Day 1: Students are introduced to civil discourse skills in a teacher‐​led presentation and have an opportunity for partner discussion practice.

Day 2: Civil discourse skills are reinforced during a whole‐​class “fishbowl” bingo discussion activity on an election topic.

• Identify skills needed to participate in civil discourse
• Practice using civil discourse skills in partner and whole‐​class conversations

What civil discourse skills are needed when we discuss elections?

• The Skills of Civil Discourse classroom presentation
• Co‐​created class norms (use this editable template, and if you need inspiration for what to include in yours, check out this resource)
• Sentence frames
• Skills for Civil Discourse handout
• 20 Open‐​Ended Election Discussion Topics (choose 1 topic from the presentation)

• Co‐​created class norms (use this editable template, and if you need inspiration for what to include in yours, check out this resource)
• Sentence frames
• Civil Discourse Bingo Sheet

PART I: TEACHER-LED WHOLE-CLASS INSTRUCTION (15 MINUTES)

Use the class presentation as your guide. Present and discuss Slides 1–10.

PART 2: WHOLE-CLASS CIVIL DISCOURSE SKILL DEMONSTRATION (10 MINUTES)

• Review your co‐​created class norms. If your class has not already created norms, allow an extra class period beforehand to create them. (Here is how to do it.)
• Pass out Sentence Frames and Skills for Civil Discourse handouts and explain how they can improve the quality of discussions. (You can save these, and students can use them throughout any civil discourse lesson.)
• Ask for a few student volunteers to participate in a small demonstration.

Advance the presentation to Slide 11.

Question to use for demonstration purposes: How can we make our school more environmentally friendly?

Practice skills to demonstrate:

• Make eye contact.
• Disagree respectfully.
• Build on each other’s words.

Student volunteers (2–3) will go to the front of the room to try to communicate with each other about this question and exhibit the practice skills listed above. Help students as needed.

PART 3: STUDENTS PRACTICE USING CIVIL DISCOURSE SKILLS WITH PARTNERS GUIDED BY THE WHOLE-CLASS PRESENTATION SLIDES 12–16 (10 MINUTES)

• Organize students into pairs. Explain to the class that the rest of the presentation slides will be used to guide partner conversations. As the presentation advances slide by slide, the partners will see a practice skill and question to guide partner conversations.
• Allow pairs a few minutes to discuss each topic before advancing to the next slide. Check student understanding and offer support or clarification. Continue until the class finishes the activity.

PART 4: CLOSURE (5–10 MINUTES)

Wrap‐​up discussion:

• Which skills felt the easiest? Why?
• Which skills seemed most difficult? Why?
• Have you used these skills in conversation before? If so, where?

Fishbowl discussion format: Fishbowl discussions help students develop their skills as observers, participators, and evaluators of discussions. It’s a great way to get all students actively involved in discussions since they all have a role to play. Open‐​ended questions or problem‐​solving scenarios work best in fishbowl discussions. The structure is flexible to allow multiple perspectives to be argued.

Classroom setup: The fishbowl discussion requires a particular room setup. Generally, a small circle of 6–12 chairs is set up inside a larger circle. The small inner circle is called the “fishbowl.” Students sitting in the fishbowl chairs participate in the discussion. The larger outer circle of chairs is where the observers of the conversation sit. For smooth classroom management, you can arrange the classroom furniture before class.

PART I: WHOLE-CLASS INSTRUCTION (5–10 MINUTES)

Begin with a whole‐​class review of the civil discourse skills discussed in the previous lesson.

As a class, list as many civil discourse skills as students can remember from the previous lesson. On the whiteboard, smartboard, or large paper, write or type student ideas as they generate them. If the student list is incomplete, add and review any skills not mentioned during the activity. Leave the list visible for the class to see during the next activity. This list can be saved and posted as a reminder of good civil discourse habits to be used during future civil discourse discussions.

PART 2: WHOLE-CLASS “FISHBOWL” DISCUSSION AND BINGO ACTIVITY (30 MINUTES)

• Use a state‐​approved election‐​based topic for student discussion. (The topic should be broad and open‐​ended to allow for extended discussion without causing discomfort to anyone in the room or violating school values). Here are 20 Open‐​Ended Election Discussion Topics that could be used, or you can use your curriculum to create an appropriate discussion prompt for your class.
• Make sentence frames available to students on their desks. Explain that students can refer to them throughout the discussion. They can also refer to the list of civil discourse skills generated at the beginning of class.
• Remind students of class norms and expected behaviors for discussion.
• Provide students with the open‐​ended election‐​related prompt and give them about 5 minutes to brainstorm and take notes on their thoughts before the discussion begins.
• Pass out the Civil Discourse Bingo Sheet and explain that its purpose is to take notes on good civil discourse skills. Explain, “As you participate in today’s discussion, you will write the names of classmates who excel in each area on the bingo game board. Each name can only be written in a maximum of 2 spaces. Pay attention closely to find examples of healthy discourse from as many classmates as possible.”
• For the next 10 minutes, students inside the fishbowl discuss their perspectives using their best speaking and listening skills to communicate about the assigned topic. Students outside the fishbowl use the Civil Discourse Bingo Sheet to closely follow the conversation and make notes of participants who used each skill well.

After 10 minutes, the fishbowl members and observers switch places. This gives all students an equal chance to participate and evaluate each other. The game continues for another 10 minutes with students in their new roles.

The “game” can be run in different ways:

• It can be done like a traditional bingo game, in which an observer shouts “bingo” when they get a line of spaces filled. In this situation, the discussion stops, and the observer calls out the names of participants and the healthy discussion behaviors they showed during the discussion, with examples. Other observers can ask for clarification to make sure everyone understands how and when participants show the behaviors.
• It can be used as a note‐​taking activity throughout the whole discussion without interrupting the discussion. In this scenario, the observers do not shout “bingo” or interrupt the discussion but rather talk about the aspects of healthy discourse after the discussion.

Option 1 allows the class to focus more on the development of healthy discourse behaviors since the class stops the discussion frequently to discuss and reflect on them in real time.

Option 2 allows the class to focus more on the topic of the discussion and reflect on the healthy discourse at the end. Both options reward the speakers and observers for their best efforts.

Optional rewards can be used to incentivize participation and excellence.

PART 4: CLOSURE (5 MINUTES)

Wrap‐​up discussion:

• What positive actions or words did we notice from our classmates today?
• What skills and strategies do you think most improve communication?

These techniques allow us to discuss election topics using the civil discourse methods practiced today. If you are looking for additional ideas, try incorporating these 11 discussion strategies. Many more civil discourse resources can be found in the Middle School Toolkit.

CCSS​.ELA​-LIT​ER​A​CY​.SL 5.1, 6.1, 7.1, 8.1 (Grades 5–8): Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one‐​on‐​one, in groups, and teacher‐​led) with diverse partners on grade‐​level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

CCSS​.ELA​-LIT​ER​A​CY​.SL. 5.1.D, 6.1D, 7.1D, 8.1D: Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained from the discussions.

NCSS C3 Framework

D2.Civ.7.5–8: Apply civic virtues and democratic principles in school settings.