In this session, participants will learn the 4 parts to reciprocal teaching as well as participate in a mock lesson. First, we will introduce the four components: predict, clarify, question and summarize. Within each component, we will explicitly explain as well as give ideas for execution. For example, there are several ways to get students to predict: picture walk, Mind's Eye activity, and word sorts. We will show examples of various ways to implement each stage as it looks different for various classrooms, age levels, and content. Next, we teachers will participate in a mock reciprocal teaching lesson. We believe if teachers actually DO the activity, they are more likely to feel confident in trying it in their classrooms. Therefore, this is not just a sit and get but rather an interactive presentation. Finally, we will provide materials for implementation such as laminated cards for students to reference in class for each of the 4 parts.
Socratic Seminars are not just for middle school and high school. In this session which is geared toward upper elementary, participants will learn the components of a Socratic Seminar, participate in a mock seminar, and understand ways to vary the execution in their classrooms. With some scaffolding and adjustments, this strategy can be very effective for developing deeper classroom discussions. The Hattie Effect size of a Socratic Seminar is 0.82 which is equivalent to two years worth of student growth if done with fidelity and consistently. First, participants will complete a word sort as a prediction activity. Next, they will read a short article and listen to a short podcast about adult screen time with controversy introduced. Finally, they will participate in two different types of mock seminars. We will show how using sentence stems, conversation cups and counters, and outside circle responsibilities will keep ALL students engaged in the activity.
