Socratic Seminars EXPECTATIONS FOR A SUCCESSFUL DISCUSSION

3 ways to get a grade (must do two out of the three) 1. Ask a question. 2. Respond to a question. 3. Add a comment.

Grading others 1. Observation notes ◦Select three people to observe during the seminar: the person to your right, the person to your left, and the person directly across from you. ◦During the seminar, you are responsible for evaluating comments, questions, ideas, references to the text, distracting behavior, etc.

Rules 1. Speak so that all can hear you. 2. Listen closely. 3. Speak without raising hands. 4. Refer to the text. 5. Ask for clarification, don’t remain confused. 6. Talk to each other/make eye contact. 7. Invite and allow others to speak. 8. Consider all viewpoints and ideas. Discuss ideas rather than each other’s opinions. 9. Stick to the point that is being discussed. Make note about other ideas you would like to bring up later. 10. Know that you are responsible for the quality of the seminar.

Goals 1. Listen to what others say. 2. Explain your own ideas. 3. Speak and work with others, whether you are close to them or not. 4. Receive correction and criticism from others. 5. Ask about what you don’t understand. 6. Admit when you are wrong. 7. Think about questions for which the answers are uncertain. 8. Learn from others. Teach others. Teach yourself. 9. Become more aware of how others see you.

A Socratic Seminar Does Not… 1. Argue or debate. 2. Monopolize the conversation. 3. Answer only to the discussion leader. 4. Ignore the commentary of others. 5. Jump from question to question. 6. Have a right or wrong conclusion.

Question and Answer Stems 1. I think or believe that ______________. 2. It seems to me that ______________. 3. What do you by ______________? 4. Will you explain that again? 5. What do you think about ___________? 6. I discovered from _____________ that _______________. 7. I don’t agree with you because ________________. 8. I have a different answer than you. I found that __________________. 9. The author seems to ________________ in _________________. 10. Why do you suppose __________________? 11. Based on _______________, I infer that _____________. 12. So you’re saying that _________________________. What I’m hearing you say is ______________________. 13. Maybe we could ___________________. 14 What if we __________________________. 15. As I was saying, if I could please finish my thought. 16. What I was trying to say was _______________.

Questions for Socratic Seminar 1. Discuss the various ways that color is used to set a mood in the story. How does such visual language add to the development of the setting? 2.Is General Zaroff a credible character? Could such a situation unfold in today’s society? Why or why not? 3.How does the fact that the story took place on an island contribute to the story? 4.Do you agree with Zaroff's belief that "instinct is no match for reason"? Why or why not? In what ways does Rainsford demonstrate both instinct and reason during the hunt? 5.Do you think that the story is a commentary on the ethics of hunting? Why or why not? What moral positions could be drawn out from the text?

Sample Interaction Speaker 1: Do you think that the story is a commentary on the ethics of hunting? Why or why not? What moral positions could be drawn out from the text? Speaker 2: I think the story definitely makes the reader think about the ethics of hunting and the value of life. It truly helps internalize the idea of human vs animal and which lives matter. Do all lives matter? Is it okay to hunt animals? If so, what’s the purpose? Sport? Food? Fun? After reading the story, I am less likely to go hunting because I’ve never really thought about how an animal might feel. Speaker 3: I disagree with you on the hunting aspect. I have always been a hunter, and this story will not change that. However, it will certainly change the reason that I hunt. I am a firm believer that hunting should not solely be for sport. In my own life, I’ll make an effort to eat or donate the meat to ensure that I’m not hunting just to kill.