TOUCHSTONES®

D I S C U S S I O N P R O J E C T

An engaging and proven program to build speaking, listening, reading, and thinking skills

P R O G R A M C A T A L O G

WELCOME TO TOUCHSTONES

About the Touchstones Discussion Project

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TOUCHSTONES: Building critical thinkers & collaborative leaders

For the last three decades, Touchstones has piloted, refined, and perfected its materials and approach to enable students of all cultures, backgrounds and skill levels to flourish in the evolving world. Participants, ranging from elementary and secondary schools to colleges, in 42 countries and through six languages, have transformed their passivity into an engaged personal and professional creativity. They have found their voices, learned to think for themselves as individuals and explore collaboratively, and shared leadership and responsibility for themselves and their communities as students and citizens.

Touchstones is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. Public support and the helpful feedback of teachers who use Touchstones contribute to making the programs and materials as effective as they are. On behalf of Touchstones’ staff and the Board of Directors, thank you for your interest. We look forward to working with you to ensure your students’ success through Touchstones.Sincerely,

Howard Zeiderman, Co-Founder and President

I appreciate everything about the program! It provides the best means possible for refining critical thinking and for strengthening tolerance and social understanding.

- L. Powell, Reading Specialist, Wicomico County P.S., MD

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3 TOUCHSTONES PROGRAM MATERIALS

4 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

5 TOUCHSTONES IN ACTION

6 ELEMENTARY GRADE VOLUMES

7 MIDDLE GRADE ELA VOLUMES

8 MIDDLE GRADE CONTENT VOLUMES

9 HIGH SCHOOL ELA VOLUMES

10 HIGH SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES VOLUMES

11 HIGH SCHOOL MATH AND I.B. VOLUMES

12 COLLEGE VOLUMES

13 TOUCHSTONES IN TRANSLATION

14 TOUCHSTONES EDUCATOR SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Phone: 410.604.3309 www.touchstones.org Fax: 410.604.3329

There is no doubt in my mind that the participants in these discussions carry these memories throughout their lives. They become changed in fundamental ways—the way they see themselves and others, their understanding of the power of texts and the joy of being given the opportunity to struggle to express themselves and discover what they believe. I’ve seen it over and over and I have found Touchstones to be the most powerful and effective means of teaching—oh—almost everything.

- J. Davis, Pioneer Touchstones Educator at the University of Pittsburgh & in Pittsburgh P.S., PA

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Phone: 410.604.3309 www.touchstones.org Fax: 410.604.3329

Touchstones English Language Arts programs align to greater than 95% of the Common Core ELA Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening, and Language; the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE); AERO; and most individual state ELA standards. Touchstones programs in mathematics, science, and social studies offer additional coverage of Common Core and content-specific learning objectives for most curricula, including the International Baccalaureate (I.B.) Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme.

On the Touchstones website, you will find an extensive lesson-by-lesson alignment of Touchstones volumes to these and other Standards, along with a chart that lists the reading levels of all volumes, and data that demonstrates how and why Touchstones programs work.

Alignment to Common Core and Other Learning Standards

Touchstones Discussion Project provides proven instructional programs that develop students’ communication, cooperation, and leadership skills. Touchstones texts for discussion are carefully selected, edited, and adapted for access by all learners, and no preparation by students is needed for class. By following the lessons in each volume sequentially, one hour each week, teachers deliver a methodical and cumulative approach to build essential tools for success in the classroom and beyond. Touchstones materials reflect more than 30 years of research, development, and direct feedback from the classroom.

Touchstones Teacher’s Guides offer comprehensive instructional materials:• Overview of lesson and specific instructional goals• Summary of Touchstones text for discussion and questions for discussion• Detailed lesson plan with suggested timelines• Student Worksheet for duplication• Teacher’s copy of text for discussion• Touchstones discussion evaluation tools, benchmarks, and pedagogical suggestions

Teachers use their Teacher’s Guide to prepare for class, and students access the Touchstones texts through the Student Editions. One class set of Student Editions can be used year after year with multiple new groups of students. Samples of all Touchstones volumes can be viewed on the Touchstones website.

TOUCHSTONES PROGRAM MATERIALS

The benefits of Touchstones go far beyond the textual analysis that many think Touchstones is about. We constantly refer to the ‘Touchstones Skills’ in our other curricular work. Because my class involves a great deal of collaborative work, the weekly practice in leadership, active and inclusive listening, civil discussion, and consensus building through both large and small group work is invaluable to helping the class congeal and engage in larger, more ambitious projects in our design-based education class.

- G. Heidt, Humanities Teacher, Perkiomen Valley Middle School East, Collegeville, PA

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Touchstones also provides three levels of professional development through open-enrollment workshops, leading to a Touchstones Certification in Discussion Leadership.

OPEN ENROLLMENT WORKSHOPS

Phone: 410.604.3309 www.touchstones.org Fax: 410.604.3329

• Level I Workshop – Teachers new to Touchstones experience all elements of the Touchstones discussionmethod through direct practice and evaluation.

• Level II Workshop – Educators with experience using Touchstones examine issues in dynamics andlearn advanced strategies in discussion leadership.

• Level III Workshop – Advanced Touchstones discussion leaders receive individualized coaching fromTouchstones’ lead program developers and trainers.

Great professional development that is respectful of both a teacher’s needto shift the intellectual burden to students and the high quality instruction that students need to be successful in college and beyond.

- S. Jeanblanc, IB Coord., Baltimore City College H.S., Baltimore, MD

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 3

For more information on Touchstones workshops or to schedule a professional development session, please call the Touchstones office. The $175 Open Enrollment Workshop fee covers a light breakfast, lunch, the workshop, and workshop materials. A schedule of Open Enrollment Workshop dates may be found online. The In-Service workshop fee is $3,500 plus travel expenses.

IN-SERVICE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTSince 1984, Touchstones has trained thousands of educators through intensive in-service workshops, preparing them for optimal Touchstones implementation in the classroom. Touchstones’ interactive workshop provides hands-on practice with Touchstones discussion leadership, discussion evaluation, and goal-setting for improved student outcomes in speaking, listening, and collaboration. The workshop also explores how Touchstones’ proven programs align to greater than 95% of ELA State Standards, how Touchstones helps educators meet new teacher and principal evaluation frameworks, and how easy it is to integrate Touchstones into existing classroom instruction time for one class period per week.

Discussion Leadership: Getting Started covers all aspects of the Touchstones method, including individual and small group work, questioning techniques, discussion dynamics, and common behavioral problems. Its practical advice helps new discussion leaders get started and enhances the established skills of experienced leaders.

Single Volume: $24.95

This two-poster set reminds your students of the Touchstones Ground Rules and helps them to understand the different leadership roles they will assume in small groups.

Poster Set: $30.95

DISCUSSION LEADERSHIP: GETTING STARTED

TOUCHSTONES TWO-POSTER SET

Getting Started with Touchstones

Phone: 410.604.3309 www.touchstones.org Fax: 410.604.3329

Over the last 34 years, Touchstones programs have been used by more than 5,000,000 people in 42 countries to build foundation communication and leadership skills. Most Touchstones programs take place in grades 2 -12, but more post-secondary and higher-education courses are adopting Touchstones materials each year. Touchstones is designed for use with students of all abilities, regardless of their demographics or age. Consequently, many different learner populations have used Touchstones to develop student speaking, listening, cooperation, critical thinking, reading comprehension, and collaborative leadership. The Touchstones program also strengthens teacher skills by enhancing classroom management and cognitive development through student engagement, interpersonal connection, and differentiated instruction.

Here are some educational settings in which Touchstones is currently used:

• Inclusive classrooms• Gifted or accelerated learner programs• International Baccalaureate programs• English learners programs• Spanish and French immersion programs• Post-secondary bridge programs• College humanities seminars• College first-year experience courses• College honors and leadership programs

For program outcomes and related data and research and to explore a more extensive list of schools, pre-collegiate programs, colleges, and universities using Touchstones, please visit the Touchstones website at www.touchstones.org.

TOUCHSTONES IN ACTION4

Student Edition: $27.95Teacher’s Guide: $44.95

Student Edition: $27.95Teacher’s Guide: $44.95

TOUCHPEBBLES VOLUME ATouchpebbles Volume A uses discussion to foster an inclusive classroom where students of all abilities learn to discuss a range of ideas through 30 lesson plans on diverse texts, including tales from Aesop and other early cultures, paintings by Winslow Homer and Sotatsu, and passages from ancient philosophers and historians.

TOUCHPEBBLES VOLUME BTouchpebbles Volume B offers the same proven Touchstones method with an additional 30 lesson plans and texts for developing speaking and listening skills. Touchpebbles B may be used after Touchpebbles A, or to introduce another grade to Touchstones discussions, and features engaging texts from The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, selections from Francis Bacon and Malcolm X, African and Middle Eastern folktales, and paintings by Mondrian and the Bangba tribe.

ELEMENTARY GRADE VOLUMES 5Touchpebbles discussions channel elementary age students’ natural energy and enthusiasm into group activi-ties that develop speaking, listening, collaboration, and reading comprehension.

A touchstone is an ancient tool used to gauge the purity of precious metals. For the Touchstones Discussion Project, the texts themselves are touchstones used by educators and students to explore and challenge their own thinking.

Touchpebbles is very fun. It’s helped me to speak up and not be afraid to talk in front of people. It’s helped me understand people more and what their reason is for the stuff that they do.

- Trinity, a Third Grade Touchpebbles student in Manitoba, Canada”“

TOUCHPEBBLES VOLUME CTouchpebbles Volume C brings an engaging new set of primary source texts for discussion, along with full lesson plans that develop your students communication, interpersonal, and collaboration skills while building vital critical thinking skills. In this volume, you'll find philosophy from Hume and Laozi, folktales from Bhutan and Iceland, works of fine art, and the writings of Anna Freud, George Washington Carver, and Maria Montessori.

Student Edition: Teacher’s Guide:

$27.95$44.95

NEW

Through Touchstones Volume A, students consider lessons offered in folktales, evaluate and discuss early historical accounts, explore the foundations of society through Plato and Pascal, examine compassion in Mary Shelley’s compelling narrative, and reflect on the human struggle in Langston Hughes’ poetry and writings by Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. Dubois, among others.

Student Edition: $27.95Teacher’s Guide: $44.95

Touchstones Volume B may be used after Touchstones Volume A or as a first Touchstones volume. Texts from philosopher and psychologist William James, mathematician René Descartes, and political advocate Mary Wollstonecraft invite students to reflect on the consequences of actions, while selections from the Odyssey, medical ethics, and ancient Chinese philosophy invite discussions on responsibility.

Student Edition: $27.95Teacher’s Guide: $44.95

With Touchstones Volume C, students develop discussion and thinking skills required for a range of leadership roles. Touchstones selections from philosophers Boethius and Voltaire; founders of the United States; mathematicians Dedekind and G.H. Hardy; and works by artists da Vinci, Kollwitz, and Vermeer challenge students to evaluate multiple perspectives and collaborate to understand and address complex questions.

Student Edition $27.95Teacher’s Guide: $44.95

TOUCHSTONES VOLUME A

TOUCHSTONES VOLUME B

TOUCHSTONES VOLUME C

MIDDLE GRADES ELA VOLUMES6

Phone: 410.604.3309 www.touchstones.org Fax: 410.604.3329

Touchstones Volumes A, B, and C use discussion to methodically build speak-ing, listening, reading, writing, and critical thinking skills as students learn to ask questions and explore answers collaboratively. Each volume offers 30 les-sons on primary source texts which students consider and examine through individual work, small groups, class discussion, and evaluation. The three volumes are useful for all levels of learners, though the texts and concepts become increasingly complex as one moves fromVolume A to Volume C.

Touchstones Where’d They Get that Idea features short, primary source texts from mathematicians and scientists. Through individual and small group work, class discussion, and evaluation activities, students develop discussion skills in math and science. They gain understanding of these subjects as a series of assertions, questions, and investigations, which rely on strategic decision making. As students apply their own thinking to understand the viewpoints and processes expressed by the authors, students will see themselves as both mathematical and scientific.

Student Edition: $27.95Teacher’s Guide: $44.95

Released by Touchstones in 2011, Courage to Care: Building Community through Service explores our responsibilities as citizens. The Touchstones texts are arranged thematically to cover essential issues of trust, respect, cooperation, compassion, and leadership. All students will learn to find and share their voice on social and civic issues as they discover and discuss important literary and philosophical texts together.

Student Edition: $27.95Teacher’s Guide: $44.95

WHERE’D THEY GET THAT IDEA?ISSUES AND IDEAS IN SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS

COURAGE TO CARE:BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH SERVICE

MIDDLE GRADES CONTENT VOLUMES 7The ancient maps on our volume covers are metaphors for Touchstones’ ability to help learners navigate a rapidly changing world by charting a course through discussion, understanding, engagement, and collaborative leadership.

Once students learn the process, it is amazing to see them take it over and run on their own. Students who normally do not volunteer start to take ownership of their learning.

- T. El Fiki, Cecil County P.S. Teacher, Elkton, MD

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Using Touchstones Volume I, students identify and examine their own assumptions, presuppositions, and opinions and compare them with those of their peers, and with authors such as Aristotle, Hobbes, Machiavelli, Kafka, Mencius, and others. Touchstones lessons invite careful reading and mindful discussion on issues of truth, justice, equality, friendship, and freedom.

Student Edition: $27.95Teacher’s Guide: $44.95

Following Volume I, Touchstones Volume II helps students to refine their oral and written communication, cooperation, and leadership skills with 30 additional lessons on humanities texts from around the world. Along with Touchstones discussion exercises, each lesson in Volume II includes a specific writing assignment to focus student thinking on the development and expression of coherent ideas in an organized format.

Student Edition: $27.95Teacher’s Guide: $44.95

This Touchstones volume features texts, sample test questions, and discussion exercises that strengthen students’ abilities to evaluate written material for specific purposes. Students encounter challenging texts while practicing test-taking strategies that prepare them for improved performance on the Critical Reading Section of the SAT®. The Touchstones approach has proven successful in dramatically raising students’ scores overall on the verbal portion of the SAT®.

Teachers and students use the same volume. $27.95

TOUCHSTONES VOLUME I

TOUCHSTONES VOLUME II

TOUCHSTONES PREPARATION FOR THE CRITICAL READING SECTION OF THE SAT®

HIGH SCHOOL ELA VOLUMES8Touchstones Volume I and Volume II equip both college and career-bound students with the skills they need to thrive in a competitive world: fluent and thoughtful communication, creative and analytical thinking, and the abilities to collaborate and to lead. In each volume, 30 Touchstones lessons on primary source texts for discussion meet core learning objectives for active listening, close reading, formulating and expressing oral and written questions and responses, and building and evaluating meaning.

Most effective when used in tandem with Touchstones Volumes I and II, Touchstones Readings in Social Studies offers 87 Touchstones texts for discussion that are drawn from different historical periods and arranged into themes of Ancient History, World Cultures, Civics, U.S. History, and the Humanities. Students apply and practice their Touchstones discussion skills in content-specific classes, using the wealth of readings provided in this volume.

Teachers and students use the same volume. $54.95

’Alif features 20 Touchstones lessons and texts that introduce students to central concepts within the Arab intellectual and cultural tradition. Selections from early Arab philosophers, mathematicians, sociologists, religious leaders, and astronomers, along with ancient Greek predecessors, provide students with the opportunity to consider diverse points of view and gain a wider perspective of the world of knowledge.

Student Edition: $27.95Teacher’s Guide: $44.95

The first volume of this series features selections from W. E. B. DuBois, Zora Neale Hurston, Alice Walker, Langston Hughes, Frederick Douglass, Lois Mailou Jones, and other Black writers, philosophers, poets, and visual artists. These diverse texts serve as tools for students’ shared exploration of uniquely American perspectives. Each of the 22 lessons fosters and enhances problem-solving, critical thinking, and leadership through direct practice.

$27.95Student Edition: NEWTeacher’s Guide: NEW $44.95

TOUCHSTONES READINGS IN SOCIAL STUDIES

TOUCHSTONES ’ALIF: READINGS FROM THE ARAB TRADITION

EXPLORING AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES, VOLUME I

HIGH SCHOOL HUMANITIES VOLUMES 9

Touchstones helps me break down a culture of opposition to schooling. The readings and discussions also offer more diversity than our students receive in their core curriculum.

- K. Topper, Teleos Preparatory Academy, Phoenix, AZ

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Investigating Mathematics gives students in I.B., A.P., and advanced math classes a chance to explore the underlying principles of mathematics and science with Touchstones lessons and primary source texts. Through discussion, students come to understand mathematics as a creative activity that draws on multiple perspectives and diverse talents.

Teachers and students use the same volume. $27.95

Students using Mapping the Future as a course companion for Theory of Knowledge engage in collaborative explorations of philosophical, political, and scientific constructs through primary source texts. Each lesson features a classical text paired with a contemporary text, which serve to illuminate our thinking and presuppositions within a world of increasing cultural and intellectual diversity and global interconnectivity. Through Mapping the Future, students learn to analyze, evaluate, synthesize systematically and to apply knowledge as reflective thinkers, mindful discussants, and ethical leaders.

Reader’s Guide: $54.95Leader’s Guide: $24.95

Courage to Care is an anthology of Touchstones texts and questions for discussion that invite students to reflect on all aspects of community service. Arranged by theme, the texts offer students and teachers alike a format in which to openly consider the opportunities and challenges associated with service. Topics covered in the volume include the preparation for service, historical perspectives, general reflections, and service to others.

Reader’s Guide: $27.95Leader’s Guide: $44.95

INVESTIGATING MATHEMATICS

MAPPING THE FUTURE

COURAGE TO CARE: STRENGTH TO SERVE

HIGH SCHOOL MATH & IB VOLUMES10

Phone: 410.604.3309 www.touchstones.org Fax: 410.604.3329 Phone: 410.604.3309 www.touchstones.org Fax: 410.604.3329

NEW LANDSCAPESLonger primary-source selections in New Landscapes encourage students to reflect on the foundations of attitudes, assumptions, and knowledge. Students use texts to examine presuppositions and sources of understanding, engaging creatively and effectively as leaders. New Landscapes supports the development of close reading, active listening, and collaborative seminar skills in upper grade high school students.

Reader’s Guide:Leader’s Guide: NEW

$54.95$44.95

NEW

The Compass is the most flexible Touchstones volume designed for college seminar courses. It is, therefore, a useful tool for Bridge and FYE programs. Students using The Compass build essential communication and thinking skills, collectively map strategies for continuous improvement, and form a community of learners characterized by trust and respect. No advanced preparation is initially required by students, though students prepare for and lead later discussions.

Teachers and students use the same volume. $54.95

The longer selections in New Landscapes encourage students to reflect on the foundations of their basic attitudes and assumptions. Students use the texts to delve into their presuppositions and examine sources of their own knowledge, engaging creatively and effectively as leaders. New Landscapes helps upper level undergraduates and college faculty alike to develop seminar leadership skills.

$54.95

THE COMPASS

NEW LANDSCAPES

COLLEGE VOLUMES 11

Mapping the Future satisfies a thirst for my students seeking ways to better understand the world around them while better understanding themselves.

- Dr. C. Howard, President, Robert Morris University, Pittsburgh, PA

Mapping the Future features paired Touchstones texts in which a classical selection is juxtaposed with a contemporary perspective on the same issue. Students reflect on sources of knowledge and assumptions and presuppositions that characterize individual points of view. Mapping is recommended for Honors Colleges, FYE, and leadership programs. It is an invaluable tool for any instructor seeking to build seminar skills and strengthen critical thinking and community through collaborative discourse.

Reader’s Guide: $54.95Leader’s Guide: $24.95

MAPPING THE FUTURE

These Touchstones volumes are effective tools for post-secondary educators seeking to build critical thinking, civil discourse, and cooperation among their students. In addition to what is shown here, the volumes on the preceding pages also offer proven programs useful for groups of college students working to strengthen their literacy, fluency, and core communication skills.

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Reader’s Guide:Leader’s Guide: $44.95

NEW

Select Touchstones volumes have been available in Spanish since the early 1990s to build students’ oral and cognitive fluency in Spanish language classes and Spanish immersion schools. The Teacher’s Guide provides instruction in English but includes the text for discussion and the student worksheet in Spanish. The Student Edition is entirely in Spanish.

Student Edition: $27.95Teacher’s Guide: $44.95

TOUCHSTONES IN SPANISH

TOUCHSTONES IN TRANSLATION12

In 2011, Touchstones entered a partnership with the Bureau of French Education in Manitoba, Canada. Through that collaboration, seven of Touchstones volume sets (Teacher’s Guide and Student Edition) and Discussion Leadership: Getting Started were translated into French. These translations make it possible for Anglophone and Francophone students alike to strengthen their speaking, listening, and thinking skills in French language class and French immersion school environments.

Student Edition: $27.95Teacher’s Guide: $44.95

TOUCHSTONES IN FRENCH

EDUCATOR SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM 13

TESP also includes the Cynthia M. Barry Touchstones Teacher of the Year Award, which was established in 2011 to recognize and celebrate outstanding contributions in education made by an exemplary Touchstones teacher. This annual award serves to underscore the importance of Touchstones in the classroom and to further promote Touchstones’ excellent reputation among educators. Nominations for this award are open in the spring and summer of each academic year. Nomination forms may be found online.

REACHING ALL EDUCATORSPart of Touchstones’ commitment to education is to provide training scholarships for educators from marginalized regions so they are able to attend Touchstones workshops and receive Touchstones materials at no cost. This approach has brought hundreds of educators working in Jordan, the West Bank, Gaza, Haiti, India, Myanmar, Serbia, Georgia, and from across the United States to participate in Touchstones trainings.

In 2013, Touchstones formalized this outreach with the Touchstones Educator Scholarship Program (TESP), which provided free access to training and in-class coaching to more than 45 educators last year. The program recognizes leadership in education, offers continuing support in the classroom, and makes Touchstones program materials available at no cost. In 2016, Touchstones provided more than $65,000 in free goods and services through TESP.

TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARD

SHARE YOUR TOUCHSTONES STORY!Touchstones runs a Teacher Survey each year to gather valuable infor-mation about how educators are using existing program materials. We also want to know what additions would be most helpful in the class-room. Your responses and suggestions help us to refine and expand our programs, training, and support on a continuous basis.

Touchstones also invites educators to share their stories about how Touchstones transforms their students into active and responsive learners who are better prepared to succeed in school and in life. Share your story with a short student-directed video or written reflections from you and your students, and Touchstones will publish it online and in our newsletter. Let us help you to showcase the great things that you and your students are accomplishing together with Touchstones. Please write to us at schoolprograms@touchstones.org.

After 10 years in the classroom of just accepting that discussions are lopsided and thinking ‘that is the way it is’, Touchstones has given me the model and the language to actually work on improving student engagement and bringing everyone in. The concept of collectively building understanding of an idea, instead of just debating it, resonated with me deeply this year.

- M. Healy, Dir. of Teaching & Learning and World Religions Teacher at Trinity College School, Canada

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Touchstones 2016 Teacher of the Year, Larry Harris, Cecil County Public Schools

PO BOX 2329 ANNAPOLIS, MD 21404-2329

Phone: 410.604.3309 www.touchstones.org Fax: 410.604.3329

Touchstones builds critical thinking, communication, and leadership skills through respectful and engaging discussion-based programs.

TOUCHSTONES®

D I S C U S S I O N P R O J E C T

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