The assignment you have created is perfect for a spiderweb discussion, but how do you make it happen with a whole class? Team spiderweb discussions are the answer.

If your class is not already divided into teams, begin by dividing your class into teams of between five and six students. Next have the team recorder* open a shared Google Doc. Supply the essential question or topic for discussion.

Teams will then begin their discussions in their joint Google Docs. Each member will begin each entry with their name and place each entry in an appropriate position. Positioning may be determined by a timeline, a progression of thought, or responses to other comments.

Team members are responsible for their own comments and positioning and also for helping others writing and positioning comments. Discussions need to be equally balanced in terms of entries per person. They need to have good content. They need to progress in a logical order.

Once the time is up for discussion each team will then look over the discussion and edit as necessary. Finally the team speaker will read or summarize the discussion for the class. If appropriate, a short all class discussion can be used to compare the individual team discussions.

*I assign team members roles including leader, recorder, speaker, researcher, and monitor. These roles are reassigned for each project or discussion.