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Week of February 21
Class Focus: Planning for & Responding to Race Talk

Class Meeting Time: 5:30-8:20pm

What you need: Your literature circle book & Letting Go of Literary Whiteness

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Agenda:

  • Annotating for Power​

  • Socratic Discussion

  • Continue designing first Unit Guide

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Recommended Additional Reading

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Some takeaways from the book:

1) When creating a safe conversational space, it's important to establish three guidelines:

a. Listen patiently

b. Listen actively

c. Police your voice (p. 17)

2) Discuss race as more than a problem

a. How can I make room for conversation that explore the many facets of minority culture?

b. How can I encourage my students to be reasonable and deliberative while engaging controversial subject matter? (p. 78)

3) Use the following propositions to ensure race conversations have purpose:

a. If the race conversation is about a hard problem, provide space and time for students to (1) locate their sphere of influence, and (2) explore personal pathways to solutions.

b. Design race conversations that encourage students to follow new lines of inquiry.

c. Students should be encouraged to "publish" whenever they feel ready. This opportunity must be built in to the culture of the classroom. (p. 120-121)

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Discussion Padlet

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Socratic Groups & Observation Partners:

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Group 1                                         Group 2

Zac, Melissa, Taylor, Maddy         Livi, Diamond, Olivia, Savannah

Sara, Keeley, Celeste                   Ashley, Ally, Bode, Emily

Isabel, Emma, Kayla                     Nico, Abby, Lili

Lauren, Kathleen, Alison              Crystal, Lyndsey, Julianna

Not Light But Fire Cover
O'Hare Poem.jpeg
Unit 1 Unit Guide.png
For Next Class
Open Book
To Read

  1. Finish Letting Go of Literary Whiteness

Doing Homework
To Do

  1. Continue working on your literature circle unit guide.

    1. Research & identify discussion approaches. As we've discussed, small and whole class discussions are a part of the literature circle approach. Although the term literature circle often denotes a specific kind of discussion (student roles like discussion director or word wizard), this approach can be restrictive and doesn't teach students how to really dig into the ideas in the book. So what are some other ways you can structure student discussions throughout the unit? Spend some time researching discussion protocols, as well as considering the ideas you want students to explore as they are reading their books. Develop a plan for the 3-4 weeks students will be discussing their books. What kinds of discussions will they have? Will they look the same each week or will you have different protocols or discussion tasks? Will small group discussions occur once a week or more? When will they occur in the week? What role will whole group discussion play? Will it occur after all groups have finished their books or will it occur each week? What will it look like?

    2. Add calendars to your weekly plans. You should have at least three weeks devoted to studying the book, with a calendar for each week that outlines when and how students will discuss. You may also add additional weeks if the three weeks aren't enough. Next week, you will add anchor activities and other projects that will round out the unit, so don't feel like you have to fill in every box just yet. For now, focus on the discussions.

    3. Create any discussion protocols or questions guides you will have students use during discussions. While it is okay to use a protocol you find in your research, don't just link to what you found. Instead, personalize it for your students, making sure to cite where you found the protocol or other information on the handout. Link these in the appropriate places on your guide.

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