Require students to have evidence ready at the start of the discussion

"prove it"

evidence will actually open up a text to different interpretations

The challenge is getting students to expand and explain. To get students to explain why they choose a piece of evidence, provide them with a structure that moves from evidence to interpretation. Williams' students use a graphic organizer with three columns: They write their answer in the first column, note textual evidence in the second, and explain their evidence in the third.

Use sentence starters strategically

In the text ... the author mentions ...

the author uses this evidence to ... this lets us know that ...

Give students enough time to flip through and find just the right piece of evidence. If other students are getting antsy, choose one of your always-ready students to share, then loop back to the student who needed time with the text

"Just because there's more than one right answer," says Riley, "doesn't mean there's no wrong answer."

According to page

create an anchor chart

Listen for how students personalize the discussion, and encourage them to develop their own voice.

go back to the text

They answer the focus question a second time, explain whether or not they changed their answers, and reflect on how the evidence brought up during discussion impacted their thinking.