Socratic Seminar: Monday, January 13, 2014
Provide specific examples from the text to support each of your answers.
Purpose:
Socratic Seminars attempt to find deeper meaning of a text. A Socratic Seminar is not a debate, but rather a dialogue.
In dialogue, one listens to understand, to make meaning, and to find common ground.
In dialogue, one submits one's best thinking, expecting that other people's reflections will help improve it rather than threaten it.
Dialogue assumes that many people have pieces of answers and that cooperation can lead to a greater understanding.
Expectations:
You must be prepared when you come to the Socratic Seminar. This means doing some serious reflection on the overall themes of the novel with special focus on the questions I have provided. Please bring written responses to the questions, with evidence (page numbers) to support you, for reference as needed in the circle. You must also bring your novel with you to circle.
If you are not prepared with materials and reflections, you will not participate and will have an alternate assignment.
You must be on your best behavior and be on task at all times. If not, you will be asked to leave the circle.
Discussion Questions:
1. Which character do you consider “the innocent” in the novel? Be able to give two examples of what makes that character an innocent and one example of how that character loses his/her innocence in the novel.
2. “Courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.” Explain what Atticus means and give your own viewpoint, using plenty of supportive evidence.
3. Determine what you think the mockingbird symbolizes in the book. Be able to defend you answer with textual evidence.
4. What is Atticus’ archetypal role in To Kill a Mockingbird? Have two examples to show Atticus’ role.
5. Describe an archetypal setting that is used in the novel.
6. The children discovered