Socratic Seminar #1 - Prep Sheet

Name _Sara R._ Pod _b_

Indigenous People & Columbus

Seminar Scoring 50 pts. for discussion / 50 pts. for prep sheet
You must have all of the following items to receive full credit for your participation in this Socratic Seminar.
Humanities sources for Socratic Seminar #1

​ History v Columbus Video (station # 3 on GC)

​ Trump’s Proclamation (station # 6 on GC)
​ Biden’s Proclamation (station #6 on GC)
​ Columbus & Italian Americans (station #7 on GC)
​ 3-Minute listen (station #8 on GC)
​ NYT A Conversation with Native Americans on Race Video notes
​ “Treaties” by Frank Waln annotated lyrics
​ “Reservation of Education” by XIT annotated lyrics
​ “Going Home” by Pura Fe annotated lyrics
​ “Fight For You” by Raye Zaragoza annotated lyrics
​ “American Dream” by Raye Zaragoza annotated lyrics
​ “In the River” by Raye Zaragoza annotated lyrics

Instructions:
Write down several different ideas or responses for each question (use all open boxes). These
ideas MUST be backed up and supported by evidence from the class materials. Be ready to
reference it during the discussion.
Part 1:
Should we obey Trump’s Proclamation? Why or why not?
Should we obey Biden’s Proclamation? Why or why not?
What is gained by the American cultural tradition of Columbus Day? What is lost?
Highlight supporting evidence: History v Columbus Trump’s Proclamation Biden’s Proclamation
Columbus & Italian Americans 3-minute listen Native Americans
on Race Video
“Treaties” “Reservation of Education” “Going Home” “Fight For You” “American Dream”
“In the River”
1 Statement + Evidence and Reasoning:
​ Trump's quote to celebrate columbus day and set focus to his newly found and
creation of our freedom is “Sadly, in recent years, radical activists have undermined
Christopher Columbus”
​ I think it’s hard to undermine both the wrongs he did to achieve this so-called
“freedom” and the freedom itself. He did terrible things in his past, all unforgivable,
and in taking freedom, he gave freedom to his own people, us
​ I think that thanking columbus by practicing our rights is enough, it’s the result of his
actions without the hurt
2 Statement + Evidence and Reasoning:
​ Bidens idea is that That Columbus created an unequal unfair world by taking freedom
from indigenous people which is why we now and should celebrate indigenous peoples
day, his points are that Columbus took freedom from indigenous people who now
suffer from it and for generations, federal policies systematically sought to assimilate
and displace native people and eradicate native cultures
​ “For generations, Federal policies systematically sought to assimilate and displace
Native people and eradicate Native cultures.” -bidens proclamations
2 Statement + Evidence and Reasoning:
​ Honoring Columbus and the “Freedom” he brought. Fame of his name gained? Dignity
or security/trust between indiginouse and government for celebrating according to the
descendants experiencing oppression according to the 3-min video.

Part 2:
1.) What is the relationship between Italian American history & Columbus Day?
2.) How does the discrimination that Italian Americans faced complicate the debate
about canceling Columbus Day?
3.) Does this shift your perspective about celebrating Columbus Day?
Highlight supporting evidence:
History v Columbus Trump’s Proclamation Biden’s Proclamation Columbus & Italian Americans
3-minute listen Native Americans on Race Video “Treaties” “Reservation of Education” “Going
Home” “Fight For You” “American Dream” “In the River”
1 Statement + Evidence and Reasoning:
​ Columbus day celebrates how not only he found but spread the word and lead a fight to
claim land.
“...in the late 1700s, after the United States gained independence from Britain. The name
"Columbia" soon became a synonym for the United States, with the name being used for various
landmarks in the newly created nation (see the District of Columbia, Columbia University and the
Columbia River).” - Paragraph 4 of History v Columbus
​ Arrived first, Juan Ponce de Leon (who arrived in Florida in 1513), Alonso Alvarez de
Pineda (whose ships arrived in what's now known as Corpus Christi Bay in Texas in 1519)
and fellow Italian Giovanni da Verrazzano, who reached New York Harbor in 1524. -
Paragraph 3 of History v Columbus
​ Similarities is that they all found the land
2 Statement + Evidence and Reasoning:
​ An opposition of any sort will always complicate things
​ Italians discrimination and feelings upon it will uprise a community to fight against a
government controlled thing
​ Anything against a government is complicated to fight for
​ Italian Giovanni da Verrazzano, Juan Ponce de Leon, and Alonso Alvarez de Pineda
supposedly got there first according to the article “Columbus & Italian Americans “ so
they want the name for the day.
3 Statement + Evidence and Reasoning: No. It doesn’t change my mind by much, I still don’t celebrate
Columbus day or anything. Neither will I remember next year's holiday as much as I do for new years and
christmas. The holiday itself doesn't seem to be of much more importance than a relaxing day off and
that's to most people in general. I’m not one to point fingers saying “we were here first” just as I don’t say
“well I didn’t make that mess”. You help take action, pick up the mess and move on with growth and an
impact. In the literal sense, this means, starting petitions, changing treaties/agreements, and/or bringing
back those treaties/agreements the government was said to have broken. Now that doesn’t mean that I
will do this, but it means that if YOU so passionately want to correct something then do so. For example all
the songs, except for “treaties” articles where they name treaties, are solely speaking of emotion, which
makes sense that it’s what a song is for but it’s not good evidence to create an opinion or idea upon.

Part 3:
1.) Does celebrating Columbus Day create on-going harm? Why or why not?
2.) Should we celebrate both or either Indigenous People’s Day & Columbus Day?
Why or why not?
Highlight supporting evidence: History v Columbus Trump’s Proclamation Biden’s Proclamation
Columbus & Italian Americans 3-minute listen Native Americans
on Race Video
“Treaties” “Reservation of Education” “Going Home” “Fight For You” “American Dream”
“In the River”
 1 Statement + Evidence and Reasoning:
​ Celebrating either creates problems in controversy as to why it's right or not. We can see
this now in Biden vs Trump's statements to and not to celebrate Columbus day.
Arguments say that columbus brought freedom but also that columbus took freedom
and created an oppression -evidence is stated in first statement.
2 Statement + Evidence and Reasoning:
​ My statement is the same as before No. It doesn’t change my mind by much, I still don’t
celebrate Columbus day or anything. Neither will I remember next year's holiday as much
as I do for new years and christmas. The holiday itself doesn't seem to be of much more
importance than a relaxing day off and that's to most people in general. I’m not one to
point fingers saying “we were here first” just as I don’t say “well I didn’t make that mess”.
You help take action, pick up the mess and move on with growth and an impact. In the
literal sense, this means, starting petitions, changing treaties/agreements, and/or bringing
back those treaties/agreements the government was said to have broken. Now that
doesn’t mean that I will do this, but it means that if YOU so passionately want to correct
something then do so. For example all the songs, except for “treaties” articles where they
name treaties, are solely speaking of emotion, which makes sense that it’s what a song is
for but it’s not good evidence to create an opinion or idea upon

Part 4:
1.) According to your sources, what is the lived experience of Native Americans?
2.) How can we honor native Americans on Indigenous People’s Day?
3.) How can we honor Native Americans 365 days a year?
Highlight supporting evidence: History v Columbus Trump’s Proclamation Biden’s Proclamation
Columbus & Italian Americans 3-minute listen Native Americans
on Race Video
“Treaties” “Reservation of Education” “Going Home” “Fight For You” “American Dream”
“In the River”

1 Statement + Evidence and Reasoning:

​ Oppression is made when education isn’t available to all according to reservation of
education and the 3min listen.
2 Statement + Evidence and Reasoning:
​ Reading articles on them or helping out in services of some sort, or taking care of
earth/nature as its the connection for their culture according to “Fight For You”
2 Statement + Evidence and Reasoning:
​ Constantly taking care of mother earth as it is what they say is the connection in their
culture according to some songs like “in the river”

Questions for the Group to move the discussion forward - (please have all 3 questions ready)
​ Is the treaty something we should follow? why?

​ What or how were other treaties broken?

​ How else would we know whose ownership of the land is to?

​ Is the blood quantum accurate/accurate enough?

 ​ Is someone who grew up in a certain culture of that nationality?

​ Would your emotional attachments be considered as your identity

legally, or personal identity?

​ How are indiginouse people being oppressed through written evidence?

​ Is racism still around?

​ How much racism is actually affecting people?

(explanation: there's always going to be some amount of racists)

​ How is the system failing to give out a good education to indiginouse people?

​ Is the government's system actually rigged?

​ What actions has the system/government taken that initiates a thought of
racism, oppression or any sort of negativity towards minorities?
​ Whether the law, or enforcement/agreement of some sort, may be
against minorities, does that law make sense?
Things I will get points for!
​ Quoting the text/sources
​ Insightful comments
​ Questions about the text
​ Referencing the text/sources
​ Building on other’s ideas
Things to avoid:
​ Side conversations
​ Interrupting
​ Getting off topic
​ Being unprepared
​ Over-dominating

Personal Reflections
What was the most compelling part of the discussion? WHY DO YOU THINK SO?
What surprised you from what your peers said/shared? WHY?

How comfortable do you feel talking about these topics?

Not at all Not very well Somewhat Well Very well
Why?
I’ve been at high tech for many years now, enough to know what to do during a socratic
seminar and other practices around it. I’ve also grown in this area since I've been challenged by
the many others who’ve also done this many times.
Mark the line with an X to indicate how you would characterize YOUR PARTICIPATION in this
seminar.
Observer/Listener ---------------------------------------X-----------------------------------
Vocal participant --------------------------------------------------------------------------X
Explain your participation, with examples:
​ I spoke a moderate amount of time
​ I backed my answers with good evidence
​ I created new ideas/questions to speak of
​ I let others speak
​ Invited others into conversation
​