Cultivating Deeper Understanding With a Comprehension Clash

When an engaging review activity asks students to distill the most essential takeaway from the unit, they must reflect, revise, and debate until they reach consensus.
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Cathleen Beachboard, an English Language Arts teacher at Fauquier High School in Warrenton, VA, doesn’t shy away from debate in her classroom. In fact, she finds it to be an extremely useful tool.
At the end of a unit of study, she asks each student to reflect with the following prompt: What is the unit’s most important piece of information? They start with a solo writing exercise, then take their idea and have mini-debates with their classmates, trying to convince others to change their opinion and adopt their idea. “You get to learn persuasive argumentation,” Beachboard says, “and it values everybody's voice in the conversation.”
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[@damon-burton]

This Comprehension Clash activity sounds fantastic. It's a brilliant way to engage students with Julius Caesar on a deeper level. By focusing on key themes and encouraging debate, you're not only testing comprehension but also fostering critical thinking and collaboration. I can see how this activity would spark lively discussions and a more profound understanding of the play. Great work.

[@THomasJPeel]

Excellent video

[@DANNYN224]

Great video and great class