socratic seminar prep

Socratic

Seminar Prep

Wisdom begins in wonder. ~Socrates

What is a Socratic Seminar?

An active way for you the learner to engage in a

lively and academic discussion by posing intelligent

questions and offering equally intelligent insight as

a response to those questions.

This is a way for you to SHOW me what you know

in an authentic manner.

What a Socratic Seminar is NOT…

A ping-pong style of discussion where questions are simply

asked and answered

A chance for the quiet people to hide

An offering of ideas not supported by specific textual

references

An exercise in pondering “what if ”

It is not all about you – you have to work together to make

this work

It is not about the teacher… I am here to facilitate

Earning Points…

There are three ways to earn points

1. Posing an intelligent, higher level question to the group

2. Specifically responding to a question posed by your peers

3. Making an insightful comment AND referencing the text or

your previously prepared research

Bondi’s Warning!Do not assume that because you did a combination of the

aforementioned point earners that you will earn your points – what you

say and what you ask needs to be insightful, intelligent and relevant.

Preparing for your Socratic Seminars…

It is my expectation that you come prepared for Socratic

Seminars…

1. Be prepared by having read the selection being discussed

2. Bring your notes & make sure you have reviewed them ahead of

time – highlight or use sticky notes to draw your attention to

things you might want to mention

3. Write your questions – you will always need to write at least 5

questions using the questions starters from your Depth of

Knowledge (DOK) handout

4. Come to class having completed your outside research and the

research recap that goes with it

Preparing for your Socratic Seminar…

A day or two ahead before a scheduled Socratic Seminar you will

be assigned your pre-seminar tasks: writing questions,

organizing your notes, & doing some outside research.

Your questions and research will need to be uploaded to

turnitin.com (more on this later) by 7:30 AM the day of your

Socratic Seminar.


Your Research Recap:

In your research recap you will include the following

information for EACH of your required outside sources:

- A brief summary (5 points)

- A connection to the novel (3 points)

- Two more elements of your choice from the “Responding to

the Text” handout (label them) (10 points)

- The link to your online source (2 points)


Your Outside Sources: Avoid simply “googling” the book or the themes associated

with the book.

Websites like wikipedia, ask.com, ehow.com, yahoo answers,

etc. are NOT reliable and you will not be given credit for that

source.

BEWARE of people’s blogs – unless they are tied to some

sort of credible news organization you shouldn’t assume that

the blogger is an intelligent member of society.


Your Questions: There are four question levels identified on your DOK chart.

Your Socratic Seminar questions should come from levels 3 &

4 only.

Your questions should not lead to a response where your

peers must respond to details not known… (no “what if ”

style questions).

At a minimum you will need to write at least 5 questions – no

need to answer them, just write the question, and indicate

which level it comes from.


Turnitin.com

You will turn both your Socratic Seminar questions and your

research recap (one document) in using turnitin.com (also,

print a hard copy to bring to class).

Your prep assignments must be submitted by 7:30 AM the

day of the Socratic Seminar – late submissions will not be

accepted.

You must submit your assignment as an attachment – do not

copy and paste.


Turnitin.com

Technology troubles need to be addressed by

you!! Do not wait until class to tell me you had

an issue – send an email to prevent a potential

loss of points.

Late assignments run the risk of not being

graded so plan accordingly so you do not end up

with a zero.

The day of a Socratic Seminar…

You need to bring the following:

1. The novel

2. Your questions

3. Your notes (which should include your research recap)

We will sit in a large circle and one student will be selected to start

the Socratic Seminar.

It is my expectation that Socratic Seminars take up a majority of the

class period.

During a Socratic Seminar

we do not raise our hands –

we simply jump in. Be

polite, be respectful and

don’t monopolize the

discussion!

And most importantly…

HAVE FUN!!

You could be taking a

test… or writing a

timed-write!

Your first Socratic

Seminar is this Friday

Aug. 14, 2015!

The Things They Carried Socratic Seminar

Essential Question: How does O’Brien’s

unique style contribute to his social

commentary on the war?

Although we have an essential question for the

Socratic Seminar, we will explore many facets of

the novel. This Socratic Seminar will run the

course of two days and be worth quite a few points. Please plan accordingly.

Research Recap

For this first Socratic Seminar you need 1

outside source and 5 DOK questions.

You may use the resources on my website about

Tim O’Brien and the The Things They Carried OR

you may conduct your own research.

Points:

Research Recap: 20 points

DOK Questions (5 required; must be labeled): 10 points

Socratic Seminar: 50 points – You must

contribute 10 times over the course of two

days. Your comments and/or questions must

move the discussion forward.

socratic seminar prep

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