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Lesson Plan
Robert Frost Farm

Socratic Seminar Format Overview

For Teachers 4th - 12th Standards
Whether new to the Socratic seminar format or an experienced veteran of the popular discussion technique, you'll find much to like in a five-page, richly detailed packet that not only details the prep necessary, the process, and the...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Curated OER

Socratic Seminar

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
To conclude their study of the letters of Abigail Adams, class members engage in a Socratic seminar where they discuss her writings and what her letters reveal about her.
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

The Sirens: Is It a Bird or Is It a Fish?

For Teachers 9th Standards
Fish, fowl, foul fish, or foul fowl? Just what is a siren? Young scholars listen to a video clip and draw what they imagine when they hear the word "siren." After watching several videos depicting sirens, class members read "The Sirens'...
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Lesson Plan
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K20 LEARN

Lord of the Flies Unit, Lesson 7: Good To Be Bad

For Teachers 9th Standards
The seventh lesson in the Lord of the Flies unit asks scholars to consider whether or not an individual can overcome the worst thing they have ever done. Groups read different articles related to the question, share their expertise in a...
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Unit Plan
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Livaudais-Baker English Classroom

Lord of the Flies

For Teachers 9th Standards
Packed with activities, projects, and assessments, first-time instructors and seasoned veterans will find much to like in this overview of a nine-part unit based on William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies.
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Unit Plan
Simon & Schuster

Classroom Activities for The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo is the featured text in three classroom activities. The first activity asks readers to analyze the description of Edmond Dantes in Chapter XVII, paying particular attention to Dumas' word choice...
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Lesson Plan
Teaching for Change

Selma in Pictures: Socratic Seminar

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Photographs from the freedom movement in Selma, Alabama serve as the basis of two Socratic Seminars. Class members prepare for the seminars by closely observing the images, form a hypothesis, and use evidence from photo to support a...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Encyclopedia Britannica

Electoral College Philosophical Chairs Debate

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Because of the Electoral College, it is possible to win the popular vote in a US Presidential election and still lose the election. After researching the pros and cons of the Electoral College, class members engage in a structured debate...
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Worksheet
Great Books Foundation

I Shall Not Beg for My Rights

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
An excerpt from Henry MacNeal Turner's address to the Georgia legislature provides class members with an opportunity to develop their literary analysis skills. Prompted by the provided factual, evaluative, and interpretive questions,...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Their Eyes Were Watching God: Socratic Seminar

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed Standards
A Socratic seminar wraps-up a study of Zora Neale Hurston' Their Eyes were Watching God. Using the text and their notes, scholars focus on how characters in the novel accept or reject the societal norms of the times.
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Lesson Plan
Ford's Theatre

Socratic Seminar/Group Discussion: The Crisis of the Civil War

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
High schoolers work in four different groups to examine the many factors that led to the American Civil War. They research an assigned topic, prepare questions, and finally engage in a class discussion using the Socratic Seminar method.
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Activity
Orlando Shakes

Twelfth Night: Study Guide

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
From lonely to luggage, it would be nearly impossible to have a modern-day conversation without using words that William Shakespeare coined. A Twelfth Night study guide introduces individuals to fun Shakespeare facts as they participate...
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Activity
Great Books Foundation

Discussion Guide for Jane Eyre

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
The ambiguity in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre makes the novel a perfect choice for a shared inquiry discussion. Readers respond to open-ended questions with evidence drawn directly from the text. 
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Activity
Great Books Foundation

Discussion Guide for 1984

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, published in 1949, can seem strangely prophetic when compared to modern news events and politics. Readers of Orwell's dystopian classic sharpen their critical thinking skills by engaging in a shared...
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Activity
Great Books Foundation

Discussion Guide for Handmaid's Tale

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Great literature discussions are a consequence of carefully crafted questions, interpretative questions that permit more than one response, and responses supported by specific evidence from the text. The discussion questions in a guide...
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Lesson Plan
Facing History and Ourselves

Fishbowl Discussion

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Filter young teenagers' opinions and perspectives with a classic fishbowl discussion. Given any topic relevant to your curriculum, a group of class members engage in discussion for their peers to observe.
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Unit Plan
Pacific University Oregon

Civil Rights: US History

For Teachers 10th Standards
To gain an understanding of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, class members investigate the Jim Crow Laws, the Emancipation Proclamation, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments of the US Constitution, and the 1898 Supreme Court case,...
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Lesson Plan
Facing History and Ourselves

Socratic Seminar

For Teachers 7th - 12th
New to the socratic seminar format? Check out a resource that not only provides the rationale for the procedure and step-by-step directions, but also provides a list of suggested topics, rules and model statements.
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Activity
Cloud Front

Socratic Seminar for: A Christmas Carol

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Socratic seminars are a great way to encourage the development of critical thinking, speaking, and listening skills. And Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is a perfect text for such a seminar. Use the questions in the packet to...
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Lesson Plan
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C-SPAN

The Electoral College and the Constitution

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
What is the purpose of the Electoral College? Is it antiquated, or does it have a place in today's political climate? High schoolers view a series of video clips as they analyze the parts of the United States Constitution that address...
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Lesson Plan
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Maryland Department of Education

The Concept of Diversity in World Literature Lesson 10: Author's Purpose Seminar

For Teachers 10th - 11th Standards
Why did Chinua Achebe write "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness" in response to Conrad's novel? As part of a study of Things Fall Apart, class members conduct a socratic seminar focused on Achebe's purpose and...
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Lesson Plan
4
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Maryland Department of Education

The Concept of Identity Lesson 1: Close Reading/Socratic Seminar

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
John Knowles' A Separate Peace provides readers with an opportunity to develop their close reading and analytical skills as they look for what Knowles feels are the factors that shape our identity.
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Activity
Novelinks

The Martian Chronicles: Fishbowl Discussion

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles provides the text for a fishbowl activity. Class members to sit in concentric circles, with the center circle discussing the topics from the book, and the outer circle observing the participants.
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Lesson Plan
Bantam Books

The Tempest: Fishbowl Discussion Strategy

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Readers learn together with a group discussion activity. As they read William Shakespeare's The Tempest, high schoolers prepare for a fishbowl discussion in which three or four learners sit in the middle of a large circle and have a...