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Create class discussion norms with your students and revise as necessary during the year.
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Build a strong home‐to‐school connection by sending home the class discussion norms in a parent letter .
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Post on your classroom walls discussion sentence frames and healthy discussion norms for students to refer to throughout the year.
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Give students a short survey to gauge their understanding of how they partake in civil discourse; then debrief about their perspective Refer to the survey in the future to show growth in areas they recognized needing improvement.
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Dive into practicing civil discourse with students! Have them complete a goal setting document and use our Worry‐Free Discussion Starters to get them engaging in healthy habits of conversation. Ask students to revisit their goals document to reflect on how they performed and repeat the practice of pre and post student evaluations to have them thinking critically about how they engage with others in conversation.
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Back to School with Sphere
Learn how civil discourse can help you foster strong discussions and connections for your students this new school year. Explore our lessons, conversation frameworks, teacher tools, and explainers adaptable for all disciplines and grade levels to get started.
Build Strong Learning Communities This School Year with Parents and Students
Explore Skills for Civil Discourse & Civility in our Primer
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Principles of Civil Discourse Primer
This primer covers skills and best practices for establishing discussion norms and brave learning environments. It includes methods to encourage civil discourse beyond the classroom with a school‐to‐home connection and tips for sharing its positive impacts.
Bring Foundational Civil Discourse Material to Your Class
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Rhetoric and Civil Discourse
This module on rhetoric and civil discourse explores the relationship between emotional intelligence, effective communication, and critical thinking by teaching students how to analyze their own internal rhetoric and use rhetorical listening to engage in civil conversations with others.
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Fostering Civil Discourse in STEM Classrooms: Tips and Tricks
Identify and implement strategies into your science class to foster civil discourse discussions with students.
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Civil Discourse through Literature: Middle School
This module provides teachers with engaging lesson plans to foster respectful discussions on literature for middle school. Students develop critical thinking, empathy, and communication skills while exploring diverse perspectives in literary works.
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Civil Discourse through Literature
This module provides teachers with engaging lesson plans to foster respectful discussions on literature. Students develop critical thinking, empathy, and communication skills while exploring diverse perspectives in literary works.
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Getting Started with Civil Discourse
Learn how civil discourse can help you foster strong discussions and connections for your students. Explore our lessons, conversation frameworks, teacher tools, and explainers adaptable for all disciplines and grade levels to get started.
