OPINION CIRCLES
Opinion Circles
Opinion Circles are interesting ways to have small group discussions. Each student is responsible for a different question so everyone participates. In this way, we all learn from each other.
First, your teacher will assign you a role: Provocateur, Firebrand, Kindler, or Instigator. What do these names mean? Here, they are just names for Group 1, Group 2, etc. In general, however, they refer to people who start action or discussion -- and that's what we want in your Opinion Circles. We want everyone to participate, We want you to share your ideas and to listen to the ideas of others.
After you are assigned your role for a story, then you follow the instructions on only that page. You answer one opinion question at home as you read each story. In class, you share your opinion first with others who had the same question. Then you share again in a new group in which everybody has answered different questions. In both steps, you work together to share information for a more complete answer to each discussion question. After class, you complete the second page of the worksheet at home by answering one of the "Extend your thinking" questions. (Note: Some of these questions refer to internet videos or websites; the links to those online resources are here on this website.)
Your role changes each week, and so do the classmates in each group. Over the term, you explore many different ideas and work with many different classmates.