Activity #2: Getting into the Fray: Trying Out Different Dialogue Strategies

(45-50 minutes)

 

This activity invites students to experiment with different dialogue moves in the toolkit.

 

• Identify an article about a civic issue you care about. Ask students to explore the opinion section of an online news site OR young people’s posts on Youth Voices (a school-based social network that was started in 2003 by a group of National Writing Project teachers). Students should browse the articles and choose 1 that is about a civic issue of interest to them. They should read the posts slowly and carefully and then read through any comments posted below them. [Note: If students do not have in-class access to browse online sites, you can print out several posts ahead of time for students to chose from.]

 

• Write a comment. Now, ask students to prepare to write a comment on this article or post, using at least 4 of the dialogue moves indicated in the toolkit below. Ideally, their comments should contain a mix of different types of moves - listening, bridging, voicing, and persuading. But, above all, their comments should be authentic (sharing a reaction or perspective that is genuine), respectful, and productive in the sense of adding something to the discussion.​