6. Allow students opportunities to independently read selections of their own choosing. Independent reading is an important way for students to broaden the scope of their background knowledge.

7. Ask the entire class an interesting general question that relates to the topic under study. Have them write notes about how they will respond. Discuss the question once most of the students have had a chance to respond. Allowing students to write their answers before they discuss encourages participation.

8. Have students participate in small group Round Robin activities. Have students form groups of threes or fours. While there are many different ways to manage a Round Robin, one way that many teachers have found effective is to have students pass around a sheet of paper with each child writing a fact or opinion or other bit of information on the sheet until either time is called or they have reached a certain number of entries. This allows students to share their knowledge in a nonthreatening way as well as see what their classmates know about the topic.

9. As soon as you have discussed a general question as a whole group, have students then jot down what they heard that they agree with, disagree with, or that gave them a new idea.

10. When you have students work together in pairs, time them. Students who know that they have only a short time to work together will focus better than those students who think that they and their partners have all class long to work.