1

Strengthening Communication Skills

through Discourse about Complex Texts
and Tasks
Friendship Academy of Engineering and
Technology

November 6, 2017

Adapted from the November 2nd Citywide ILT Session Ms. Tenerra Pitts, Instructional Lead
Dr. Sonja Brookins Santelises, Chief Executive Officer Ms. Tuere Ganges, Literacy Representative
 We will
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Engage in and reflect on the use of 3

core skills of academic conversation,
elaborate and clarify, support ideas with
examples, and build on an/or challenge
an idea to deepen understanding
Explore the connection between
academic conversations and writing
 Our Agenda
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Ice Breaker
Academic Discourse: An
Overview
Activity: Critical Thinking via
Classroom Talk
Features of Effective
Conversation
Jigsaw Activity: The Read-
Write-Talk Connection
BREAK
Collaborative Session
Closing
 Norms
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Be open to experiencing
professional learning in
new ways
Participate actively
Take responsibility for
your own learning
Honor your colleagues
learning needs
Unite in purpose
 Our 3 Year Academic Goal
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By 2020, all students will be able to

access complex texts and tasks to
critically analyze information in order to
take a stance, develop a coherent written
evidence based argument, and
communicate with confidence and
conviction at or above grade level.
 Our Journey
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Instructional Close Salient Academic

Core reading Features of Discourse
with Close Bridging
Complex Reading Information to
Text Knowledge
 CoPL for the Next Three Years
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Comprehending Texts using Close Reading

Leveraging reading and writing to create and

communicate
Using research as a tool for understanding

Engaging in Project Based Learning

 Why Discourse?
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Beyond just finding and

memorizing the facts, an
educated and productive
person in todays world
must be able to evaluate
the facts and then use
them for meaningful
problem solving.
-Zwiers and Crawford, 2011
Why Discourse?
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What are academic
conversations?
 What are Academic Conversations?
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Academic conversations Five core conversation

are sustained and skills:
purposeful conversations Elaborate and clarify
about school topics. Support ideas with
Includes set of conversational
skills teachers can model and examples
teach to help all students engage
Build on and/or
in extended meaningful
conversation about narrative or challenge a partners
informational texts (Zwiers & ideas
Crawford, 2009).
Paraphrase
Synthesize
conversation points.
 Attitudes for Effective Conversations
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Humility Thoroughness Respect

Positivity Interest
 Elaborate and Clarify Support Ideas with Examples

X X X X
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Can you show me where it says that?

What do you mean by____? Can you give an example from the text?
Can you be more specific? What is the evidence from the text for
How does that connect to _____? that?

Build on and/or Challenge Ideas

How dos that connect to the idea?

I am not sure this is relevant, but
How can we bring this back to the question
of? Page
6
14
The History of Anthem Protests
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 Journal Jumpstart
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Is there a proper time

or place for engaging in
collective action?
Whats the significance
of this action taking
place at sporting
events?

What role might empathy

play in helping people to
understand the
oppression at the center
of these protests?
 Pair Share
Support Ideas with Examples Build on and/or Challenge Ideas
X X X X

Can you show me where it says that?

How does that connect to the idea?
Can you give an example from the text?
I am not sure this is relevant, but
What is the evidence from the text for that?
How can we bring this back to the question of?

Turn to the
person on Continue discussion
your right building in the
previous
conversation
Page
6
 Share Out
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How did the prompts

allow you to build on
and/or challenge your
partners idea?
 Features of Effective Conversation
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1. Require both partners to talk.

2. Requires critical and creative thinking.
3. Take advantage of controversies and conflict.
4. Recognize and reduce ambiguity.
5. Encourage thinking based on principles, laws, and
approaches of the discipline.
6. Build in opportunities for transfer of knowledge
and skills.
7. Provide choice and ownership.
Information The Bridge

Knowledge
Academic Conversations

Oral Written

Short
Repeated TDQs Collaborative
Complex
Readings Annotation Conversations
Passages
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 Professional Reading
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Within your ILT, each

member choose one of
these readings:
Read Talk Write: Developing
21st Century Skill by Laura
Robb
Conversing to Fortify
Literacy, Language, and
Learning by Zwiers, OHara,
Pritchard
Strengthening Argumentative
Writing with Speaking and
Pages
Listening (Socratic) Circles 12-22
 Professional Reading
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Read and annotate for the

purpose of connecting the
ideas within your article
to the quote, Reading
and writing float on a sea
of talk.

Page
28
 Expert Groups
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Find your article poster

and sit with your expert
group.

Make sure to take

article
conversation planning
form
conversation prompts
writing instrument
 Expert Group
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Engage in discussion
using your conversation
prompts for elaborate
and clarify, support
ideas with examples,
and build on and/or
challenge ideas
 ILT Discussion
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Share the information Build on and/or Challenge Ideas

from your article by
having a conversation
around the quote and I am not sure this is relevant, but
How might we bring this back the
building on others ideas question of?
using evidence from your
reading.
 Debrief
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How did this process

deepen your
understanding of the
role speaking and
listening plays
preparing students for
writing?
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 Collaborative Planning Sessions
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Teachers will now join

their content groups to
begin planning for
academic discourse in
their content areas.
 Collaborative Planning Sessions
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Each team will choose one Teams will create action

of the three core skills to plans for using academic
utilize in their classrooms discourse in their content:
during this cycle of What will it
learning look/sound/feel like?
Elaborate and Clarify
How often will it occur
Support with
(per week)?
Examples
Build On an/or How will it be
Challenge Ideas assessed?
 Collaborative Planning Sessions
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Each team will chart their Content Groups:

plan and present it to the English teachers
group at the end of the Math teachers
session Science/CTE teachers
Planning/Charting: 40 Social
minutes Studies/WCL/Elective
Presenting: 4 minutes Teachers
per group
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 Did we
Engage in and reflect on the use of 3 core skills of
academic conversation to deepen understanding of text
Explore the connection between academic conversations
and writing.
 33
50
MIN

Lunch Break