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In this lesson students will hold a socratic seminar to determine whether King Arthur was an actual King of England during the 5th century or if he was simply a mythological figure used as a form of entertainment when teaching medieval England.
Lesson:
1. Class will develop a set of three to five norms to best facilitate discussion and to ensure all students are respectful, responsible, and ready to succeed.
2. Read the King Arthur Background Text and watch "The Search for King Arthur" video to gain background knowledge of what is known about King Arthur.
3. You are now going to read three passages that discuss the mystery of the actual existence of King Arthur. The King Arthur Sources discuss the accuracies and inaccuracies of history during the Middle Ages, the appearance of Arthur in Welsh poetry, and the validity of a grave site believe to belong to King Arthur and his wife.
4. Focus Group: After reading through the information you must take a stance on the issue: Did King Arthur actually exist? You will create focus groups of 4-5 people based on your answer. In your group you should focus on the following questions:
a. What evidence best supports your claim?
b. What questions and evidence can you anticipate from the other side of the argument?
c. How will you respond to those allegations to best support your side of the argument?
5. Whole Group: You will now come together as a whole group to decide whether King Arthur actually existed. Before coming to a conclusion, you will discuss three important factors:
a. Debate the authenticity of the relics and writing.
b. Discuss the evidence found at the burial.
c. Analyze the motivation of the monks of Glastonbury.
After discussing these three concepts, decide as a class whether King Arthur actually existed.
6. Assessment: To assess yourself, your peers, and the activity you will complete three separate assessments. Each of the following assessments can be found in the Socratic Seminar Assessment Packet.
a. Partner Assessment: Your partner for this task will be the student sitting to your left. You will observe your partner throughout the entire process.
b. Group Observation: Choose three people to participate in your group, this can be any three students in the class. Take notes on the behaviors that you observe throughout the discussions.
c. Self Assessment: After the socratic seminar, complete a self-assessment on how you feel the seminar went as well as your participation in the process. You will also set goals for the next seminar.
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