Graffiti Wall Conversation

1. Decide on a space that allows several students to respond at the same time.  If doing virtually, consider which tool best supports students in sharing their ideas and comments.
2. Discuss with students ahead of time the expectations such as appropriate response, materials, etc.
3. Invite students to respond to the prompt through writing, drawings or a combination of the two. Students work individually to respond, but once thoughts are recorded, they can verbally share their reflections or rotate among and read the responses of their peers.
4. Invite students to ask questions or to add comments to the writing/drawing of their peers.
5. Conclude with a class discussion.

• The third word of this strategy is conversation.  Much value is added to the use of Graffiti Wall Conversation when students are provided with an opportunity to dialogue about their own contributions to the graffiti or those of their classmates.  Teachers can push student thinking by linking the contributions provided by different students asking questions, seeking clarification, and providing a space for students to synthesize and ask questions. 
• Bulletin boards, white boards, chart paper, and even sidewalk chalk are suitable media for Graffiti Wall Conversations.

Scaffolds for Multilingual Learners

Entering/Emerging:

• Allow students to access and use vocabulary resources in order to recount, argue, and explain.
• Model how to write a variety of responses.
  Provide examples of what students’ responses might look like.
• Allow students to respond in a variety of ways (e.g., pictures, text, mix of English and home language, etc.).
• Provide sentence stems/frames and graphic organizers.
• Provide visual support (e.g., posters, photographs) for students to name and briefly describe objects, people, or places.
• Provide sentence stems and frames for stating main ideas and/or restating details of content-related topics, as well as connecting ideas to one’s experiences (in home language and English). 
• Provide frequent opportunities for students to participate in both structured and less structured dialogue.
• Provide time for students to think and create an oral response (in home language and English).
• Model appropriate nonverbal behaviors to show engagement and listening.

Developing/Expanding:

• Model how to write a variety of responses.
• Provide examples of information presented objectively with a neutral tone.
• Provide examples of transitions to help students connect ideas. 
• Model examples of paraphrases and summaries that are presented orally.
• Provide sentence stems and frames for questions.
• Provide examples of clarifying questions that students might ask.
• Model how to generate new questions to maintain conversations.

Bridging/Reaching:

• Model how to convey sequence and show relationships among experiences and events.
• Model how to categorize details of main ideas seen and heard in videos and other technologies.
• Model how to sequence a series of illustrated events from oral passages (e.g., historical recaps).