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Lesson 8

We will synthesize our notes about author craft and the issues raised in the text to prepare for the Section Diagnostic. We will also review the norms of a Socratic Seminar.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I evaluate the effects of details in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks?

  • Can I express an accurate understanding of the central ideas of a text?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot, Crown Publishing Group, 2010

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read – Write

We synthesize our notes on central issues and author craft into our Author Craft Note-Taking Tool to deepen our understanding.

Review your notes in your Learning Log for Chapters 35-37 on author craft. Highlight notes that provide the most insight into the writer’s craft; copy the evidence into the cell for Chapters 35-37. Make sure you label each piece of evidence using the terms on the tool. Answer the Framing Questions for each piece of evidence.

Review your notes on the central issues of the text from Chapters 35-37. Summarize your notes and answer the Framing Questions above the cell to deepen your understanding.

Activity 2: Write

We will review important aspects of participation in a Socratic Seminar to prepare for the Section Diagnostic.

Step 1

Review the Section 3 Diagnostic Checklist.

You might be wondering what a Socratic Seminar is and why we conduct them.

A Socratic Seminar is a student-led dialogue in which participants use open-ended questions to gain a deeper and more robust understanding of the ideas and values in a text or the connections across multiple texts. The purpose of a seminar is not to argue for a particular view or interpretation, but to ask questions, posit your own thinking, listen to others' responses, and expand your views of the texts and topics. Each participant's voice is equal, and there are no experts.

Different perspectives and analyses of the texts are critical: they help all participants see multiple sides of complex ideas, issues, and topics, expanding everyone's understanding. During a seminar, it is important to pose questions that elicit discussion, not a simple right-or-wrong or yes-or-no answer.

As such, it is critical that questions in a Socratic Seminar are open-ended (they elicit multiple perspectives), thought-provoking (they challenge you to evaluate text and synthesize your ideas), and clear (they are easily understandable).

Step 2

With your classmates, create norms for a Socratic Seminar.

In your Learning Log, write down important norms to remember when participating in a Socratic Discussion:

  • Posture:

  • Listening:

  • Questioning:

  • Answering:

  • Other:

Activity 3: Write

We will write open-ended questions in preparation for a Socratic Seminar.

Step 1

Consider the four central issues presented in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Write two open-ended, thought-provoking questions about the issues. Three examples of such questions are below:

  1. In what ways did the history of Henrietta Lacks and HeLa change our world?

  2. What can readers learn from the history of Henrietta Lacks and HeLa, and what are some important implications from this history they should consider for the future?

  3. How does the author use literary techniques to enhance reader understanding of the central issues in the text?

Below are some thought-provoking questions frames that you might use to craft your questions:

  1. What do you think about _____? What evidence from the text supports your belief?

  2. What is the relationship between _____ and _____?

  3. What do the texts say about _____? What about this perspective do you agree or disagree with?

  4. What significance is this to _____?

  5. If _____ is true, then _____?

Questions to avoid:

  • questions that are too vague (other group members are unsure what you are asking, so they will not respond to the question)

  • questions that are too general (not everyone understands the question)

  • yes-or-no questions (a discussion does not arise from the question)

Step 2

Review your Vocabulary Journal. Identify a significant word or words that you would like to use during the discussion.

Be sure to organize your notes for easy reference during the Socratic Seminar.