Session 2: New to NTI
Facilitator’s Guide: Using Protocols
Purposefully
Sequence of Sessions
Targets for this Session

I can identify the impact of protocols on students’ speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills.
High-Level Purpose of this Session

To build participants’ understanding of the protocols they will see used in classrooms in which teachers are implementing the
3-8 ELA Curriculum Modules and how protocols enable students to have purposeful academic conversations, deepen their
understanding of texts, prepare for writing, and meet the Common Core Standards for Speaking and Listening.
Related Learning Experiences

All others in this NTI
Key Points



The EL Curriculum Modules include protocols and other collaborative structures to meet the demands of the Common Core.
Protocols enable students to have purposeful academic conversations and meet the Common Core Standards for Speaking
and Listening.
Protocols deepen students’ understanding of text and help them build knowledge that leads to effective writing.
Session Outcomes
What do we want participants to be able to do as a result of
this session?

I can identify the impact of protocols on students’
speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills.
How will we know that they are able to do this?

Participants will observe protocol videos using the New York
CCSS Instructional Practice Guides and a notecatcher and
engage in group discussions.
Session Overview
Section
Time
Overview
Greetings
and Group
Grounding
10 min
Participants will journal in
response to quote about
academic conversation.
They are introduced to
session targets
Prepared Resources




Participant’s Notebook
Zweirs’ quote
Facilitator’s Guide
PPT_2N_Protoc_NTI714
Facilitator’s
Preparation
Review facilitation
guide and PowerPoint.
Familiarize yourself
Protocols in 60
Action
Reflection
5 min
Participants complete the
New York CCSS
Instructional Practice
Guides as they observe
videos of protocols in
action.

Participant’s Notebook
about effective protocol
use.








Concentric (Debrief) Circle:
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/studentsreflect-on-learning-exl
Interactive Word Walls: http://vimeo.com/84900192
Quiz-Quiz-Trade: http://vimeo.com/76172830
Science Talk: http://vimeo.com/76178452
Protocols in Action _2N_NTI714.pdf
Instr_Pract_Gde_6-12.pdf
Instr_Pract_Gde_3-5.pdf
PPT_2N_Protoc_NTI714
Implementing the Modules: School Leader
Notecatcher (continued from Session 1 Notecatcher_1N_NTI714.pdf)
with all of the protocols
and techniques from
Appendix 1.
Watch all of the
protocol videos and
review the “New York
CCSS Instructional
Practice Guides.”
You will need sticky
notes or index cards
for the GoGoMo
protocol.
Session Roadmap
Section 1: Greetings and Group Grounding
Time: 11:15-11:25am
[10 minutes] In this section, you will prepare participants for the
session and create a culture of achievement.
Materials used include:
Time
Slide #/Pic of Slide
1 min
PPT Slide # 2



Participant’s Notebook
Facilitator’s Guide
PPT_2N_Protoc_NTI714

Quick-Write_2N_NTI714.pdf
Script/Activity directions
 Ask a participant to read aloud the following quote:
Grouping
Whole Group
“Talking with others is a powerful way to learn--and is a
vital life skill. In academic conversations, students
explore ideas and negotiate meanings to deepen
understandings and connections.” (Zweirs, 2010)
3 min
PPT Slide # 3

5 min
PPT Slide # 4

1 min
PPT Slide # 5

Ask participants to journal in their Participant’s Notebook
about this quote: “How can conversations about text deepen
students’ understanding and help prepare them for writing?
How do your teachers support meaningful academic
conversations in their classrooms? What are the challenges
they face in doing so effectively?”
Participants introduce themselves to their tablemates,
sharing one thought from their quick-write. (A sentence, not
a paragraph.)
Facilitator introduces the learning targets for the session.
Section 2: Observing, Collecting Evidence, and
Reflecting on Protocols in Action
Time: 11:25- 12:25
[60 minutes] In this section, participants will have the opportunity Materials used include:
to observe several protocols in use in classrooms while collecting
 Concentric (Debrief) Circle:
evidence using the New York CCSS Instructional Practice Guide.
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/students-reflectParticipants will be invited to reflect upon the support teachers
on-learning-exl
might need in implementing these new instructional practices.
 Interactive Word Walls: http://vimeo.com/84900192
 Quiz-Quiz-Trade: http://vimeo.com/76172830
 Science Talk: http://vimeo.com/76178452


Time
Slide #/Pic of Slide
2 min
PPT Slide # 6
Script/Activity directions



3 min
PPT Slides # 7-8
Protocols in Action _2N_NTI714.pdf
Sticky notes


Grouping
Whole group
Frame the session by reminding participants about some of
their conversations during Session 1 related to the practices
found in the module lessons that may be different than those
they currently see when doing classroom observations.
Tell participants that the Common Core Speaking and
Listening Standards require students to engage in academic
conversations with a variety of partners about a variety of
topics.
Invite a participant to read the following quote aloud while
other participants follow along: “Students must have ample
opportunities to take part in a variety of rich, structured
conversations—as part of a whole class, in small groups,
and with a partner—built around important content in various
domains. They must be able to contribute appropriately to
these conversations, to make comparisons and contrasts,
and to analyze and synthesize a multitude of ideas.”
Tell participants that Expeditionary Learning’s curriculum
Whole group
includes structures to facilitate these conversations and that
the structures are embedded within the lesson plans as
“Protocols.”
Introduce the concept of protocols with Slide 7 by saying
something like, “Protocols are discussion ‘rules’ that provide
structured, engaging, consistently used forums for students
to discuss their learning. They can be used to introduce,
clarify, support, and reinforce both learning content and
process. The consistent use of a select set of discussion
protocols establishes an efficient classroom learning
community in which ideas and opinions are shared
frequently and in an orderly, timely manner.”



6 min
PPT slides # 9-11





Transition participants into their role for this portion of the
session by telling them that they now get to learn more
about protocols by observing several protocols in action.
Direct participants to the New York CCSS Instructional
Practice Guides located in their Participant’s Notebooks.
Tell participants that these guides are particularly useful for
coaching and peer observation, because we know that
principals have other rubrics that they are required to use.
We are using it today as a means to focus our work in on
the shifts necessitated by the Common Core.
Tell participants that there are two different Instructional
Practice Guides: One for grades 3-5 and one for grades 612. They will be using both today, as some of the videos are
in elementary classrooms and others are in secondary.
Instruct participants to access the New York CCSS
Instructional Practice Guide for Grades 3-5 first and point
out the three core actions that should be apparent in daily
ELA lessons.
Allow participants to read through the guide. (2 minutes)
After participants are finished, let them know that because
the videos they will be watching will only provide very small
glimpses into lessons, we won’t be asking them to gather
evidence on this guide today. Instead, we will ask them to
keep the core actions in mind as they observe protocols in
action and take notes using a different notecatcher.
Introduce the Protocols in Action Notecatcher by walking
participants through each column:
 Student Engagement – Does this protocol engage
one, some, or all students in a class?
 Strength of Protocol – What are the benefits of using
this protocol? What does this protocol achieve that a
more traditional practice might not?
 Core Action(s) Evident – For which of the Core
Actions from the Instructional Practice Guide were
Whole group

22 min
PPT slides # 12-19

6 min
PPT slide # 20

6 min
PPT slide # 21



10 min
PPT Slide # 22


5 min
PPT slide # 23

you able to collect some evidence? There is a
reminder about the three Core Actions at the bottom
of this notecatcher.
Check for understanding and invite clarifying questions from
participants regarding video observation task.
Play each of the four Protocol videos. After each video,
instruct participants to complete the row of the chart on their
Notecatcher for that protocol.
Invite participants to share out in large group in response to
the prompt: How can the use of these protocols support
students as they develop speaking, listening, reading, and
writing skills?
Tell participants to take a couple of minutes to
independently answer the questions at the bottom of their
notecatchers: “What structures will teachers need to have in
place in order to use protocols successfully with students?
What support can you provide your teachers as they work to
implement protocols?” (4 minutes)
Direct participants to transfer their answer to question 2 to
sticky notes found on their tables (2 minutes)
[Facilitator’s Note: Remind participants that they will
eventually be giving each of their cards to another
participant so they should be sure to write legibly].
Introduce participants to the GoGoMo (Give One, Get One,
Move On) Protocol. Adhering to the protocol, participants
will share out one of their ideas for supporting teachers in
implementing protocols to another participant (not someone
from their table). (1 minutes per person, 2 minutes per pair).
[Facilitator Note: You will be the master timekeeper for
this. After the first pairs have formed, start time for two
minutes. After two minutes, yell “Move On” so that
participants find a new partner. Repeat the process
three times before instructing participants to return to
their original table groups.]
Facilitate a brief share out in response to the questions:
What insights or ideas emerged for you from your
Whole group
Whole group
Solo; pairs
Whole group





discussions about supporting teachers in the use of
protocols? How did using GoGoMo support your own
conversations?
Mention to participants that one of the reasons we engaged
in GoGoMo was to model a protocol in action.
Share that in some schools that have been implementing
the modules, school leaders have been using protocols with
staff as a way to model expectations. Not only does this
provide a great example for teachers using the modules, but
it introduces collaborative structures to teachers of all
content areas. Most of the protocols used in the modules
can be adapted for use in any subject.
Have participants locate the EL Appendix Protocols and
Resources document
Tell participants that this resource is a collection of all of the
protocols found throughout the module lessons.
Encourage participants to identify one a two protocols to use
during their Back-to-School staff meetings in September
Section 3: Reflection and Closing
Time: 12:25-12:30pm
[5 minutes] Participants synthesize learning about effective
protocol use and identify next steps for implementation.
Materials Used Include:
Time
Slide #/Pic of Slide
5 min
PPT Slides # 24-25

Participants’ Notebook
Script/Activity directions

Direct participants back to their original quick-write from the
session. Ask them to add their current thinking. Ask, “How
Grouping
Solo

can conversations about text deepen students’
understanding and help prepare them for writing? How do
your teachers support meaningful academic conversations
in their classrooms? What are the challenges they face in
doing so effectively?”
Remind participants that their notecatcher from Session 1
included a row for “Protocols.” In closing, participants should
add notes to that row.
Turnkey Materials Provided






Facilitator’s Guide and PowerPoint
Appendix 1 (Protocols & Assessment Techniques) from the ELA Modules
Protocols in Action_2N_NTI714.pdf
Quick-Write_2N_NTI714.pdf
Using Protocols_2N_NTI714.pdf
Links to protocol videos:
o Concentric (Debrief) Circle: https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/students-reflect-on-learning-exl
o Interactive Word Walls: http://vimeo.com/84900192
o Quiz-Quiz-Trade: http://vimeo.com/76172830
o Science Talk: http://vimeo.com/76178452