Krysta Stenzel ELA Fourth Grade

Chalk Talk Discussion

Focus
I will choose four parts of a class text to display in the middle of a large sheet of butcher
paper. Students will rotate around the room to read the text and ask a question from a Bloom’s
question prompt. I will encourage students to ask higher tier questions, but this will be differentiated
to allow students to ask according to their levels. Students will rotate around again, writing responses
to the questions students asked on the paper. These will be displayed at the end of class for
students to do a gallery walk to review the class discussion that is visible.

Standards

RI4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when
drawing inferences from the text.
RI4.10 By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies,
science, and technical texts, in the grades 4–5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as
needed at the high end of the range.

Know Understand Able to Do

- Bloom’s question - We read nonfiction text closely.
prompts - We ask HOT questions.
- We respond respectfully to other
students’ questions.
- Read nonfiction text closely.
- Use a list of Bloom’s question
prompts to ask original
questions.
- Respond to classmates’
questions.

Differentiation Elements

Strategy: Chalk Talk

Four different pages of “Oil Spill: Disaster in the Gulf” will be placed around the room on butcher
paper sheets. Students will start at one station to read the text. They will use a marker and a prompt
sheet to write a question near the text. Students will walk to other stations in the room, read the text,
ask questions, and answer questions already on the paper.

Content Process Product

The process will be differentiated for
all readers. Struggling readers will
have the opportunity to read the text
before the chalk talk activity.
Students will have the option of using
any level of Bloom’s questioning,
which will differentiate the process of
their thinking and responses.
The product will be differentiated
by student conversation on the
charts. Students will engage in
silent discussion at their levels,
and the products on each sheet
will show the different levels of
work.
 Student Learner Elements

Readiness Interest Learning Profile

Readiness is The chalk talk activity appeals to
accounted for in this students who prefer learning in
activity as students are quiet environments and who
able to choose the level prefer to have ample time to
of questioning they are think before responding. This
ready to use as they activity also appeals to students
discuss. who like to move around while
learning.

Instructional Groupings

Students will be working as a whole class to discuss the text. They will also be working
independently to think and respond.

Assessment

Pre Assessment Formative Assessment Post Assessment

I will formatively assess students as I
observe their chalk talk discussion. I
will use the discussion sheets to
guide my instruction the following
day.

Teacher Resources

• Text – “Oil Spill: Disaster in the Gulf”

• Butcher paper sheets

Student Resources

• Bloom’s questioning prompts

• Markers