Civil Discourse

Civil Discourse

Social Studies in the Elementary Classroom

Start

What is Civil Discourse?

• Respectful, reasoned discussion
• Active listening and clear expression
• Using evidence to support ideas
• Seeking understanding, not necessarily agreement

Why teach Civil Discourse?

• Builds empathy and social awareness
• Strengthens communication and collaboration
• Promotes civic engagment and democratic habits
• Creates a respectful, inclusive classroom community

Foundational Skills

Active Listening

Respectful Disagreement

Using Evidence

Turn Taking

Perspective Taking

Build a Foundation of Respect

Co-Create Discussion Norms

Reinforce Norms and Foundational Skills

Model Respectful Talk

Structured Discussion Routines

Think-Pair-Share

Talking Stick

Turn & Talk

Practice quick, focused listening

Reflect, talk with a partner, share with group

One speaker at time. Use sentence stems to build responses.

Four Corners Debate

Socratic Seminar

Circle Discussions

Eye contact and equal participation. One circle moves with change in questions. Sometimes referred to as "Inside Outside Circle."

Move to corners based on agreement level.

Use pictures, short texts, or videos.

Use Sentence Stems

Visual supports help students respond respectfully: "I agree with___because..." "I respectfully disagree because..." "Can you explain what you mean by...?" "Can you tell me more about...?" "I'd like to add on to what___said..." "Another way to look at this is..."

Visual and Hand-On Tools

• Discussion Norms Poster
• Conversation Cards-prompts for exploring ideas or sentence stems
• Discourse Rubric-emoji or color-coded self-assessment. Remind students about tone and behavior.
• Discussion Ladder-visual for deeper conversation levels

Model Civil Discourse

• Model and practice civil discourse
• Think aloud when managing disagreement
• Praise examples of empathy and active listening

Reflect & Reinforce

• "What went well today?"
• "Did we listen respectfully?"
• "How can we improve next time?"

Teacher Reflection Prompts

• How do I respond when students disagree?
• How do I model active listening?
• How can I ensure all voices are heard?