Thursday, November 3, 2016

Announcements and Reminders:

Today’s  Agenda: Use the seats that you chose last time.  What should the working of a  good discussion group look like, sound like, feel like?   everyone involved on task -- following along looking at the person speaking talking about the book calm voices  all feel included all feel listened to safe to say what they want to say Getting Started Collegial discussions are mutually respectful conversations  among student colleagues in a group or classroom environment. Silence is O.K. Think before speaking. Maintain roles. Once each member of a group has an assigned role (e.g., illustrator) for the day or part of the day, agree to those roles and do not switch unless instructed to do so. If you do not understand what another person has said, ask for clarification. Respect the contributions of others. One of the ways we learn from in-class discussions is from seeing things from perspective different from our own. Try to give "equal air time" to everyone in the group. Reframe Disagreements In Constructive Ways Say This   Instead of This I don’t think I agree. Could you explain. That doesn’t make sense at all. I disagree because …. ‘ I see it differently because …. Wow! Is that ever dumb. I think we should check our notes and the original assignment. That is not what the teacher asked us to do. It might be better to ….. Have you considered …. You are dead wrong. Does everyone agree? Let’s vote on it. I understand how you feel, but I think you might consider also …. That really offends me! Are You An Effective Participant In Group Discussion? I incorporated prior knowledge into group discussion. I asked questions of group members in an open-minded way. I built on comments of other group members to enhance discussion. I volunteered ideas in a constructive manner. I helped the group to summarize its progress. I identified missing information in our answers. I built on the ideas of others.   -- http://www.uni.edu/reineke/guidelin.htm Finish reading Chapter 9 -- discuss briefly.  Pick up new discussion group assignments. Switch assignments so everyone is doing something different than they did last time.  Decide as a group whether you will read one chapter at a time or two or three before you discuss. Read (individually or together), record for your assignments, then discuss.   Let me know when you have read and discussed through chapter 14.   Suggested words to look up: regal (as in Regalia) -- So, why is the city called Regalia? Another city is called "Troy."  Where does that name come from? What phrase do the Underlanders use as a farewell? Items you could discuss:  These are things you all should understand about the book. Characters  Who are the characters?  How do you feel about each one?   Identify the protagonist(s). Identify the antagonist(s).   Setting  What are the macro and micro settings so far?  Point of View What is the point of view of the narrator?   Dialogue How does the author show the differences among the characters by the way they speak?  Themes (and values supported by the text):  What are the morals of the story?   What qualities/character traits does the author seem to admire?

Targets for Today:   Reading: Literature Standard 10  By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. Speaking and Listening Standard 1  Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion. b.  Follow rules for collegial discussions, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed. c.  Pose questions that elicit elaboration and respond to others’ questions and comments with relevant observations and ideas that bring the discussion back on topic as needed. d.  Acknowledge new information expressed by others and, when warranted, modify their own views.

If You Were Absent: See above.

Vocabulary: collegial. Characterized by or having authority or responsibility shared equally by each of a group of colleagues. Collegial discussions are mutually respectful conversations between student colleagues in a group or classroom environment.