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Created by: Brady Maiden
Discipline: Applicable in all subjects as a means of teaching students how to have respectful dialog. Particularly useful as preparation for curriculum and content that encourages discussion and debate.To empower students to form their own opinions while fostering an appreciation for diverse cultures and perspectives. This activity will also highlight the value of active listening as a key skill for understanding and collaboration.
Age level: Grade 6-12
Time: 45 minutes
Materials: No materials are required but this activity can be enhanced if you already have a student-created Classroom Constitution.
We can all use practice listening and responding to the opinions of others without rushing to judgment. This lively activity gives students practice with doing just that using low-stakes “takes”.
What to do:
Begin by discussing what a “hot take” is with your students. You may want to start with the Oxford definition below or simply ask students to define the term in their own words or using their own observations and experiences.
Oxford Dictionary Definition:
hot take (noun)
A piece of commentary, typically produced quickly in response to a recent event, whose primary purpose is to attract attention.
For example, “LeBron is the greatest basketball player of all time.” This is a quick “take” on the athlete and the game, but is popular so that students can relate and form an opinion. Try to give examples of current events or pop culture so that students can see the different types of opinions.
Students work in pairs to come up with a “hot take” on a topic of their choosing. Aim to have each pair identify a hot take that both students agree upon. This can get exciting and encourage lots of diversions in the paired discussion so limit the time to 5 minutes so they arrive at something they can share with the rest of the class.
Ask the class what it looks, feels, and sounds like to be listened to without judgment. Questions might include:
- What does your face look like when you’re listening without judgment?
- What are you doing with your body when you listen in this way?
- What might you be feeling but not saying when you listen without judgment?
- How can you show someone you’re really listening to hear rather than just to respond?
- Do the feelings or facial expressions in the room affect the way you respond?
Explain that the first part of this activity involves listening without judgment – but that in the second half, each student will have the opportunity to respond to ONE of the hot takes with a respectful rebuttal. In order to respond, they will need to demonstrate that they really heard what the person said – so in this listening phase, they must listen VERY CLOSELY. In other words, they will model listening without judgment but can take notes about which of the hot takes they would like to respond to after everyone has shared.
As students share, the conversation may shift, and some students might begin making comments or engaging in side conversations. To manage this, consider using a call-and-response technique. A helpful example could be: “We listen and don’t judge.” Feel free to use this frequently to bring the group’s focus back together.
Go around the room having each pair share. You may need to continually reinforce the qualities of listening without judgment as students can get very excited about what they hear. Keep encouraging students to take notes so they can remember which hot take they would like to respond to.
After each pair has shared, ask the class what a “respectful rebuttal” would look like. You may want to use questions like:
- Why does it matter to our classroom community that responses be respectful?
- What value is there in listening without judgment BEFORE we respond?
- How can you disagree with a statement but not critique the person who said it?
- What kind of response would feel best if someone was disagreeing with what you shared?
- What do you have to do as a listener to hear someone’s feedback and not take it personally?
- What does it look like to make a rebuttal thoughtful but not personal?
- As listeners to the exchange between people on a hot take – what can we do to ensure things stay respectful?
Explain that in the structure of the respectful rebuttal each student will get to offer one response to one of the hot takes, and one member of the pair who shared the hot take will get to respond in kind.
After each of the first few responses pause the group and ask them questions like:
- What did you notice about how ___ responded? How did they make their comment respectful?
- As the provider of the hot take, how did it feel to be responded to in this way?
- What questions do you have as listeners after hearing this exchange? What more does it make you wonder?
Be sure to side-coach students if their responses become personal. Try questions like:
- How might you rephrase that so it’s not about the students, but about the topic?
- Think for a moment what it would feel like to be on the other end of that response, is there a different way of saying that which invites the listener to keep engaging with you rather than shut down?
After everyone has shared, debrief with the class about what they learned:
- How did your thinking grow in this activity?
- What was it like to really listen before responding?
- How did it feel to share opinions that were different from those of your peers?
- What was it like to disagree without trying to change someone’s mind?
- How might what we did here today apply beyond the classroom? Could you have conversations like these with your friends and family?
- What will you remember most from this experience?
Standards Addressed by this Activity
Common Core College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language
Knowledge of Language:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.L.3 Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.L.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.
Common Core College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening
Comprehension and Collaboration:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.1 Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.2 Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice
Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP3 Mathematically proficient students understand and use stated assumptions, definitions, and previously established results in constructing arguments. They make conjectures and build a logical progression of statements to explore the truth of their conjectures. They are able to analyze situations by breaking them into cases, and can recognize and use counterexamples. They justify their conclusions, communicate them to others, and respond to the arguments of others. They reason inductively about data, making plausible arguments that take into account the context from which the data arose. Mathematically proficient students are also able to compare the effectiveness of two plausible arguments, distinguish correct logic or reasoning from that which is flawed, and—if there is a flaw in an argument—explain what it is. Elementary students can construct arguments using concrete referents such as objects, drawings, diagrams, and actions. Such arguments can make sense and be correct, even though they are not generalized or made formal until later grades. Later, students learn to determine domains to which an argument applies. Students at all grades can listen or read the arguments of others, decide whether they make sense, and ask useful questions to clarify or improve the arguments.
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning Competencies
Self-Awareness: The abilities to understand one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts. This includes capacities to recognize one’s strengths and limitations with a well-grounded sense of confidence and purpose.
Self-management: The abilities to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations. This includes the capacities to delay gratification, manage stress, and feel motivation and agency to accomplish personal and collective goals.
Social awareness: The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts. This includes the capacities to feel compassion for others, understand broader historical and social norms for behavior in different settings, and recognize family, school, and community resources and supports.
Responsible decision-making: The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations. This includes the capacities to consider ethical standards and safety concerns, and to evaluate the benefits and consequences of various actions for personal, social, and collective well-being.
Relationship skills: The abilities to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups. This includes the capacities to communicate clearly, listen actively, cooperate, work collaboratively to problem solve and negotiate conflict constructively, navigate settings with differing social and cultural demands and opportunities, provide leadership, and seek or offer help when needed.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards
| Dimension 1: Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries | Dimension 3: Evaluating Sources and Using Evidence | Dimension 4: Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action |
|---|---|---|
| Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries | Gathering and Evaluating Sources | Communicating and Critiquing Conclusions |
| Developing Claims and Using Evidence | Taking Informed Action |
