Questioning Viewpoints

Overview

In this second lesson of Technology Debate Through Reciprocal Teaching, students deepen their understanding of contrasting viewpoints. They practise asking purposeful questions, clarifying unfamiliar ideas and vocabulary, and tracking how claims, reasons, evidence and assumptions shape an argument.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• ask open, text-based questions that help readers understand or test a viewpoint
• clarify unfamiliar vocabulary, ideas, assumptions and evidence using context, morphology or a reliable source
• identify which viewpoint a detail supports and explain why
• participate actively in rotating reciprocal-teaching roles.

Success criteria

• I can write an open question about a specific detail in a text and explain its purpose.
• I can clarify a term using context, word parts or a reliable source.
• I can identify whether a detail supports, challenges or complicates a viewpoint.
• I can carry out my reciprocal-teaching role and build on another student’s idea.

Curriculum links

• Crafting Texts — Discursive texts: anticipating and responding to opposing positions when developing a persuasive argument.
• Crafting Texts — Discursive texts: using appropriate language, structural and stylistic features for a selected audience and purpose.
• Crafting Texts — Visual and digital texts: checking information, representing diverse perspectives and interacting responsibly online.
• Years 9–10 English: critically evaluating how digital and media texts are constructed and position audiences; thinking, relating to others, and participating and contributing.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–7 min · Reconnect and hook. Teacher displays the provocative question, “Should schools use artificial intelligence tools for learning?” and revisits the previous lesson’s distinction between a claim, reason and example using the hook and retrieval slides. Students silently choose a position, then explain one reason to a partner without trying to win the debate.

2. 7–17 min · Teacher think-aloud. Teacher introduces the contrasting technology extract and models reading one paragraph aloud, thinking through three questions: “What is the writer claiming?”, “What does this word or idea mean here?”, and “What might the writer be assuming?” Teacher records a model on the viewpoint questioning and clarification grid and demonstrates how to use a context clue, word parts or a reliable source. Students help identify whether the model detail supports the writer’s viewpoint and suggest a stronger open question.

3. 17–23 min · Teach reciprocal roles. Teacher explains and models four rotating roles: Questioner, Clarifier, Viewpoint Tracker and Connector. Display the reciprocal-role instructions and sentence stems. Students rehearse one role in pairs using a short paragraph, using stems such as “What makes the writer suggest…?”, “In this context, ___ most likely means…”, and “This detail supports/challenges ___ because…”.

4. 23–43 min · Reciprocal-teaching groups. Teacher places students in groups of four, provides the contrasting extract and directs them to read one paragraph at a time, pausing to rotate roles after each paragraph. Students complete the grid on the viewpoint questioning and clarification grid: the Questioner writes an open, text-based question; the Clarifier explains a term, idea or assumption; the Viewpoint Tracker labels the detail as supporting, challenging or complicating a viewpoint; and the Connector compares the claim, reason, example or possible opposing response with the earlier extract. Groups must refer to exact words from the text and listen respectfully before adding ideas.

5. 43–53 min · Compare and strengthen. Teacher brings the class together and uses the comparison and discussion prompts to collect examples from groups. Students compare the two extracts, identifying one difference in claims, reasons, examples or assumptions, then improve one group question so it tests the strength of an example or anticipates an opposing response. Invite oral, written or drawn explanations where appropriate.

6. 53–60 min · Individual check and exit reflection. Teacher reads a selected sentence from the extract and asks students to respond independently on mini-whiteboards: write one useful open question and clarify one key term in student-friendly language. Students hold up responses, then complete a brief reflection: “The viewpoint this detail supports is ___ because ___.” Teacher uses the responses to identify who can question, clarify and track viewpoints independently.

Resources

• the complete questioning and clarifying deck
• the viewpoint questioning and clarification grid
• Two contrasting, age-appropriate technology debate extracts
• Mini-whiteboards, pens and erasers
• Projector or interactive display
• Dictionaries or teacher-approved reliable digital sources
• Audio or digital versions of the extracts
• Highlighters and coloured pens

Assessment

• During modelling, check whether students distinguish a question about the text from a personal opinion and whether they can explain a question’s purpose.
• Circulate during group work, listening for accurate clarification, evidence-based viewpoint tracking and equitable participation in roles.
• Use the mini-whiteboard response and final reflection to assess individual ability to write an open question and clarify a term; note students needing a guided revisit.

Differentiation

• Provide tiered question stems: fill-in-the-blank stems for support, open stems for most students, and challenge stems that test evidence or assumptions.
• Pre-highlight key vocabulary, bold important terms, provide a partially completed grid, and offer one paragraph at a time for students who need reduced visual or reading load.
• Offer dyslexia-friendly access through audio or digital text, a clear sans-serif font, increased spacing, short sections, oral responses, drawn explanations and oral assessment where appropriate.
• Use strategic pairing and a guided teacher group to rehearse one paragraph before independent group work. Allow students to point to evidence or use a scribe if writing is a barrier.

Extension

• Identify a missing perspective in either extract and explain how including it could change the argument.
• Design a question that tests whether an example is representative, reliable or strong enough to support the writer’s claim.
• Write a possible opposing response and identify which evidence from the extracts could answer it.