Share an example of a successful activity or lesson that helped your students master claim testing!

I used the claim testing strategy as mentioned in the Global Conflict lesson to help scaffold our PBA!  I wrote down claims on notecards and then had students write statements that support those claims on the back.  The reason I really liked this strategy was IT BOTH required students to work together and be responsible for their own work.  For example, by requiring students to find statements different from other students, and then have everyone decide which statements were the best kept everyone motivated and focused on the task.  When we reviewed their responses, everyone had something to say, which really has given me hope for this PBA.  A highly recommended strategy to help develop students' writing skills!  

Love how you are really getting students to focus on the different components of claims. Way to go, Sheila Aguirre 

I created an activity where students identified a claim tester being used for different claims before and after the Enlightenment. For example, before the Enlightenment was, "The King is in charge because God chose him." We used this to highlight the shift from using Authority alone to using Logic and Evidence more frequently.

I provided my students with a thesis statement and asked my students to find evidence for that claim. Then I gave my students an essay that I wrote and had them underline evidence and star analysis. I also had my students grade the essay using our rubric based on the thesis, evidence and analysis. I made the essay a B- so that they would have to discuss the good and the bad of the essay/argument. The students then had to create their own "quick paragraph" based on a question where with a partner they wrote a claim, evidence, and analysis.

Sheila Aguirre This is such an effective way to develop both writing and analytical skills! I really like the steps you implemented with your students and how you combined claim testing with peer review to strengthen their understanding of argumentation. The process of circling claims, boxing evidence, and underlining analysis seems like a great way to visually break down their writing structure.

I’m curious — were your students at ease with the task of reviewing their peers's work or did they find it challenging? Were they able to identify unclear writing? That's such an important aspect of developing strong writing skills. Thanks for sharing this activity — I’m inspired to try a similar approach in my class!

Jacob Fritsch I like this idea of teaching "authority". With my students, authority seems to be the most difficult to grasp.

When you show the shift in time, in your example above, you are actually showing the shift in which claim testers started taking more prominence. It helps to understand claim testers in practical terms because students understand the shift in thinking.

You made me think about my favorite BHP concept in a new way. Thanks!

This is awesome- I am going to try this in the upcoming week!

Thank you for the feedback! Students were not hesitant. I have them in group seating arrangements day 1 of the year and try to change them every quarter. I incorporate a lot of icebreakers and group bonding activities so they feel comfortable. I also let them know that if they don’t feel comfortable with the task, I’m always willing to do it for them. For the most part, they were able to identify unclear writing. Additionally, I provide them with feedback after they turn in their work. Some students did struggle, which serves as a good indicator of who might need extra help.

A successful lesson that helped my students with claim testing was a recent lesson we did with the silk road. Students were presented with the following claim: "The Silk Road was primarily a vehicle for trade, not cultural exchange." Students worked in small groups to complete a primary and secondary source analysis (sources such as maps of the Silk Road, excerpts from Marco Polo’s travels, Ibn Battuta, images of artifacts found along the Silk Road and peer-reviewed articles discussing the spread of religions through these routes). Within their small groups, based on their analysis identified evidence that supported or contradicted the claim. Then using a graphic organizer students organized their evidence into two categories: "Evidence for Trade" and "Evidence for Cultural Exchange." Students then crafted an argument, clearly stating their position on the claim and using specific evidence from their analysis.