Whole Class Discussions
Using whole class discussions to tap prior knowledge can benefit all students who are participating and listening by connecting what they already know to what they are going to learn. The discussion, if engaging, can get students excited about the new content and how it relates to them. Teachers can also use the discussions as a way to direct and redirect teaching based on student response and interest.

Example Discussion: High School

Teacher:	Does anybody know what we mean when we use the term “in the trenches”?
Mark:	It means like they’re really there.
Teacher:	Like who’s really where?
Mark:	Like someone who is where it’s down and dirty.
Teacher:	Can anyone give me an example of someone who’s in the trenches?
Juana:	Like a policeman who works on the street. He’s right there with the thieves and the drug dealers.
Liz:	Not like some politician who says a lot of stuff but doesn’t know what it’s really like. The cop is really in the trenches.
Teacher:	Do you know where the phrase “in the trenches” comes from? (No answer, so the teacher waits for a response.)  Can anyone guess?
David:	Was it maybe from a war?
Teacher:	Good guess. Trench warfare was fought in World War I. The soldiers had to dig deep trenches and then stay in them for protection. All the fighting was done in the trenches, so that’s where the saying came from. Does anyone know anything else about World War I?
Russ:	Weren’t the soldiers called doughmen?
Teacher:	Close. They were called doughboys.
Jenn:	Like the Pillsbury Doughboy.
Teacher:	Uh-huh.
Jenn:	Why were they called that?
Teacher:	Good question. Let’s write that one down to find the answer to. What else do you know about World War I? Who fought in the war?
Luke:	It was fought against Hitler.
Xavier:	No, that was World War II.
Luke:	Oh, yeah, right.
Teacher:	That’s a common mistake that people make about World War I. Does anyone have any idea why?
Liz:	Because we fought against Germany in both wars?
Teacher:	That’s true. Any other thoughts?
Micki:	Was the Red Baron in World War I?
Teacher:	Who was the Red Baron?
John:	He was a famous fighter pilot.
Teacher:	That’s right. Anything else? Does anyone know why the war started?  (No responses)  How about who fought in the war?
Corey:	Well, the United States and England and France.
John:	And Germany.
Teacher:	Any other countries?
Mark:	I think that maybe I have World War I and II mixed up in my brain. Were there Jewish concentration camps in World War I? Were there Nazis? I’m not sure.
Teacher:	It sounds like you all have some bits and pieces of knowledge about World War I, and some of it might be wrong. While we’re studying that war in the next unit, you’ll learn more about the War itself and also more about the role that the United States has played in foreign affairs since then.
Teacher:	I want you to think about some reasons why countries go to war. In your learning logs, describe some reasons and some examples you could use to demonstrate these ideas. I will respond to them this week.
Juana:	What if we don’t know of any examples?
Teacher:	That's alright. Just make some predictions as to why countries go to war and if you don’t have examples that’s okay. You will as soon as we get further into the unit.

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