critical thinking
-use higher level
questioning in discussions.
Discussion
Discussion Formats
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.
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
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
Turn and talk
to your
partner about
ideas/materials
you have used
from our DBQ
Workshop.
Think –
Think - Pair - Share
Pair - Share
1.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.
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?
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.
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
Steps
1. 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
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.
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
*Begin with shorter readings , move
toward more complicated texts.
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.
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.
Obser
ver
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.
Obser
ver
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.
2 x 2 Rotating
Discussion
4 + 1 College Study
Group
Discuss 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
Discussion
1.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
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.
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
• 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
Inquiry Circles
Julie Klinner
will share her
experience
with Inquiry
Circles at the
Middle School.
http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?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
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 Dialog
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 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-feedbackdiscussion-feedback pattern
is essential.
Socratic Circles
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)?
What type of rubric could be used to help
the teacher evaluate and grade discussions?
When grading how do you differentiate
between quantity of participation and quality of
participation?
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?
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 guide, 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?
How can you modify the discussion format so
that students who have trouble speaking out will
have a fair opportunity?
Socratic Circles
Consider having the inner
circle sit on the floor with the
outer circle students
hovering over them in desks.
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.