English with Mrs. Lamp

My classes have become more and more “discussion centered” over the years, as I find the students get so much out of class (and small group) discussions, and I love how student-centered a discussion-based English Language Arts class tends to be.

In a class where we discuss more often, high schoolers gain self-confidence, make connections with one another, form friendships, and come to see themselves as smart, interesting, unique people who can contribute to our class & one another’s learning in a meaningful way.

I LOVE being able to encourage, cheerlead, and lift up my students when they share a cool idea, a new way of seeing something, or a personal insight I never would have come up with myself, and when I’m enthusiastic about what they’re sharing, it creates an infectious atmosphere of enthusiasm and boosting one another’s confidence that keeps rolling and building throughout the school year.

If you’d like to try to create a classroom culture like this, I’d encourage you to try some of the discussion modalities explained below! It’ll transform your school year, and reinvigorate your passion for teaching; I promise!

Socratic Seminar

Socratic seminar involves a student-led discussion where participants ask open-ended questions about a text. Students sit in a circle, taking turns posing and answering questions, while I observe and guide them when necessary. Preparation involves close reading of the text we’re discussing and formulating thoughtful questions. Success depends on active listening, building on others’ ideas, and supporting arguments with textual evidence. Socratic Seminars help me create a collaborative, discussion-based learning environment where students construct meaning together through intellectual discourse. My students really enjoy this activity!

Here are a few “twists” to scaffold a bit more for your kids:

1. Have the student who last spoke call on the next speaker, rather than letting anyone speak whenever. Yes, it’s less like a “real” conversation, but this scaffold helps prevent interrupting one another AND gives shy/quiet kids more of a chance to “get in there.” Bonus: Give them a pink and a green card (I use neon index cards) and have them raise the green card if they want to add on to or address what the last speaker said; if they want to change topics, they raise the pink card. This way, the last speaker has a better idea of who to call on next.
2. Draw a circle on your board (or make one with your smartboard) and space everyone’s names equally around the circle. As the kids talk, I take on the role of tracking who has had a chance to speak so far. I draw a line from one speaker to the next as the conversation progresses. (Yes, it gets a bit crowded and messy for longer discussions–switch marker colors after 4-5 lines so you can more easily see what’s being tracked.) This helps the students see who may be getting left out (and they usually have quite a bit of empathy and a team-building mentality, so they will rectify it if they can (without even having to call it out or make the less talkative kids feel singled out)). This also helps the more talkative kids SEE when maybe they are hogging the discussion space a bit, and they often will back off a bit on their own (again, without anyone having to call them out). It may not work immediately, but over a few weeks, they almost always notice when they are dominating things & start to modify those choices.
3. Give ALL of the kids 2-3 Socratic questions about the reading at the start of the discussion. This helps kids who feel less confident about sharing or speaking up because it gives them something to say/bring up that they KNOW is “okay,” and it also lets them “have a chance to shine” because they are able to think about their question a bit and have something to say about it as well. This lets them help the group when they otherwise might not have spoken up. They STILL have to use critical thinking to A) pick the question they think the group will appreciate most and B) offer an idea to kick-start the discussion about that question. (PS: This is why I ALWAYS have 5-10 reading questions written out for any chapter, chapter chunk, or short story/poem we read in class or for homework. I want to be able to print these out to use for discussions if I think the kids will need more scaffolding for whatever reason.)

Fishbowl Discussions

This is a great discussion format if you want to ALSO have a discussion about the discussion. In this one, a small group of students (the “fish”) sit in an inner circle to discuss a topic, while the rest of the class observes from an outer circle. Observers often are asked to take notes or otherwise assess how the discussion is going. This activity allows chances for quieter kids to speak, while keeping the entire class engaged. I love this one because it encourages active listening, critical thinking, and the respectful exchange of ideas. It also provides opportunities for students to practice both discussion and observation skills. (This graphic organizer helps kids inside & outside the “fishbowl” practice active listening & other key discussion skills!)

1. One twist on the classic “fishbowl” discussion includes letting the “outsiders” have a chance to share when the “insiders” are out of time. This reduces frustration students may have at not being able to address something that came up that really “sparked” them in some way.
2. Another twist involves having a new student enter the circle once any one student has shared 5 times. This keeps people moving in and out & the discussion space is more lively and dynamic this way. It also ensures no one kid dominates the discussion for any length of time.
3. To scaffold this one, I like to (like with other discussions we do) give them 2-3 pre-written topics/ideas/questions about the text we’re discussing. This helps shy or less confident kids feel like they have something to share & gives them time to think about what they can add to the discussion.

Read more about why “Fishbowl Discussions” are a great tool here!

Gallery Walks

I like the movement involved with this one. Here, students move around the classroom to view and respond to various displays or prompts. These might include quotes, images, or questions related to a text or topic. Students write comments, questions, or insights on sticky notes or directly on large posters near the “artifact” (whatever is on “display” in your “museum”). After the “walk,” the class comes back together to discuss what they saw & any ideas they wanted to hear more about, question, or clarify. This activity encourages movement, collaboration, and diverse perspectives.

1. I like to use this instead of a reading quiz or reading homework questions. Whatever questions I would’ve used for a quiz or homework, I narrow them down to 5-6, blow them up large, print them out, and paste them on the classroom walls at equal intervals. I send students around the room in small groups (let them choose their groups), and they chat about the questions for a few minutes before writing down a short response on a sticky note, putting it up, and moving on to the next “display.”
2. When we’re done, I ask my class if anyone saw any comments or ideas he or she wants to discuss more with the whole class. Often, I prompt them to ask for clarification, suggest a modification, or say why they agree or disagree with something they saw. It can help if you have them take a photo of any sticky note they want to ask about or discuss later with the whole group. Then, they can quickly pull it up to refer to it instead of going back over to the poster page to read it off again.
3. Make sure YOU also go around & skim their Post-its. This can be a good time for you to see GREAT ideas that you can praise at the end, and also a time to see misunderstandings or misinterpretations that you need to bring up and rectify (if other kids don’t do so themselves during the final debriefing discussion).

TQE (Thought, Question, Epiphany)

After reading, students write down a thought (an interesting idea from the text), a question (something they’re curious about or don’t understand), and an epiphany (a realization or insight gained from the reading). These are shared on Post-it notes we place up on the whiteboard at the front of the room (I color code them with 3 different Post-it colors). The class then explores these ideas together, promoting a student-led discussion that addresses various aspects of comprehension, analysis, and personal connection to the text. This method encourages active reading and diverse perspectives.

1. I like to have students take turns coming up to the board, looking over the TQE notes, and choosing one to read aloud & respond to. They can agree and say why, disagree and say why, or pose a question about the note to the entire class. They do NOT have anyone’s name on them. We then decide as a class if we agree 100%, agree with some modification, or mostly disagree with the note, and then they give it to me & we move on to the next kid.
2. If you try this method, you may want to put 2-3 “awesome ideas” off to the side as you go and then reinforce those ideas as the final thing you do before the bell. This is a good chance to offer praise to whoever wrote those particular notes!

Modified Lincoln-Douglas Debates

Even though it’s not a debate class, I like to have my ELA students (and AP students) apply the classic Lincoln-Douglas debate structure to a literary analysis or interpretation question. Students argue opposing viewpoints on a topic from or an interpretation of a literary text. I give them a starter statement to agree or disagree with. (Advanced classes can brainstorm one themselves!) Next, the kids choose sides, plan their argument with their self-selected group, and then engage in debate rounds. This method combines critical reading, persuasive speaking, and logical reasoning skills. I have them give a 2-minute opening statement, 5 minutes for arguments, a 3-minute cross-examination, 5-minute rebuttals, and 2-minute closing arguments.

1. If your students need help getting started, you might give them 2-3 reasons to support or negate the resolution, and then they have to come up with support from the text for those claims. Just be sure both sides get the “starter claims” so it’s fair.
2. Kids really enjoy the competitive element of this one, so try to offer a small prize or reward if you can, even if it’s just that the winning team gets to leave the room first that day!
3. It’s good to “flow” the debate (write down what’s said) to prove that your decision was fair and well-considered. If you want instructions and debate flow forms for a classroom Lincoln Douglas debate, try mine for free here!

Jigsaw Discussions

With a jigsaw activity, students become “experts” on different aspects of a text. The class is divided into “home” groups, with each member assigned to learn about a different, specific subtopic. Students then meet in their “expert groups” to discuss their assigned specific area. Finally, they return to their “home” groups to teach others what they’ve learned. This method encourages engagement and responsibility, and peer teaching helps cement learning.

Another way to do a jigsaw is where each student in a home group will read a different text, and then they all report back to their home group. You can have different reading levels represented without even having to reveal this to the students. Simply pass out the different readings to the kids according to whom they are properly leveled for, and then create groups where everyone read a different one. (It helps maintain focus and engagement if they have to take 3-4 bullet notes from each of their peers when they get together to discuss.)

1. For literary analysis discussions, I like to use the AP Lit “Big Ideas” for the subtopics. Each student in a home group gets one of those subtopics to research or study in relation to the text we read. It’s kind of like Lit Circle jobs. We’ll then have students discussing character, setting, structure, narration, & figurative language in their home groups after research time (they use this packet to help them think about their literary element.
2. Alternatively, split them into Common Core Skills groups with the RL 1-6 skills (they use these graphic organizers to guide their research phase and then lead that part of their small group discussion.)
3. Jigsaw is great for differentiation because you can put students into the “expert” groups where you know they’ll have the most chance at success, and even if you put them in random groups, they benefit from a diverse mix of kids in their “expert” group that ensures everyone feels ready to explain their topic to their “home” group when it’s time to return there.

Philosophical Chairs

Another movement-heavy discussion strategy, in this one students physically move to indicate their stance on a statement or question. The room is divided, with one side representing agreement and the other disagreement. Students move to either side based on their opinion, and then they engage in debate to defend their position. Those in the middle represent undecided views. As the discussion progresses, students can change sides if their opinions shift. This method encourages critical thinking, persuasive speaking, and open-mindedness. It’s particularly effective for exploring complex moral or philosophical issues in literature.

1. I often get rid of the middle option and have students go to whichever side they are even slightly leading toward. However, they can still switch sides if anyone says anything that changes their mind.
2. In order to encourage more than just the more talkative kids to speak up, I often make a rule that everyone can only share twice, so if our big talkers have already shared twice, others will have to step up to continue the debate/discussion.
3. It helps to give each side 5-10 minutes to talk about why their side is right before starting the whole class discussion/debate. This allows more reticent kids to gather some ideas they can share & feel confident about.

Goes with Any Discussion: Mastering Active Listening

Active listening is a crucial skill that enhances understanding, builds relationships, and improves learning. By practicing these techniques, your students will become more engaged and effective communicators!

I like to print these out & have students check off things they tried during our class discussion. You can also have students “outside” a fishbowl discussion check off what they see kids “inside” the fishbowl doing well!

Key Active Listening Skills:

1. Notetaking: Jot down key points to remember important information.
2. Asking questions: Seek clarification and deeper understanding.
3. Repeating what you think they are saying, in your own words, & asking if you’re right: Confirm your understanding of what was said.
4. Looking at the speaker: Maintain appropriate eye contact to show engagement.
5. Avoiding interruption: Let the speaker finish his or her thoughts before responding.
6. Offering feedback: Express agreement or disagreement (respectfully).
7. Smiling and nodding: Use non-verbal cues to show you’re paying attention.
8. Acknowledging ideas and emotions: Recognize the speaker’s thoughts and feelings.
9. Encouraging others: Motivate others to share their ideas and perspectives.