Swafford uses the Discussion Web strategy across the curriculum. Swafford provides the example of the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates. Then students can use their texts and other resources to research the stances taken by each of the men and to complete the diagram. Students can use the Discussion Web format to support possible explanations for scientific hypotheses. Read Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart .
Students write their thoughts in the appropriate columns.
As students gather information about why seasons change from other sources, they list that information in the second column. They offer a laundry list of questions that might serve as fuel for their approach. The possibilities for using Discussion Webs in the classroom are endless. They are limited only by the creativity of teachers. And the benefits of using Discussion Web strategies are many.