Symphony:
Student Run Discussions
What is Symphony? Symphony is a format for having student discussions about what the
class has read. Students sit in a circle with the text after they have all read a section.
Students discuss the story by showing their thinking and having a conversation, much like
adult book clubs discuss what they have read. Symphony can take place daily, every other
day, or once a week. In the beginning, the teacher’s role is to teach mini-lessons to help
students be successful in the process. Later, the teacher takes a “back seat” and allows the
students to run the discussion. When this occurs, the teacher has the opportunity to record
anecdotal notes, notice how his/her students are using the reading strategies, come up with
other strategy lessons such as making deeper connections or asking thick questions, based
on the conversation. Using Symphony also leads very nicely into having students discuss
their reading during Reading Partnerships, Literature Circles, or Book Clubs.
See Post-It information page to get your kids to show their thinking while they are reading.
I suggest building their ability to use Post-Its before you introduce Symphony. They will
use their Post-Its to guide their discussion, particularly when they run out of discussion
topics.
Begin teaching students about Symphony by playing a musical recording of a symphony.
Ask students to use their Reader’s Notebooks to respond to what they hear. Share their
responses. Then ask students to specifically name what instruments they heard. Discuss
the idea that without certain sounds, the musical piece would not have sounded as beautiful
or powerful. Then explain that all performers must be heard for it to work. Move into the
idea that the class will begin to hold Symphony discussions about their reading. All
performers’, or readers’, voices must be heard.
Mini-Lessons for Symphony ~ Always use modeling (I do), practice(we do), and
independence (you do) when you teach these lessons. You should use your own Post-Its in
your copy of the text to demonstrate and you should participate in the circle for the
discussion.
 Getting to the circle quietly with your materials ~ You may want to have a ritual such
as playing symphony music to signal when students should come to the meeting area.
 While they wait ~ Teach students to page through their text and Post-Its while they
are waiting for all students. They can read their Post-Its, look for good discussion
topics, or good questions to ask.
 Making sure all voices are heard ~ I suggest using a finger system. If students would
like to make their first comment, they put one finger into the circle. If they are looking
to make their second comment, they put two fingers out. This is for the student who is
choosing the next person to speak. You can set certain expectations that all students
must be called on at least one time before you call on students with two fingers. This
is also a good tool for the teacher because they can see who is quick to participate,
more hesitant, and more.
 Beating a dead horse ~ Students will exhaust a discussion topic by basically saying
the same thing five different ways. Teachers must teach students how to gracefully
close a topic by using words such as, “New topic…” Sometimes, one student may
make a fantastic comment and the next student will say, “New topic…” When this
occurs, the teacher can say, “Hold your horses” or “Still open.” This will signal to
kids that they can/should comment on what was just said.
 Politely agreeing ~ Students must learn how to use polite words to connect to what
someone just said. For example, you could teach your students to say, “I agree with
Dana and I would also like to add…”
 Politely agreeing, but… ~ Students must learn how to say, “I agree with Dana but I
also think…” This would be a time when they agreed but maybe want to show the
other side.
 Politely disagreeing ~ Students must learn how to disagree in a civil way. Teachers
can teach their students to say, “I disagree with Dana because…”
 Using their Post-Its ~ When students are looking for what to discuss next, it is a good
idea to have them look to their Post-Its for ideas.
D.Ewing, 2009