Discourse Strategy Cheat Sheet
Discourse Strategy Cheat Sheet
Discourse Strategy Cheat Sheet
4 Corners
Brain-Hand
Students are given roles. The “brain” is in charge of explaining steps, procedures, and
reasoning. The “hand” is in charge of recording the thoughts of the “brain.”
Coffee House
A method to incorporate roles and increase accountability during group work. Students
are assigned a part of the task they are responsible for recording for the group. The
group works together on each prompt, but the assigned recorder changes for each step
of the task.
Equity Sticks
Fish Bowl
Used when the teacher wants to model (either participating with students or students
alone) what a “good discussion” looks like during a particular activity.
Gallery Walk
Students explore multiple prompts placed around the room. Often used when teachers
want students to share their work with peers. Because this strategy requires movement, it
can be especially engaging.
Teachers use this strategy as a way to have students share their work or ideas with their
peers. Students practice being active listeners as they take turns sharing ideas and
recording the thoughts of others.
Instructional Conversations
Used to promote academic language in conversation. Students tally how many times
their peers use specified vocabulary words in discussions.
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Jigsaw
Used to emphasize cooperative learning by providing students opportunity to actively
help each other build comprehension. Students are assigned an area they are to
become the “expert” in teaching the other members.
Lines of Communication
Used to get students sharing and receiving information from a number of students in an
organized fashion. The class is divided into two rows of students facing each other. After
sharing has taken place, one row moves over one position to repeat the process.
Numbered Heads
Used to increase individual accountability in a group setting. Students are given a number. After
the group has worked together, the teacher calls a specific number to be the spokesperson for the
group.
Philosophical Chairs
A method of organizing a debate. There is an “agree,” “disagree,” and “neutral” area for students
to sit. Students take turns in the “hot seat” to share their reasoning and persuade neutral students
to their opinion.
Quality Questioning
Forming and framing questions aligned to instructional purpose that get students thinking
Planning student responses and scaffolds to strengthen their thinking (i.e. Wait times (1 and 2
– see below), sequencing of questions to support students’ thinking and answering,
developing students’ self-regulatory skills)
Use for formative assessment
Used to explicitly honor and award the multiple ways to approach a task. Students are
given points for each varied process used to complete a task. Or if your focus is
efficiency, students can be given more points for using fewer steps.
Quick Write
Used to allow for quick ideas and thoughts to be written down for a given task to either
spur discussion, provide formative assessment, or reflection time for the student.
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Sentence Frames
A scaffold provided for students to help use academic language structures in written or
oral formats. Can be posted around the room to encourage student use. Example:
“_________ have _________, but _________ have _________.”
Similar to sentence frames, but only provide a partial frame (a start) to begin their idea.
Example: “The first step is…”
Language scripts may also include general questions to encourage student peer to peer discussion.
Snow Ball
This strategy allows students to anonymously generate thoughts and ideas and respond
to others’ thoughts and ideas. After responding to a prompt on a piece of paper.
Students toss the “snowball” and find a classmates’ “snowball” to respond to. Teacher
can elicit trends in thoughts or highlight strings of thoughts by students.
Socratic Seminar
Speed Buddies
A variation of lines of communication (see above) where students have a given amount
of times to share information at desks then one of the pairs moves to another seat to
share again.
Used to elicit different answers from students in a relatively short amount of time. After
given a prompt, the entire class stands. After one student shares their answer, anybody
with the same response sits. This continues until all unique responses have been heard.
Used as a way to visually see student accountability during group discussion. A variation
of a “talking chip” (see below). Students stand in their groups. After they have
contributed to their group discussion, they are allowed to sit.
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Talking Chips
Used to increase accountability during group talk. Students are given “chips” to use
when contribution to the discussion, with statements or questions, has been made. Or
students can be given a set amount of chips and can give them away every time they
contribute. The idea is to end up with zero chips.
This is a collaborative learning strategy where students work together to solve a problem
or answer a question. Think: students have time to individually reflect on a prompt. Pair:
students pair with their partner to compare thoughts. Share: partners share their
thoughts with the class.
Similar to Think, Pair, Share (see above) with the added step of Write. For longer
problems or questions, students may need time to write down their thoughts before
comparing and revising with their partner.
Think/Wait Time
Used to allow students who have different processing speeds to arrive at an answer to a
prompt before the teacher elicits responses. After asking a question, the teacher allows 3
or more seconds of silence (Wait time 1). After a student responds, the teacher allows 3
or seconds of silence (Wait time 2).
Whip Around
This is a quick way to get a lot of student input and is usually used when a prompt has
many answers. The teacher quickly whips around the room to elicit different responses
from students.
World Café
There are three to four rounds where students respond to prompts in groups and can build on ideas
from other groups. This strategy allows for flexible grouping. Some students are assigned as table
hosts who summarize what the previous groups discussed.