Sentence Starters

Engage and Elevate: A Set of Discourse-Enhancing Cards

Unlock deeper conversations and critical thinking in your classroom with our Discourse Enhancement Cards. Designed for collaborative learning, this set divides into six categories to guide students through meaningful problem-solving discussions:

1. Start a Problem: These cards provide thoughtful sentence starters that encourage students to frame and introduce problems effectively, promoting clarity and focus at the beginning of discussions.

2. Justify Your Thinking: Encourage students to articulate the reasoning behind their ideas with prompts that help them explain their thought process, reinforcing critical thinking and logical explanations.

3. Productive Struggle: These cards foster perseverance by prompting students to embrace challenges and work through difficult concepts together, turning obstacles into opportunities for growth.

4. End a Problem: Help students draw conclusions and summarize their findings with sentence beginnings that encourage reflection and the solidification of understanding at the conclusion of discussions.

5. Increase Discourse: Designed to spark deeper engagement, these cards offer prompts that challenge students to expand on each other's ideas, creating a dynamic environment for collaboration and knowledge sharing.

6. Disagree Respectfully: Encourage healthy debate and critical questioning with cards that help students disagree respectfully. Each card begins a sentence where students finish by offering a counterpoint, fostering a culture of respectful disagreement and refining argumentation skills.

With these cards, students finish the sentences provided, encouraging active participation and thoughtful responses that elevate discourse in group settings. Perfect for enhancing collaborative learning, promoting problem-solving, and developing respectful communication skills.

Ideal for educators who want to spark engaging, reflective, and productive conversations in their classrooms!

Dimensions: 3.5’’ x 2.5’’

2nd - 5th Grade Deck Size: 39 total cards including title card, directions/color coding card, and 37 discourse-enhancing cards (7 cards in Start a Problem and 6 cards in each of the five categories).

6th - 12th Grade Deck Size: 38 total cards including title card, directions/color coding card, and 6 cards in each discourse-enhancing categories.