If you wish to lead a Dialogue on Freedom, the first step is to identify a high school in your community where you would like to conduct a dialogue. For example, you may want to contact a school where you and your friends' children have been students; a school in your neighborhood; or a school where you know members of the teaching staff. You might also ask friends or co-workers if they know of a school that would enjoy participating in this program.

After reviewing the materials available on this web site, contact the high school principal or the head of the relevant department (social studies, history, government, or civics) and explain the program to them. Direct them to the program's web site, www.dialogueonfreedom.org, or offer them a printout of the program materials. Ask if they would be willing to devote a class session to a Dialogue on Freedom.

• Talk to the teacher about the ages and experiences of the students.
• Clarify the exact time for the class and the amount of class-time that you have for the discussion. You will want somewhere between 45 and 90 minutes to make the dialogue a meaningful experience.
• Consult with the teacher about the appropriateness of the topics and the format that you are considering for the discussion. Provide the teacher with a copy of the hypotheticals and any other materials you wish to discuss during your visit Consult with the teacher about additional background information students may need in order to participate fully in the discussion.
• Provide the resources that you would like students to have prior to your visit.
• Request that the teacher have name tags or tent cards printed with the students' first names. You will be much more effective in controlling the discussion if you can address students by name.
• Request a blackboard, flip chart or other equipment that you will need.

• Ask the teacher to distribute the hypotheticals or other materials you will be discussing to the students at least a day before the scheduled classroom dialogue.
• Ask the teacher to give the students this assignment, which refers to Parts IV and V of the hypotheticals, at least one day before the dialogue:

Make three lists, each with 3 items. Be prepared to discuss the items you include on your lists during the classroom Dialogue on Freedom.

List 1: The events in history that you think have been the most important milestones for freedom.

List 2: The books that you believe best capture what America means to you.

List 3: The movies that you believe best capture what America means to you.

• Ask the teacher to assign any background readings that you have agreed will help facilitate the dialogue.

• Know your subject. While this may seem an obvious tip, it is probably the most important. Spend time reviewing the hypotheticals and other material you will discuss prior to addressing the students. Think of additional questions you believe will help students explore the issues raised by the hypotheticals or dialogue starters. Don't underestimate the breadth of their knowledge, their awareness of the law or their interest in current law-related issues.
• Have a plan, but be prepared to be flexible. Before you get to the classroom, you should know what you want to say and how you want to say it. Create a discussion outline. It will help to keep the class focused and moving toward your desired conclusion. It will be impossible to keep the discussion from taking off in several directions, but it is your job to know when you have veered totally off course. (For tips on handling this problem, see Your Role as Dialogue Leader, Keeping the Dialogue on Track, and Classroom Strategies.)
• Personalize the topic by connecting it to real experiences that you have had or that you can relate from others. For example, you may use stories, court decisions, opinion essays, or cartoons to illustrate points you are trying to make or to establish a common base from which to launch a topic.

Media coverage of your dialogue can widen the impact of your event, enabling thousands outside the classroom to hear what you discussed and encouraging more lawyers, judges, and schools to participate in the program. If the school you plan to visit is amenable to media coverage of your dialogue, consider inviting the media to attend.

Adapted, in part, from "A Handbook of Tips: A National Conversation on American Pluralism and Identity (1995)," published by the National Endowment for the Humanities and used with permission of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

There is no more important participant in a discussion than the person leading it. This role can be both challenging and rewarding. Here are a few suggestions for bringing out a range of opinions, exploring the topic thoroughly and encouraging a rich and lively discussion.

• The first five minutes of the discussion may very well make or break it. The first information must be presented in a dynamic and interesting manner. Remember that you are addressing students. Talk to them in words they can understand and take the time to explain words or concepts that may not be readily known to them.
• Never lecture or stand in one place. Move around, interact with students, get all of the students involved.
• Be relaxed and friendly so that you can gain the students' interest and get them engaged quickly.

If the discussion strays, get it back on track by saying something like "I wonder how this relates to our major concern?" or "That's interesting, but I think we need to get back to our main focus."

Don't let one or two people do all the talking.

Many students are in the process of developing and honing discussion skills. They may need assistance in marshalling facts to form or clarify their own views. They need to understand the importance of carefully listening to, understanding and evaluating the opinions of others. They need, also, to gain an appreciation for an informed and civil discussion, recognizing that opinions can (and often should) change as a result.

Students are presented with ideas or propositions related to the topics under discussion. They are then asked to vote on whether they:

the propositions. The votes can be tallied. After the discussions, they have the opportunity to vote again. The new tally will indicate how opinions have changed.

Note: this exercise can also be done physically, with signs posted with the opinions and students "voting" by standing under the opinion they agree with. After the discussions, they can "revote" by standing under the signs they now agree with.

Students rank a set of values, or legal principles, or ideas according to each one's importance to a democratic society. At the end of the discussions, they will have the opportunity to revise their list.

Ask students to break into small groups. Pair the groups. Assign one of the pairs the task of supporting a particular opinion/idea with three to five arguments. Ask the other group to support a contrary idea with three to five arguments. Have each small group report to the class, and have the reports serve as the basis for discussion.

Ask each student to play the role of a person fitting a certain profile. Ask them to role play their response to ideas generated in the discussion. Then ask them to shuffle the roles, and go through the exercise in a new role. Debrief by asking them how the differing roles changed their opinions.

Here's a role-playing situation that requires students to think hard about their rights. The scenario is that since the country is under attack, the authorities have determined that we will have to forego a certain number of rights - say three - in light of the crisis. But which rights? Ask students to identify the rights Americans now have, and then singly or in groups come up with three that they are willing to forego. Probably during the discussion - and surely in the debriefing - they will come to see that it is very hard to "sever" rights. For example, when you give up the right to assemble, does the right to free speech have meaning?

Ask students to brainstorm an issue related to the conversation you will be holding. For example, brainstorm "What is an American?"

Another way of having students think through the issues is to have them play the role of policy makers and those who seek to influence policy. Divide the class into two groups. One, amounting to about half the class, might, for instance, role play a congressional committee considering proposals for a new domestic security bill. Other members of the class might play the roles of persons invited to testify before the committee, ranging from civil libertarians to law enforcement officials. Students testifying could prepare a statement putting forth their group's position. Committee members could then question them about their proposals.

A variation on the committee hearing is the student forum. Organize students into groups of five to seven. One student will be the moderator of a student forum designed to explore one of the topics and issues in the conversation project. Each of the other students will take on the role of a person with a distinct point of view on the issue. These role plays will be based on character sketches developed by the teacher or by the students. These sketches should include the character's name, a specific viewpoint, background information about the character that supports the viewpoint, and a specific position to be adopted. Testimony and give and the give and take of discussion will be based on these characters.

Parts IV and V of the Dialogue on Freedom hypotheticals ask students to consider the following questions:

• If you could leave three books and three movies with W and M that best capture what America means to you, what would they be?

• If you were making a timeline called "Great Events in Freedom," what events would you include? How far back would your timeline go?

In advance of your classroom visit, the teacher should ask the students to identify three books and three movies that they believe best express what America means to them. The students should also identify three historic events that they believe have been the most important milestones for freedom.

Drawing from the students' individual lists, ask the classroom to discuss and prepare the following three lists:

List 1: Up to fifteen books that best capture what America means to you.

List 2: Up to fifteen movies that best capture what America means to you.

List 3: Up to fifteen events in history you think have been the most important milestones for freedom.

Ask the class to include brief comments on why they chose the items on the lists. You might want the class to assemble the lists before your visit. Please submit the classroom's lists to the ABA. The ABA will use these lists to identify the top fifteen books, movies, and historical events identified by classrooms nationwide. The results will be posted on the ABA's Web site, along with the names of all the high schools that submit lists. You can include your classroom's lists as part of your Dialogue Leader's Report to the ABA (see Evaluating Your Classroom Dialogue).

• Offer students an opportunity to give you feedback about their dialogue, using the form below. We'd also like to get your thoughts on the "Dialogue on Freedom" project, and hope you'll have an opportunity to complete a Dialogue Leader's Report to the ABA. Visit www.dialogueonfreedom.org for a complete set of feedback forms.