DBQ Spirit Stick Challenge

Here are the year's selected Engagement/Discourse Strategies

Background Essay: Most Important Point

• Students are in groups, they are assigned a paragraph of the Background Essay, and they determine as a group the Most Important Point and share to the class.. Students then read through the entire Background Essay together as a group and write a two sentence summary of the Background Essay individually.

Document Analysis: Response Roulette

• The teacher places the Response Roulette Placemat in the center of the group. After reading the document, students take the role indicated on the placemat for their discussion and turn the placemat for the next round.

Bucketing: Three Stay, One Stray

• Students are placed in small groups of four. As they complete their bucketing for their paragraphs (doesn't matter the number) one student will become the reporter and visit another group and take notes on their bucketing. The student must return after three minutes and report what they learned from the other group.

Writing: Feedback Focus

• Students will be given a Feedback card to write down an aspect about their own writing they would like to improve. Students are given a blank sheet of paper and travel with their feedback card. The teacher may decide to pair the students, or place the student work to be reviewed in stations. The students will read each others' writing and their feedback card, then provide specific feedback using "I statements" on the blank sheet of paper.