Rachel Lenkei English 4 Socratic Seminar

Enduring Understandings: An individuals identity is shaped by how they think about themselves, how others see them, and how society influences these perspectives. Essential Questions: Who creates and defines history? Is there an American identity? What is the American identity? How do external factors influence ones identity development?

Objectives: Students will be able to: Express ideas in response to an open-ended question in a structured writing assignment Examine character development in a text Engage in discussion with peers on a central topic related to the text Identify connections in character development, theme, and motifs throughout a text Materials: Invisible Man texts Procedures: Warm Up: Students should come to class with notes, ideas, and questions prepared for Socratic discussion They will take a few minutes to look over the book and their notes Discussion: Students will be broken into two smaller groups to discuss Chapters 20 and 21, and IMs development over the course of the novel One group will lead the discussion for half of the class period (about 25 min.) and the other half will respond to a writing prompt: is there an American identity? After 25 minutes the groups will switch Teacher will review the guidelines and procedures for a Socratic Seminar, noting that the discussion will be graded and to get full credit students must make at least one comment Comments can be connected to the text, to outside information or events, a questions posed to the group, or a response to another students comment Teacher will begin discussion by asking central focus question: How is history created and defined? To further discussion, teacher will poses these questions: Who decides what will become recorded history? o What does it mean to plunge outside of history and why does Clifton do this? Can an individual make a significant difference or do they have to be a part of a group to make a change? o How is this represented in the novel? Teacher will record conversation and students comments, while students facilitate the discussion themselves Closure: Teacher will end the discussion a few minutes before the end of the period and collect student writing Homework: Read Ch. 22, respond in reading journal Assessment: Participation in discussion, notes from reading homework, in-class writing CC.1.3.11-12.B: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences and conclusions based on and related to an authors implicit and explicit assumptions and beliefs. CC.1.5.11-12.A: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grades level topics, texts, and issues, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. CC.1.3.11-12.F: Evaluate how words and phrases shape meaning and tone in texts. CC.1.4.11-12.G: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics. Standards:

Rachel Lenkei English 4 Socratic Seminar