socratic

Some Helpful Tips
· When dividing students in groups try to assign the more extraverted students with the more shy, less talkative students. Encourage the less talkative students to speak up gently. This kind of activity can be incredibly intimidating for kids at this age. No one should be forced to talk or comment. I usually keep track of who is talking, and about ten minutes before the discussion ends, I name off the students who have not spoken and suggest that "this would be a good time to add something".
· To avoid overtalk, use a prop, such as a beach ball. Like the rascals in Lord of the Flies, the students use the prop like the conch shell. Whoever has the prop is the only one who can speak. When they are done speaking, they toss the prop to someone else.
· The teacher should keep a student roster or seating chart handy while observing the seminar. In addition to taking notes next to students' names, the teacher can also take note of who is speaking, and how frequently they are speaking. This makes grading the seminar more objective.

Variations
Instead of conducting the Socratic Seminar from class-to-class, the teacher might assign individual e-pals to each student. This requires much more work on the teacher's part. Instead of having group responses, the classes would have individual responses to the seminars.

Resources Needed
· Class set of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird
· Computers with internet access
· A large space wherein students can sit in desks in a cirlce


Evaluation
The teacher will keep a roster or seating chart where s/he will keep track of who is saying what. Students will pass, with credit for giving two utterances. All of the writing work (questions and responses) will be kept in the students' Writer's Notebook. The notebook will be turned in for credit at the end of the unit. The formal essay will be graded by a teacher-created rubric.