Socratic Seminar

SOCRATIC

SEMINAR

GENERAT ING IN

S IGHTFUL

STATEMENTS AND Q

UEST IONS

WHAT MAKES A GOOD STATEMENT?• It should be insightful.• It should make a point.• It should reference the text.• It shouldn't just state a

simple fact.

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Example:• “Setting Revolver in

Alaska lets the author explore the dangers of living in an isolated area.”

Non-Example:

• “Revolver is set in Alaska.”

3

Examples and Non-Examples of Insightful Statements

Example:“You can tell

my protagonist, Ralph, is angry because of the way he always yells at his brother.”

Non-Example:“Ralph is the

protagonist in my book.”

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EXAMPLES AND NON-EXAMPLES OF INSIGHTFUL STATEMENTS

• Focus for the week: • Character, Conflict, and Setting

• IDEAS FOR COMMENTS:• Explain how the concepts influence one

another (“Conflict influences character because…” or “Setting changes the conflict when…”)

• Describe how the author reveals/describes the element (“My author reveals the protagonist’s character by…”)

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WHAT MAKES A GOOD QUESTION?• It should be based on the text.• It should require someone to

describe or explain something.

• It shouldn’t be a yes or no question.

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EXAMPLES AND NON-EXAMPLES OF INSIGHTFUL QUESTIONS

Example:“Why do you think your protagonist made the decisions he or she made?”

Non-Example:“What was your favorite part of the book?”

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FOCUS ON CHARACTER, CONFLICT, AND SETTING:

Use these sentence starters to generate at least three questions:“How would you describe…?”“What facts or ideas show…?”“How would be different if…?”“What is the main idea of ……?”“What examples can you find to…?”“How is _______ related to . . . ?”

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THE END

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FOCUS FOR DISCUSSION 2:

CONNECTIONS• Text to Text•Compare your book to a Western Expansion article.

• Text to Self•Compare your protagonist’s decisions to what you would do.

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WHICH ARTICLE COULD YOU USE?Revolver: “Vigilante Justice”

Hard Gold: “California Gold Rush”

Send One Angel Down: “The Emancipation Proclamation”

Black Storm Comin’: “The Pony Express”

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Example:“In Hard Gold as well as in

the article “Background on California Gold Rush” the journey west is shown to be incredibly difficult. This is shown in my book when the people on Early’s wagon train argue about when to stop for supplies.”

Non-Example:“Hard Gold and

the article “Background on The California Gold Rush” both show that moving out West wasn’t easy.”

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TEXT TO TEXT CONNECTIONS:STATEMENTS

Example:“How does your book

show what actually happened during Western Expansion?”

Non-Example:“Which article

did you use?”

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TEXT TO TEXT CONNECTIONS:QUESTIONS

WHAT KIND OF TOPICS COULD YOU TALK ABOUT?• Historical Accuracy: Explain/question why

your book is or is not accurate, according to the article and how this influences your book.• If your book isn’t historically accurate, why would the author choose to change this fact? • If your book is accurate, how does the truth shape events in your book? How is it portrayed in your book?

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Example:“When Colton got shot by

his dad, he didn’t give up and took on even more responsibility to support his family. In his shoes, I wouldn’t have been able to keep going and stay strong the way he did.”

Non-Example:“I’ve never

had to take care of my whole family like Colton does.”

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TEXT TO SELF CONNECTIONS:STATEMENTS

Example:“What would

you have done differently than your protagonist when faced with the conflict?”

Non-Example:“Have you

ever been out West?”

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TEXT TO SELF CONNECTIONS:QUESTIONS

Statements:• “I would also…”• “When my

protagonist did… I would have…”

• “I would never… the way my protagonist did.”

Questions:• “Would you

have… like my protagonist did? Why or why not?”

• “If you had to… like my protagonist, what would you do?”

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WHAT KIND OF TOPICS CAN YOU TALK ABOUT?

THE END

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THIS WEEK’S FOCUS

What does the author

want you to take away from your

book? 19

Example:“In Hard Gold Early learns that standing up for what you believe in is worth it when he decides to risk everything to save his family’s farm and find his cousin, Jesse. Today, we also have people telling us not to do the right thing like when we give in to peer pressure. Sometimes we also have to stand up for what we believe like Early did.”

Non-Example:“Early learns that doing the right thing is difficult. Today, everyone has difficulties they must face.”

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INSIGHTFUL STATEMENTSBASED ON #3: “WHAT THEMES OR LESSONS RELATE

TO TODAY?”

Example:“How does the confrontation between Sig and Wolff over a debt in Revolver relate to a problem you have in your own life?”

Non-Example:“Are the conflicts in Revolver similar to conflicts you see in your life?”

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INSIGHTFUL QUESTIONSBASED ON #6: RELATE CONFLICTS FROM BOOK

TO TODAY

Statements:• The protagonist’s perspective

on shows about this time period.

• The author did/didn’t change the historical fact that because .

• In my book, happens and this relates to today because .

• My author chose to because that shows about today.

• The in my book is similar to today’s .

Questions:• Why did the

author choose to the historical fact that

?• What

from your book shows

about today?• What does

show about today’s ?”

• What does your character’s point of view on say about the author’s purpose for writing the book?

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WHAT DOES THE AUTHOR WANT YOU TO TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR BOOK?