Purpose Bubbles

Worksheet Description

This Discussion Stems worksheet is an excellent resource for guiding students on how to effectively engage in classroom discussions. It provides a structured approach to fostering thoughtful and meaningful interactions. The worksheet contains six speech bubbles, each dedicated to a specific aspect of discussion: Agree, Follow Up, Extend, Disagree, and Clarify. Students are prompted to think critically about how they would contribute to a conversation and are encouraged to write their own discussion stems in the bubbles provided.

For instance, under “Agree,” students might write, “I share the same view because…”, while “Disagree” could be filled with “I see it differently due to…”. The “Follow Up” bubble might include prompts like “Can you elaborate on that?” to probe deeper into a topic, and “Extend” might have “Another angle to consider is…”. The “Clarify” section is crucial for understanding and could include stems such as “What do you mean when you say…?”. This exercise not only enhances students’ verbal expression but also teaches them the art of conversation, where listening is just as important as speaking, and different viewpoints are explored and respected.