I know many of us think about Think Pair Share as turning and talking to a neighbor. However, this version of TPS requires both active listening skills as well as true academic discussion.

First: Students are given a question that they write in the first box of the graphic organizer.

Second: Student writes his or her response in the second box.

Third: The student must ask his partner what he or she thought. After the partner responds, the student restates what the partner has said and ASKS PERMISSION to record. This is an important step as students must actively listen and be able to retell what their partner has said.

Fourth: Students must discuss what they will share. They can choose 1 partner's idea that they believe is stronger. They can go back to the text and come up with an entirely new idea. Finally, they can share a combination of both partners' answers.

TIP: Post discussion stems or sentence stems to promote true academic discussion. I am AMAZED how well this works with my middle school students. I tell them they sound like college kids!