Second grade enrichment units give students the opportunity to explore challenging pieces of literature and science topics in a way that allows them to deepen their critical thinking and questioning skills. Shakespeare Enrichment Unit: Second grade students engage in a form of literacy exploration known as Socratic Seminar as they explore several works by William Shakespeare. The object of Socratic Seminar is to develop a deeper understanding of the ideas, values, problems, issues, and themes inherent in writing, as well as to increase student thinking and reasoning ability. Socratic Seminar consists of conversations moderated by the teacher in which a carefully constructed open-ended question, about which there should be an element of doubt, is posed. The resultant discussion encourages students to listen closely to the comments of others while thinking critically about their own responses. Socratic Seminar encourages students to work cooperatively and to question intelligently and respectfully. Scenes From "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Second Grade Puppet Show |