Group Academic DiscussionPeriod: ___ Date: ______Team A/Team B

A / B / C / D
Participation / All students participate actively and meaningfully in the discussion.
Participation in discussion is equitably distributed.
Students utilize all types of participation in the discussion (start an idea, add on, disagree, ask a question, cite evidence) / Most students participate actively and meaningfully in the discussion.
About half of the students do the majority of the talking.
Students utilize most of the discussion types / Some students participate actively in the discussion.
A few students do the majority of the talking.
Students utilize a few discussion types. / Many students do not participate at all in the discussion.
The discussion is dominated by 1-2 students
Students utilize 1-2 discussion types
Academic Community / Students always use language or exhibit behaviors that respect the space, content, and ideas of their fellow team members.
The whole discussion proceeds at a lively pace; it is clear all students are engaged. / Students mostly use language or exhibit behaviors that respect the space, content, and ideas of their fellow team members.
The discussion mostly proceeds at a lively pace, but lacks a little energy in the conversation. / Students occasionally use language or exhibit behavior that does not respect the space, content, and ideas of their fellow team members.
The discussion sometimes proceeds at a pace that is too slow; many students don’t seem engaged. / Students frequently use disrespectful language or exhibit behaviors that does not respect the space, content, and the ideas of their fellow team members.
The whole discussion proceeds at a pace that is too slow; most students aren’t engaged.
Argument and Evidence / As a group, students investigate complex ideas in depth, building on each other’s ideas to reach complete and insightful conclusions.
Students explore multiple perspectives using the ideas of other students to achieve genuine insight.
Students consistently support their claims with specific evidence from the text, performing close reading on meaningful quotes.
Students consistently contextualize their questions with evidence from the text. / As a group, students touch on several complex ideas, but don’t reach complete conclusions.
Students explore multiple perspectives in the discussion.
Students often support their claims with specific evidence from the text.
Students often contextualize their questions with evidence from the text. / As a group, students offer a few complex ideas, but the discussion is somewhat superficial.
A few students disagree, but the disagreements do not push the discussion to a new level of analysis.
Students occasionally support their claims with specific evidence from the text.
Students sometimes contextualize their questions with evidence from the text. / Discussion is mostly superficial, jumping from topic to topic.
Students only agree with each other.
Students generally do not support their claims with specific evidence from the text.
Students generally do not contextualize their questions with evidence from the text.