Instructional Strategy

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INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY

Human Continuum

Grade:

K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, UNIV

Type:

Discuss & Collaborate
/ Develop Language (MLL)
20-30

Minutes

When:

Before and after reading

Materials:

Tape, whiteboard or display
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Description

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© cienpies—iStock/ Getty Images Plus/Getty Images
Human Continuum is a discussion strategy that asks students to form and explain an opinion about a statement or statements related to a topic. The strategy encourages flexible thinking and active listening as students listen to classmates with different opinions and consider if the points made by others cause them to adjust their thinking. Human Continuum can be used before reading to activate prior knowledge, presenting themes and issues that will be presented in the text, or after reading as a way for students to summarize and share their learning. It is best used with topics where students may have a diverse range of opinions.
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Procedure

1
Create a horizontal line on the board or with tape on the floor.
2
Prepare a series of statements about the topic to be studied or related to the reading/lesson.
3
Explain to students that one end of the line represents the statement “Completely Agree” and the other end, “Completely Disagree.” Share that the middle represents “Neither Agree nor Disagree.”
4
Read one statement at a time and invite students to move to a position on the line that indicates how strongly they agree with the statement.
5
Once all students are in position on the line, ask them to turn and talk to share their placement on the continuum using evidence to support their opinion.
6
Call on a few volunteers from various positions on the line to share with the class.
7
Invite students whose opinions have changed to move to a new place on the line, sharing why they are doing so.
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Differentiation

Limited Mobility and Space Adaptation: Create, or ask students to create, note cards or other visual representations that show a level of agreement. Suggestions include numbers zero through four or faces showing a range of emotions from sad to neutral to happy. When the question is posed, students hold up their note cards to indicate their opinion. Discussion continues as above.
I completely agree because….
I somewhat agree because….
I neither agree nor disagree because….
I somewhat disagree because….
I disagree because….
Point/Counterpoint: After students move to their positions on the line, invite them to turn and talk with a partner. Instead of just sharing their opinions and reasons, encourage students to also discuss the arguments someone on the opposite side of the continuum might pose. For each of those points, students should generate a counterpoint. This encourages students to think about both sides of the topic and strengthens their argumentation skills. As the class engages in the discussion, consider asking students to participate in a point/counterpoint discussion to build off each other’s ideas and promote collaborative discourse.

Multilingual Learning Support

Beginning Proficiency: Support student participation by providing visual aids showing the continuum’s meanings (agree/disagree) with labels in both English and students’ home language. Create simple response cards in both languages that students can hold up to show their position (e.g., “I agree because…” / “I disagree because…”). Before inviting students to share with the whole class, allow them to practice expressing their opinions with same-language partners. Provide basic sentence frames in both languages to help students explain their positions. Use gestures and visual signals to help students understand when to move and share. Consider having bilingual labels along the continuum line to reinforce understanding of positions.
Intermediate Proficiency: Enhance students’ expression of opinions by providing bilingual academic vocabulary and transition phrases useful for explaining positions and reasoning. Create discussion prompts in both languages that encourage students to elaborate on their thinking. Support students in expressing more complex opinions using English while allowing clarification in their home language when needed. During partner discussions, encourage students to build on each other’s ideas using provided language structures. Guide students to explain position changes using cause-and-effect language in English, with home language support as needed.
Advanced Proficiency: Support students in expressing sophisticated positions using academic language, starting with clear opinion statements in both languages. For younger students, help them move from simple agreement/disagreement to reasoned positions (e.g., from “I agree” to “I support this position because the evidence shows…”). For older students, guide them in expressing nuanced stances using academic phrases (e.g., “While I generally support this view, I think we need to consider…” or “This position is valid to an extent; however,…”). When responding to peers, encourage students to reference others’ arguments using sophisticated transitions (e.g., “Building on Maria’s point about environmental impact, I’d also add that…”). Help students draw on their cultural knowledge to enrich discussions (e.g., a student might explain, “In my community, we approach this issue differently because…” or “This reminds me of a similar debate in my home country, where…”). Model how to respectfully acknowledge opposing viewpoints using academic language (e.g., “I understand your perspective about…, but I’ve observed that…”).
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Variations

Pre-writing Activity: Consider using this activity before students complete a writing prompt that requires them to form an opinion, take a side, or make a decision. Encourage students to use evidence from the text to support their thinking, and to jot notes that may help them answer the question.
Debate Prep: Use this activity as an introduction to debate. Forming an opinion and finding supporting evidence is one important component of debate preparation. After completing this activity, students can then return to the text and do additional research in order to form a rebuttal to an opinion they did not agree with.
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