Tag Archive: Debate

Non-Freaked Out Common Core — Part 4 — Argument and Debate

May 8, 2013

shy student pwns debate If there is one way that you can begin implementing the writing and speaking/listening portions of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in a simplified, manageable, high bang-for-your-buck fashion, it’s simply this: have students argue.

Frequently.

Whether you teach science, social studies, technical subjects, ELA–even math–argument is a dependable path to enlivening your classroom, promoting long-term student flourishing, and pwning the heck out of a large chunk of Common Core literacy standards.

But don’t just take my word for it. In an article back in 2011, gurus Jerry Graff and Mike Schmoker (their books Clueless in Academe, They Say / I Say, and Focus have hugely shaped me) warned that, though the CCSS held promise, especially compared to the preceding generation of state-created wish lists, there was still too much fluff. Their fear was that the high impact standard of argument might get watered down amongst the rest.

Separate and way not equal

Even though the research appendix discusses the “special place” of argument in the CCSS (p. 24), the only hint of such importance outside of the appendices is that the “argument standard” (W.CCR.1) comes first.

This is problematic; many will not read the appendices and, as a result, will likely spread their curriculum too thin by trying to equally teach all 10 of the basic writing anchor standards. The simple problem with trying to equally teach all 10 is that, frankly, it can’t be done well, at least not by an average teacher like me.

And honestly, it’s not just a teacher thing. Students enjoy becoming excellent at the biggies and spending less time on minutiae.

Choosing to focus

Common Core State Standards: Modes of Writing by Grade LevelSo if you’re an average teacher like me, I advise the following non-freaked out, focused approach to the CCSS writing and speaking/listening standards: Read the rest of this entry »

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Simple Rubrics for Common Core Speaking and Listening Standards

January 17, 2013

One search term that seems to regularly bring folks to the Teaching the Core blog is “speaking and listening rubric for Common Core State Standards.” Up to this point, those good-hearted yet unfortunate rube-seekers haven’t found what they were looking for here.

In the words of William Wallace’s Uncle Argyle, “That is something we shall have to remedy, isn’t it?”

Uncle Argyle’s accent rocks.

Not too sexy

While my speaking and listening rubrics for the CCSS aren’t going to win me a gold star in an Ed Theory class, they do effectively tell me whether my students have it, are on the way to getting it, or are showing no evidence of getting it. In other words, they may not be sexy, but they work.

For any graded debate or discussion, I give the students one skill from the Speaking and Listening standards that I want them to focus on. I deliver this to them in the form of a statement (see the image below) or question (see the list later in this post), and I post that on the board or in the day’s slideshow.

I tell students that I want to see all of the skills on the slide, but the one with the arrow is what I'll be grading for.

I tell students that I want to see all of the skills on the slide, but the one with the arrow is what I’ll be grading for. Notice the sentence starters provided beneath the skill.

Read the rest of this entry »

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How to Get Students to Really Listen, Summarize/Paraphrase, and Respond to Peers

October 2, 2012

If you’re noticing a large gap between your students’ speaking skills and the ambitious Speaking and Listening Standards within the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), you’re not alone: many teachers that I talk to share how difficult it is to have discussions or debates in which students actually listen to one another and respond.

Mentioning isn’t good enough

In even the best secondary discussions, students will acknowledge that they are part of a conversation (e.g., “Going off of what Jean-Paul said, I think…,” “Aron, in regards to your point, this is what I think…”), but they won’t actually show that they understood what the other person said. They are engaging in assumicide: I assume I understand what you said, and now I’m going to respond to it. In the video below, the first student clip is an example of that kind of discussion move, which I’ll call mentioning. (Click here for the youtube link.)

Now, clearly, this is way better than the (much more common) phenomenon of students simply waiting their turn to spout their two cents at the teacher. In such scenarios, no one cares what other students say: they are simply warding off boredom by participating, or they are meeting the teacher’s expectation for participation–but they are not actually engaging with ideas.

To put it in CCSS terms, take a look at SL.9-10.1d:

Review the key ideas expressed and demonstrate understanding of multiple perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing.

This is more than mentioning: it is taking the time to summarize or paraphrase what someone else said. Only after this has happened can we venture into adding something new, disagreeing with evidence, questioning, or perhaps revising our original stance in light of a stellar point.

Using debate to hone in on this skill

My students recently read and annotated several books from The Odyssey. This is the first extended complex text that they are required to read as freshmen, and I have them read it for the sake of accruing textual evidence in response to this question: Is Odysseus a hero or a villain?

In reading, my target anchor standard here is R.CCR.1; in writing, I’m aiming for W.CCR.1 because at the end of their reading I will guide students in using their evidence to construct their first argumentative essay; and, in speaking and listening, I’m aiming at SL.CCR.1.

For a written overview of my debate, check out these notes. In them, you’ll find my pre-debate, debate, and post-debate activities, and I also include a rubric for assessing the speaking and listening standards covered in this activity.

For a video overview, enjoy the segment below (or click here for the link).

Important!

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