Socratic Seminar: Quarter 2

The

unexa

mined

life is

not

worth l

iving.

Your literature circle assessment for this quarter will be a graded class discussion, or Socratic Seminar.

We know it is the first time this class has done this activity, so we are going to focus on how to make discussion questions, how to prepare for a discussion, and how to connect your book to the skills and concepts from class.

A good discussion question is NOT: • A yes or no question• A question that is already commonly

asked about the book• A question that is repetitive

A good discussion question IS: • Detailed and specific• Open to many different answers• Able to get people thinking and

responding

Where can you get material for your questions?

• Look at the paragraph openers for your literature letter as examples.

• Think about what you like people asking YOU about your book.

• Think about the concepts that we have been studying: voice, theme, tone, characterization, how authors manipulate language to create meaning, etc.

Now try it!

- Open your notebook to section two (your reader’s notebook).

- Think about some questions you can ask about your book club book.

- If you need to, read a little bit to see if something jumps out at you.

- Write 5-6 questions in your notebook.