Readers must access prior knowledge and interact with the text in order to facilitate comprehension and assimilate new knowledge. In the classroom One way for deep discussion to happen is through social interaction. In Fishbowl or Hot Seat, student takes on the role of a character in the story and answers questions posed by the rest of the class. The teacher models strategies of a good reader-generating questions about the content, summarizing, clarifying points, predicting. The students then take over the teacher's role in small groups as they assume responsibility for leading the dialogue.
Students assume a role designed to invite different cognitive perspectives on the text.
After reading the same selection, students split into focus groups. Once the task is completed, they return to their home group to share their expertise. The home group may produce a presentation or project to demonstrate their learning. English Language Learners and special needs students. Deep discussion activities may be adapted for special needs learners.