Even though social studies teachers may value discussion of controversial issues, such practice is rare in most social studies classrooms. Nystrand, Gamoran, and Carbonaro (1998) reported that 90 percent of the instruction they observed in more than one hundred middle and high school classes involved no discussion at all. What teachers cite as discussion is in fact often recitation (Larson 1999). Conducting engaging and thoughtful discussion in any classroom requires a well-prepared, highly skilled teacher and students knowledgeable not only about the content germane to the issue but also about the rules and guidelines for participating in civil discourse. In this article, the author cites the benefits of discussing controversial issues and the roles of teachers and students in conducting these type of discussion. The author presents three models of discussing controversial issues namely: (1) scored discussion; (2) structured academic controversy; and (3) advocate decision making. (Contains 3 figures and 2 tables.)