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Working Through the Packet: Group Highlighting
Learning Objectives
Identify parts of card text that support the argument made by the tag
Identify superfluous and redundant parts of card text that can be skipped
Time Needed
~15 minutes per card
Teacher Preparation
Read over the argument summary at the beginning of the packet and the individual piece(s) of evidence you’d like to go over in this activity.
Resources & Materials
Evidence/resource packets (1 per student, can be digital or physical)
Highlighters (if using printed out packets)
Lesson Outline
Have everyone look at the same piece of evidence (it’s useful to show the packet on the projector if possible) in their own packets
Explain what the parts of a card are (tag, cite, text)
Read through the tag together and make sure students understand what it is saying
Read through the underlined text together
You can either read this out loud to students or have students volunteer to read
Go over any parts of the card that you think may be confusing for students to make sure they all have a clear understanding of the text. Ask students to explain more complex ideas to you if the group says they have no questions about anything.
Ask students which lines from the text they think help prove that the tag is true. They should NOT start highlighting yet.
If students identify two different lines that essentially say the same thing, ask them to pick one
If students try to include words that add flavor but are unnecessary (ex. rhetorical questions, dramatic phrases), ask how the selected words help prove the tag is true
Highlight the card (projecting on the screen if possible, saying which words you are highlighting if not). Students should follow along and highlight the card in their own packets.
Try to avoid highlighting entire sentences. If students are confused, explain that the point of the evidence is to support the argument, not to sound like a persuasive essay.
Highlight acronyms and initialisms when possible (ex. highlight the “A” and “I” in “artificial intelligence” instead of the entire words, "U” and “S” in “United States”)
Repeat as desired with more evidence
Example highlighting:
Points of Improvement
Students highlight most or all words in a card
Students highlight irrelevant parts of card
Students highlight parts of card that are redundant
Signs of Mastery
Students highlight parts of card that clearly support the tag
Students highlight selectively instead of trying to highlight everything
Instructor Notes
You can modify the group aspects based on what works best for your students.
Going over everything together is useful when many students need help understanding the evidence.
Splitting students into small groups and having them share what they highlighted can be useful if you have a handful of students who seem to have a stronger grasp on the evidence and can explain it to their peers.
If you think your students are strong readers overall but may struggle with picking out the most relevant parts, you can have them read the evidence on their own and then highlight together.
Based on how well this activity goes, you may choose to have students highlight the rest of their packets independently at home or continue to go over it together. In either case, it’s best to go over or assign chunks of the packet (ex. just the 1AC, just the 1NC cards for a particular disadvantage) rather than trying to do everything at once.