Discussion Skills FCAs, Questions, and Worksheets
Discussion Skills for Class Discussions:
1. Be prepared to participate in discussion. 2. Positively contribute to the group’s understanding with specific or additional facts or opinions. Move the discussion forward with meaningful contributions. 3. Use appropriate and respectful discussion skills. |
During and After Reading Questions:
* Please copy down your question according to the "Letter" assigned to you during your Lit. Circle discussions. Discussion Three: You finished! A: Excellent Excerpts: (Each of you needs to put thought into this question as it should be a major focus of your final discussion. ) Pick a section of text ( a few lines, an exchange of dialogue etc) that was important in the book. This excerpt may be important because it revealed something about a main character, the plot, or other characters or events in the text. Your job during discussion will be to select your Excellent Excerpt and then explain its significance to the overall book. Pick a part you enjoyed or sentences that you found to be interesting and important! B: Characters usually show growth or change in a story. How has the main character changed or developed from the beginning to the end of the book? Have any other characters made changes or developed significantly? If so, which characters and how? Use major plot events to help support your observations. C: What lessons about life and relationships do you think the author was trying to communicate through this novel? This lesson or idea should have been developed in the major conflict or what the main character experienced. This could also be thought of as the theme. Describe at least one thing/lesson/idea that you learned or a question you now have as a result of reading about the characters' experiences in this novel. Discussion Two: You will be 2/3 of the way through your book for the second discussion. A: Thus far, how is the setting (time, place, culture) affecting the characters and the overall plot? You may need to do some mini-research on the Library Databases for a deeper understanding. (See me for help with this as needed.) B: What was the climax of the story? If you don’t feel the climax has happened yet, what do you predict the climax will be, and why? If the climax has not happened yet, please list significant events in the rising action. Make sure you have the evidence from the book to support your inferences. C: Describe the protagonist. How does the protagonist see/feel about himself/herself and how do other characters see/feel about the protagonist? Remember to start your inferences with evidence from the text! Discussion One: What do you see as the main conflict and what are the important events in chronological order that create/impact the conflict? |
Incidence of Productive and Counterproductive Discussion Behavior- Check any you engaged in and circle any you observed in others.
Productive: Counterproductive:
__ asked, gave information __ monopolized discussion
__ asked, gave reactions __ called attention to self
__ asked, answered questions __ chronic interruptions
__ restated ideas/points in articles __ criticized others (put down)
__ restated ideas/points of discussants __ changed subject often
__ asked for/gave examples __ frequent irrelevant comments
__ asked for/gave summary __ withdrawn, did not participate
__ asked for/gave evidence or support for ideas __ apologetic
__ redirected group to return to task __ OTHER-please specify:
__ monitored time
__ encouraged, supported other ideas
__ elaborated on others' ideas
__ OTHER-please specify
Productive: Counterproductive:
__ asked, gave information __ monopolized discussion
__ asked, gave reactions __ called attention to self
__ asked, answered questions __ chronic interruptions
__ restated ideas/points in articles __ criticized others (put down)
__ restated ideas/points of discussants __ changed subject often
__ asked for/gave examples __ frequent irrelevant comments
__ asked for/gave summary __ withdrawn, did not participate
__ asked for/gave evidence or support for ideas __ apologetic
__ redirected group to return to task __ OTHER-please specify:
__ monitored time
__ encouraged, supported other ideas
__ elaborated on others' ideas
__ OTHER-please specify