1. Annotating and Socratic Seminars

2. Annotating Hints: Only mark up materials that belong to you
Read with a pencil or writing utensil in hand
Be consistent with your symbols
Always include notes along with your symbols
Go back and answer questions as well as define unknown words

3. The Participants: Annotating
Numbering lines or paragraphs in order to refer back to a specific phrase or point
Underlining or circling – indicate major points
Vertical lines in the margin – mark statements too long to be underlined
Star or asterisk – emphasize important statements
Numbers in margins – indicate a sequence of points in development of an argument
Numbers of other pages in the margin – show where an author makes a similar point
Writing in the margin or top/bottom of page – record questions/comments
from Adler and Van Doren’s How to Read a Book, 1972

4. And for younger students …

5. Steps to Annotate Text
1. Preview the text (look ahead, briefly skim, read headlines, sub headlines, and picture captions, and look at pictures).

6. Steps to Annotate Text
2. Read a brief portion of the text. Depending on the length, a couple paragraphs is a good starting place.

7. Steps to Annotate Text
3. Go back over the text you just read, and use the annotation guide to help you make notes on the text.

8. Steps to Annotate Text
4. Check and see if your annotations make sense. Are you adding new text to the margins or just rewriting it? Use your own words as much as possible. Make sure you write notes to accompany your symbols.

9. Steps to Annotate Text
5. Repeat steps 2-4. Read another small chunk of text and annotate it. Then, make sure that all of the annotated marks make sense.

10. Annotating Read the piece and highlight/mark:
A sentence or phrase you agree with
A sentence or phrase you disagree with
A sentence or phrase that evokes a strong emotion within you – something that makes you feel or something you make a connection to
A sentence or phrase that makes you wonder – questions that you have

11. Questions or Wonderings
Please write down 1-2 open-ended questions and/or additional wonderings you have at the bottom of the poem.

12. Socratic Seminars

13. Why Socratic Seminar? It’s a strategy that supports: Critical thinking
Close reading skills
Discussion skills, including listening
Questioning skills
Social skills
All sorts of standards
Release of responsibility to students

14. We Learn….
10% of what we read 20% of what we hear 30% of what we see 50% of what we both see and hear 70 % of what is discussed with others 80% of what is experienced personally 95 % of what we teach to someone else.
- William Glasser

15. Speaking and Listening: Anchor Standard 1
Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

16. SL.2.1
Following agreed-upon rules for discussion (gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about topics/texts)
Building on others’ talk in conversations by linking comments to others’
Asking for clarification and further explanation as needed

17. The philosopher Socrates believed:
that through thoughtful questioning, students could arrive at the truth.
The originator of the seminar believed in uncovering meaning collectively.

18. Socratic Seminar What it is: A dialogue
Collaborative – multiple sides work toward shared understanding
Listening to understand, make meaning, find common ground
Open-minded – openness to being wrong and to change
Open-ended
What it’s not:
A debate
Oppositional –two opposing sides try to prove each other wrong
Listening to find flaws, spot differences, counter arguments
Close-minded – a determination to be right
Conclusive

19. In a nutshell …
Dialogue assumes many people have pieces of answers and that cooperation can lead to greater understanding.

20. Socratic Seminar Elements
The Text
The Question
The Leader
The Participants

21. The Text Should be rich in ideas, issues, values, and/or ambiguity
Should stimulate extended, thoughtful dialogue
Should raise important questions that do not have “right” or “wrong” answers
Should be accessible to the reader
Can be drawn from literature, history, science, the arts, music, health, philosophy, etc.

22. The Question Opens the seminar
Comes from genuine curiosity on the part of the leader
Has no single or “right” answer
Is framed to generate discussion leading to greater understanding of the ideas in the text

23. The Question Leads participants back to the text
Inspires additional questions based on the participants’ responses .

24. The Leader Leads and participates by modeling the process
Knows the text well
Asks follow-up questions
Helps participants clarify their views
Pulls quieter participants into the discussion

25. The Leader
Is patient
Should not act as the authority or expert but allow participants to make meaning
Stays neutral; is willing to explore all insights and interpretations
Takes notes

26. The Participants Carry the burden of the quality of the seminar
Study the text closely, listen actively, share ideas and questions, search for evidence to support their ideas
Explore important issues through shared inquiry

27. Recipe for Success
Leader and students are seated in a CIRCLE. You will talk to everyone in your circle.
Leader reviews GROUND RULES aloud with students, taking input from students on the most important one(s).
Leader clearly addresses inner/outer circle EXPECTATIONS with all students.
Leader presents OPENING QUESTION in writing and aloud.
- Just a review of the recipe for success, which was included in your first packet.

28. Recipe for Success
Leader provides directions and time for a THINK-PAIR strategy before starting the actual seminar.
Leader balances leadership and participation by listening closely for the EMERGING TEXT of the students and responds to the EMERGING TEXT by using Socratic Questioning Strategies.
Leader concludes the Socratic Seminar with a REFLECTION activity.

29. Activity I: Open-ended Questions
Closed
Open-Ended
How do hurricanes form?
What effects do hurricanes have on communities where they land?
When was the Great Depression?
How did the Great Depression impact families?
What’s your favorite type of music?
How might music affect people’s moods?
Where is the story set?
Why might the author have chosen to set the story in _____?
Do you like the painting?
What might have inspired the artist to create this piece?
Are video games bad for kids?
What place do video games have in education?

30. What are some open-ended questions you can come up with for this picture? –The person with the most will get a prize.

31. Activity 1I: Serialized Questioning
Series of questions based on previous responses
Allows students to explore his/her own thoughts about the issue
Is “on the fly” based on responses and previous questions
Is not about “right” answers

32. Serialized Questioning Example
“Man is a rational animal who always loses his temper when called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason” (Oscar Wilde). 1 – What does he mean by rational? II – I think he means logical. I – How is logical different than rational? II – One way is by using steps. I – Explain how using steps is rational. II – It is reasonable to use steps. I – Can you give examples when to be reasonable uses steps?

33. Partner Practice

34. Socratic Seminar Ground Rules
Speak so that everyone can hear you.
Speak without raising your hand.
Listen closely (take notes).
Refer to the text.
Talk to each other, not just the leader.
Invite and allow others to speak.
Consider all viewpoints and ideas.
Ask for clarification; don’t stay confused.
Know that you are responsible for the quality of the seminar.

35. Typical Seminar
Reading/annotating text (sometimes reading it out loud) – minutes
Pair share – 2 minutes
Inner circle #1 – 8-12 minutes
Outer circle share #1 – 2-4 minutes
Pair share #2 – 2 minutes
Switch inner and outer circles
Inner circle #2 – 8-12 minutes
Outer circle share #2 – 2-4 minutes
Reflection – 5 minutes

36. Writing out of the Day What do I know? What do I want to know?
What did I learn? (end of session)
What do I know?
What do I want to know?
What did I learn?
(end of day)
Now that we’re at the end of our day, let’s jot down what we learned.
Sharing.

37. Socratic Seminar Ground Rules
Speak so that everyone can hear you.
Speak without raising your hand.
Listen closely (take notes).
Refer to the text.
Talk to each other, not just the leader.
Invite and allow others to speak.
Consider all viewpoints and ideas.
Ask for clarification; don’t stay confused.
Know that you are responsible for the quality of the seminar.

38. Seminar Reflection
On your note card, write down ONE observation (something you saw, heard, or noticed) about EACH of the following:
Other participants
Yourself
The leader
The process

39. Snowball fight
Write two non-identifying pieces of information about yourself – one hard and one easy to guess who you are
Other students will be guessing whose snowball is whose