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Engaging in Class Discussions

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Students in Miller Avenue School are starting to form book clubs and learning to actively engage in class discussions with the fishbowl strategy, a teaching technique that encourages full student participation, reflection and depth of knowledge.

Second graders in Aimee Capps’ class used the concept in which one group of students was set up in the middle of the classroom and their classmates circled around them as if they were looking into a fishbowl. The outer-circle students observed the inner-circle students reading the chapter book, “The Book Report from the Black Lagoon,” a story that introduces report writing on chapter books. The inner-circle students would then pause to either compliment, ask questions or take notes on important parts of the story as the outer-circle students listened to the discussions.

“Students were able to actively engage in discussions as well as learn from each other to strengthen their reading comprehension,” Ms. Capps said, providing even the more reticent students an opportunity to give voice to an idea they would like to share or express their viewpoints.