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Lesson 5

We will engage in a Socratic Seminar and write short, personal reflections about the seminar and our participation in the seminar.

Lesson Goals

Reading and Knowledge

  • Determine Meaning and Purpose: How well do I use connections among details, elements, and effects to make logical deductions about an author’s perspective, purpose, and meaning in texts?
  • Determine Meaning and Purpose: How well do I explain de Sales’ claims about what makes an American?
  • Compare and Connect: How well do I recognize points of connection among texts, textual elements, and perspectives to make logical, objective comparisons?
  • Analyze Relationships: How well do I recognize and interpret important relationships among key details and ideas about my pathway topic within texts?
  • Question: How well do I formulate and use questions to establish and deepen my understanding of texts and my pathway topic?
  • Evaluate Information: How well do I evaluate the relevance and credibility of information, ideas, evidence, and reasoning presented in texts?

Speaking and Listening

  • Engage Actively: How well do I actively focus my attention on independent and collaborative tasks?
  • Listen: How well do I pay attention to and acknowledge others while thoughtfully considering their ideas?
  • Generate Ideas: How well do I generate and develop ideas, positions, products, and solutions to problems?
  • Remain Open: How well do I change my ideas or perspective based on new, credible information and experiences?
  • Collaborate: How well do I work productively in various roles with other participants?
  • Communicate Effectively: How well do I use language and strategies to accomplish my intended purpose in communicating?
  • Reflect Critically: How well do I think about and evaluate personal and group development?

Texts

Core

  • Unit Reader
    • “A Quilt of a Country,” Anna Quindlen, Newsweek, 2001
    • “Address to the Nation on the September 11 Attacks,” George W. Bush, Public Domain, 2001
    • “President Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address,” 2009, Barack Obama, Public Domain, 2009
    • “The 14th Amendment and the History of Birthright Citizenship in the U.S.,” Ari Shapiro and Martha Jones, National Public Radio, Inc., October 30, 2018
    • The Declaration of Independence, Second Continental Congress, Public Domain, 1776
    • “The Great Society,” Lyndon B. Johnson, Public Domain, 1964
    • The Preamble to the Constitution and The 14th Amendment, United States Congress, Public Domain, 1787, 1868
    • “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 participate in a Socratic Seminar regarding the Central Question: what does it mean to be an American? we will use evidence from “What Makes An American” and other texts we have read in the unit.

Step 1

Arrange yourselves in one large circle, facing one another.

Review the norms for a Socratic Seminar with your teacher and classmates.

Review the following materials you have prepared for the discussion:

  • open-ended questions you wrote on “What Makes an American” and another text.

  • Forming Evidence-Based Claims Tool

  • Reading Closely Tools

Step 2

Begin your seminar by sharing the most important word, phrase, or sentence from “What Makes an American.” Do not explain your rationale.

Continue your seminar by discussing one of the following 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?

  3. Central Question: What does it mean to be an American?

Begin sharing one of your questions. Anyone can start by asking a question to the whole group.

As the discussion commences, participate by sharing your questions, text-based observations, or claims.

During the discussion, support your thoughts with any of the texts you have read in this unit. Be sure to tell the class which text you are referring to when sharing your question or claim.

Activity 2: Discuss

We will write a reflection on how effective our group seminar was.

Individually, respond to the following questions:

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

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

  3. How did I contribute to our discussion? Be specific.

Then, discuss the following questions aloud as a whole class:

  1. How did the discussion differ from today’s lesson compared to the last lesson?

  2. What adjustment did we make as a group to ensure a better discussion?

  3. What might we still improve on?

  4. What was our biggest success that we will replicate in the next discussion?

Activity 3:

We will assess how prepared we are for the Culminating Task.

Take out your Culminating Task Progress Tracker. Think about all you have learned and done during this unit. Evaluate your skills and knowledge.

Respond to the following questions:

  1. How prepared are you to succeed on the Culminating Task?

  2. What do you need to know and learn to succeed?