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Lesson 4

We will participate in Socratic Seminars with our research team members to prepare for the whole-class Socratic Seminar in the Section Diagnostic.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I explain the authors’ claims about what makes an American?

  • Can I form and clearly communicate claims that represent valid, evidence-based analysis in preparation for a whole-class discussion?

Texts

Core

  • Unit Reader
    • “What Makes an American,” Raoul de Roussy de Sales, The Atlantic Media Co., 1939

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Discuss

We will review our group’s norms for productive work.

Review your group’s norms.

Remember, you can find your pathway, pathway texts, and pathway guiding questions in the Foundation Unit Pathway Texts.

Activity 2: Discuss

We will review the purpose of a Socratic Seminar and begin preparation to have an effective seminar in our groups.

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. There is no leader in a Socratic Seminar. 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).

With your classmates, create norms for a Socratic Seminar.

Activity 3: Write

We will write open-ended questions in preparation for our practice Socratic Seminar in our research groups.

Consider the texts you have read so far on your topic. Write two open-ended, thought-provoking questions about your topic. Reference the following examples of strong question frames:

  • What do you think about _____?

  • What evidence from the text supports your belief?

  • What is the relationship between _____ and _____?

  • What do the texts say about _____?

  • What about this perspective do you agree or disagree with?

  • What significance is this to _____? If _____ is true, then _____?

Below are questions to avoid:

  • questions that are too vague (these invoke uncertainty in other group members)

  • questions that are too general (these do not ensure understanding)

  • yes-or-no questions (these do not elicit discussion)

Activity 4: Discuss

We will engage in a Socratic Seminar.

Select a pathway text that you would like to discuss during the seminar.

Begin the seminar by asking one of your open-ended questions to the group. Anyone can respond and start a discussion. Remember, this is a discussion, not a question-and-answer session.

Continue the discussion by asking other open-ended questions and responding to your peers’ questions. Remember to use textual evidence to support your responses and observations.

Activity 5: Discuss

We will reflect on how effective our group’s seminar was.

Respond individually to the following questions in your Learning Log:

  1. How did the seminar deepen my understanding of the topic?

  2. What new questions emerged for me during the seminar?

  3. What else do we need to investigate or research in order to succeed on the Culminating Task?

  4. How did I contribute to my group? Be specific.

Activity 6: Read

We will read “What Makes An American” to prepare for the Section Diagnostic Socratic Seminar.

For homework, read and annotate “What Makes an American”by Raoul de Roussy de Sales.

Using a Forming Evidence-Based Claims Tool, write a claim in response to one of the following guiding questions:

  1. What does de Sales say is important for American identity?

  2. What are some of the enduring ideas about what it means to be an American?

Finally, write three open-ended questions, including two about “What Makes an American”and one question that can be addressed by multiple texts.