Reading Like a Historian Pilot Training
Newark, NJ
Abby Reisman & Brad Fogo
Day 3: August 21, 2013
1
Day 3 Morning!
1) Middle Ages SAC"
2) Facilitating Text-Based Classroom
Discussions on Historical Topics "
Afternoon!
1) Practice Discussion"
2) Workshop Time"
2
Teaching Practices for Inquiry-Based History
Instruction!
•
•
•
•
•
•
Use Historical Questions"
Select and Adapt Sources"
Model Historical Reading Skills"
Establish and Connect Historical Content"
Use Historical Evidence"
Facilitate Classroom Discussion on
Historical Topics"
•  Model and Support Historical Writing"
•  Assess Student Thinking about History"
3
Teaching Practices for Inquiry-Based History
Instruction!
•
•
•
•
•
•
Use Historical Questions"
Select and Adapt Sources"
Model Historical Reading Skills"
Establish and Connect Historical Content"
Use Historical Evidence"
Facilitate Classroom Discussion on
Historical Topics"
•  Model and Support Historical Writing"
•  Assess Student Thinking about History"
4
Structured Academic
Controversy (SAC)!
What?
•  Working in pairs, and then teams,
students explore an issue through
opposing positions and try to
reach a consensus, or, at least,
clarify where their differences
lie.
6
Why?
•
•
•
•
•
Structured (as opposed to . . .)
Text-based
Talk & Engagement (small groups)
“Dialogic”
Open-mindedness
7
Preparation
•  Before SAC
–  Determine where in unit
–  SAC Historical question: TWO-SIDED
–  Preparation (reading assignment,
reading scaffolds)
–  SAC ticket; guiding questions
8
Discussion Norms
•  Active listening
•  Challenge ideas, not persons
•  Try your best to understand other
position
•  Share the floor: each person in pair
MUST have an opportunity to speak
•  No disagreeing until consensusbuilding
9
SAC Question:
Was the time period between
400 CE and 1400 CE a “Dark
Age” for Europe? 10
The “Dark Ages”!
“The Dark Ages is a term applied in its widest
sense to that period of intellectual depression in
the history of Europe from the establishment of the
barbarian supremacy in the fifth century (400 CE)
to the revival of learning at about the beginning of
the fifteenth (1400 CE), thus nearly corresponding
in extent with the Middle Ages.”"
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!
- The American Cyclopaedia: A Popular Dictionary of"
General Knowledge, 1883"
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Background!
•  The time period following the fall of Rome in Europe is
sometimes known as the “Dark Ages.”"
•  The term implies that the time between the fall of the
Roman Empire and the European Renaissance was a
period of decline for Europe."
•  This time is also called the Middle Ages because it falls
in the middle of 2 important time periods: Classical
Period (Greece & Rome) and the European
Renaissance."
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Why “Dark”?!
•  The metaphor of “dark” and “light” was originally used by
Christians to describe the “darkness” people lived in
before God sent Jesus Christ to bring “light” to the world."
•  Petrarch was an Italian scholar during the 1300s who
loved Greek and Roman writing. "
•  He used the terms “dark” and “light” to describe learning
instead of religion. He believed that Europe was in the
“dark” after the “light” of the Greek and Roman empires
were gone."
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Why “Dark”?!
Historians, and others, since Petrach continued to use the
phrase “Dark Ages.” "
They argued that during the centuries following the fall of
the Roman Empire, Europe was in a state of cultural
decline, where they:"
•  Did not support learning"
•  Created very little culture (art, literature, architecture, etc.)"
•  Was repeatedly invaded"
•  Had no central government"
•  Had a bad economy"
•  Was basically a miserable place to live"
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Today!
•  Today many historians disagree with this term."
•  They think it is not the proper way to describe this period
of time. "
•  But, people continue to use term “Dark Ages.”"
•  What do you think:"
Was Europe really in a “Dark Age” for almost 900
years?"
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Central Historical Question!
Was the time period between 400 CE and
1400 CE a “Dark Age” for Europe? Was this a time of cultural decay and
decline?"
Sequence
•  Form into teams (partner prep) 15 min.
•  Position Presentation
–  Team A
–  Restatement (by Team B)
•  7-10 minutes (approx.)
•  Switch
•  7-10 minutes
•  Consensus-Building
•  30 minutes (but today, only 10)
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Facilitating Classroom
Discussion on Historical Topics!
Classroom Discussion in History!
“The teacher creates opportunities for students to
engage in extended discussion with teachers and
among peers about historical questions,
controversies, sources, or artifacts. This practice
focuses on how the teacher demonstrates - and
has students practice - considering, clarifying,
presenting, and supporting ideas and comments
with evidence, and the extent to which discussion
is grounded in historical questions, texts, or
artifacts.” "
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Benefits of Discussion!
•  Practice for effective participation (in discussion)"
•  Practice for participatory democracy"
•  Ability to tolerate/ comprehend/ empathize with
opposing viewpoints"
•  Opportunity for textual interpretation"
•  Opportunity for supporting claims with evidence"
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Six Teacher “Moves”!
Modeling: teacher demonstrates how to read, argue with text."
Revoicing: refine student comment so that the argument is
clearer (not simply repeat or paraphrase)!
Uptake: incorporating a studentʼs comment into a follow-up
question to the whole class, or linking it to another studentʼs
comment (includes requests for counter-argument). "
Marking text: highlighting certain specific sections of text;
bringing studentsʼ attention back to text."
Textual Press: asking student to support claim with textual
evidence.!
Stabilize content knowledge: teacher pauses discussion to
review information that was already covered and is
essential to the discussion, but seems to be causing some
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degree of confusion.!
Six Teacher “Moves”!
Modeling: teacher demonstrates how to read, argue with text."
Revoicing: refine student comment so that the argument is
clearer (not simply repeat or paraphrase)!
Uptake: incorporating a studentʼs comment into a follow-up
question to the whole class, or linking it to another studentʼs
comment (includes requests for counter-argument). "
Marking text: highlighting certain specific sections of text;
bringing studentsʼ attention back to text."
Textual Press: asking student to support claim with textual
evidence.!
Stabilize content knowledge: teacher pauses discussion to
review information that was already covered and is
essential to the discussion, but seems to be causing some
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degree of confusion.!
Criteria for good discussion?!
•  Student participation"
•  Reasoned discourse about
important questions or issues"
•  Evidence-based claims"
•  What else? "
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Framework for Organizing Discussions!
INTO
How do we prepare
ourselves and our
students for
discussions?
THROUGH
BEYOND
What do we do
during discussion?
What do we do after
discussion?
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Into the Discussion!
INTO
 Set norms and routines for discussion
 Select appropriate texts for discussion that are:
  Hard but not too hard
  Discussable
 Prepare questions for discussion
 Prepare students for the content of the discussion
  Text annotation, graphic organizers, what else?
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Through the Discussion!
THROUGH
What facilitative moves support discussion?
  Listening carefully, and demanding this of others
  Non-evaluative responses
 Attending to (and assisting) student participation
  Enforcing norms of civility/participation
  Six teacher “moves”
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Beyond the Discussion!
BEYOND
Reflect and assess
  Gauge student understanding to determine future instruction
  Use discussions as the beginning of writing assignments
  Provide feedback to students on participation: process and content
  Connect each discussion to earlier learning events
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Learning Targets
Today, we will assess the extent to which you:!
1.
(Community) Build contributions in response to the specific ideas of
others by extending or elaborating on someone elseʼs argument or
providing reasons when you (dis)agree with an idea."
3.
(Knowledge) Reference relevant, specific textual excerpts or features
and, first, orient listeners to the location of the excerpt and waits for
everyone to locate the excerpt.!
  I (dis)agree with X’s idea that ___ because ___.   To build upon X’s idea that ___, I would like to add ___.   My evidence comes from Document __ [Wait], paragraph/line __. [Wait] [When the sound of moving papers has seGled, read and explain your evidence.] 29
Norms!
In addition to our Community Norms, during the discussion, I expect
you to:"
–  Materials: Close laptops and have texts, pen, and paper on your
desk."
–  Listening: "
•  Track the speaker – with your eyes when possible. When a
speaker is reading aloud from a text, I expect you to follow
along."
•  Be ok with silence."
–  Speaking: "
• Use a raised hand to indicate that you would like to speak. "
• Look at each your classmates while you are talking. "
• Follow the ʻthreadʼ of previous speakers whenever possible."
• Use the text to support your claims."
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Was 400-1400 CE a “Dark Age” for Europe?!
1.  Make at least 1 CLAIM that answers this question; if
possible, find a claim that can be supported by at least
two pieces of evidence."
 I believe that it was a “Dark Age” because ________."
 Another reason I believe this is ________. "
2.  Underline the EVIDENCE (sections of text, facts, etc.)
that supports this claim."
 My evidence comes from Document(s) _______,
paragraph/line _______. The text says, “________.”
This evidence shows ________."
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Uptake: Basic moves !
Unexplained Evaluation To communicate I’m
Good
listening or keep going.
Okay
To communicate evaluative
feedback.
Repetition or
Restatement
To make student response
more audible to others.
To emphasize a specific part
of the student response.
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Sharing!
•  Press. !
•  Teacher or student responds to a
comment in order to:"
1.  Ask for elaboration or clarification."
“Say 2. mAsk
ore for
about what you mean by ‘_______’.” evidence."
“Can you clarify what you mean by ‘_______’?” “What in the text makes you think _________?” 33
Revoice. Teacher or student strategically restates another person’s claim (and then checks in with speaker to confirm) in order to: 1. Verify their understanding of someone’s claim. 2. Summarize what has been said so far. 3. Introduce or encourage use of academic language. I’m hearing _______ say that ___________. So let me see if I understand. Your claim is _______. 34
Post. Post is a move in which a speaker, usually the teacher, gives other conversants a space to respond to something someone else has said. “Who thinks they can arCculate what X’s trying to say?” “Why would X make such a claim?” “Who can add onto X’s point?” “Do you agree/disagree with X, and why?" 35
Whole Group Discussion!
Was the time period between
400 CE and 1400 CE a
“Dark Age” for Europe? 36
Debrief!
1.  What did you notice about the discussionspecific norms that were established? What
struck you about how they were established?"
2.  What facilitator and participant moves
seemed to support the community,
argumentation, and knowledge dimensions
of the discussion?"
3.  What else struck you about the facilitation? "
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