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Speaking and listening is an important part of not only language arts classes, but also other content area classes. However, opening up discussions to be more than the typical call-and-response method (teacher asks a question, one student responds) is important to practice particularly in language arts class.  The best advice on guiding facilitation is to ask open-ended questions to which the asker doesn’t necessarily know the answer Students should be encouraged to talk to each other, to know that there is not one particular correct answer, and to use text-based evidence when making statements about literature. It should be made clear to students that the purpose of class discussions is not to find out that they have all the right answers, but to explore the themes and aspects of the literature together. As a guiding facilitator, your job is to present students not only with basic comprehension questions, but also with complex, higher-order thinking questions that get them involved in the text. This can be done even in the early grades after reading a book. Questions beginning with, “Why does the author believe that ___?” and “What have you encountered that makes you think about ___?” are some starter recommendations.  Keep discussions going. Ask students to build on what someone else said, or prompt them by saying “Tell me more about that.” Ask students to consider different perspectives on their statements, convince the class they are right, make predictions about what could happen next in the story, compare how their thoughts are the same or different from others, and summarize what they’ve learned from the discussion. Avoid trick questions, sarcasm, questions with obvious answers, yes-or-no questions, asking multiple questions before allowing time for response, and inadequate wait time (3-5 seconds) before changing the question or asking it again. Younger students will need some guidance on respectful discussion. Have the class make the rules together, using examples like “Stay respectful,” “Listen to others’ opinions,” “Look at who is speaking,” and “Piggyback off others’ ideas.” Post the rules in a visible place in the room and remind students of the rules before starting a discussion.
Be a guiding facilitator. Ask the right questions. Post rules for classroom discussion.