They say silence is golden, and with this activity, that’s definitely true! Join Caitlin and Jessica as they explain how silent debates actually amplify your students’ voices as they improve argumentative and writing skills. The activity is easy to set up, and they will show you how!
Cailtin and Jessica will go through each step of this activity, from creating the questions to wrapping up the debate. They’ll also show you how to elevate the activity to challenge high-level or older students.
This is definitely an activity you’ll want in your teacher toolbox. The bonus? You can use it over and over all year, as students improve their argumentative and writing skills. This episode is a must-listen if you’re looking for a new discussion activity that reaches a wide variety of students, so be sure to listen in!
Tune in now to hear:
- [01:00] Introduction to silent debates — they’re easy to set up and can be used with any text in any genre!
- [02:00] How to set up a silent debate: creating 5-8 questions and displaying them
- [03:30] EB Teachers: Critical Thinking Task Cards in the EB Teacher’s Shop are a great resource for questions
- [03:30] The student procedures for the silent debate
- [04:30] Expectations for students’ arguments and responses
- [06:50] After the debate: the whole-class wrap-up discussion
- [08:00] Ways to elevate the silent debate for higher level classer or older students
- [08:30] Benefits of silent debates — reaching the quieter students and improving written skills
- [10:30] Using silent debates to practice writing counterclaims
- [10:50] Question examples with O. Henry’s “Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen” (Note: if you want to teach with this short story without writing the questions yourself, you can pick up this unit)
- [13:20] Looking for more great resources and teacher support? Join the EB Teacher’s Club family. Get on the waitlist here.
Join Caitlin and Jessica next time as they welcome Melissa Kruse from Reading and Writing Haven, as she talks about why she doesn’t use reading logs with students.
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