Pre-Seminar Question-Writing:

Before you come to a Socratic Seminar class, please read the assigned text (novel section, poem, essay, article, etc.) and write at least 1-2 question(s) in each of the following categories:

1. World Connection Question: Write a question connecting the text to the real world.

Example: If you were given only 24 hours to pack your most precious belongings in a back pack and to get ready to leave your home town, what might you pack? (After reading the first 30 pages of Night).

2. Close-Ended Question: Write a question about the text that will help everyone in the class come to an agreement about events or characters in the text. This question usually has a "correct" answer.

Example: What happened to Hester Pyrnne's husband that she was left alone in Boston without family? (after the first 4 chapters of The Scarlet Letter).

3. Open-Ended Question: Write an insightful question about the text that will require proof and group discussion and "construction of logic" to discover or explore the answer to the question.

Example: Why did Gene hesitate to reveal the truth about the accident to Finny that first day in the infirmary? (after mid-point of A Separate Peace).

4. Universal Theme/ Core Question: Write a question dealing with a theme(s) of the text that will encourage group discussion about the universality of the text.

Example: After reading John Gardner's Grendel, can you pick out its existential elements?

5. Rhetorical Analysis Question: Write a question dealing with a rhetorical device that an author used or why the text is so stylistically persuasive?

Example: What do you believe is Schlosser's purpose in writing Fast Food Nation?

Guidelines for Participants in a Socratic Seminar

• Refer to the text when needed during the discussion. A seminar is not a test of memory. You are not “learning a subject”; your goal is to understand the ideas, issues, and values reflected in the text.

• It's OK to "pass" when asked to contribute.

• Do not participate if you are not prepared. A seminar should not be a bull session.

• Do not stay confused; ask for clarification.

• Stick to the point currently under discussion; make notes about ideas you want to come back to.

• Don't raise hands; take turns speaking.

• Listen carefully.

• Speak up so that all can hear you.

• Talk to each other, not just to the leader or teacher.

• Discuss ideas rather than each other's opinions.

• You are responsible for the seminar, even if you don't know it or admit it.

Expectations of Participants in a Socratic Seminar

Did participants....

• Speak loudly and clearly?

• Cite reasons and evidence for their statements?

• Use the text to find support?

• Listen to others respectfully?

• Stick with the subject?

• Talk to each other, not just to the leader?

• Paraphrase accurately?

• Ask for help to clear up confusion?

• Support each other?

• Avoid hostile exchanges?

• Question others in a civil manner?

• Seem prepared?

A-Level Participant

• • • Participant offers enough solid analysis, without prompting, to move the conversation forward

    • Participant, through her comments, demonstrates a deep knowledge of the text and the question

    • •articipant has come to the seminar prepared, with notes and a marked/annotated text

    • Participant, through her comments, shows that she is actively listening to other participants

    • Participant offers clarification and/or follow-up that extends the conversation

    • Participant’s remarks often refer back to specific parts of the text