Socratic Seminar Leader/Facilitator Training Socratic Seminar Facilitator Training with John Zola June 6, 7, 8 and Sept. 20, 2011. Go to Avatar to register. Documents and texts can be found at http://www.bvsd.org/tag/Pages/SocraticSeminarFacilitatorTrainingmaterials.aspx
The Office of Advanced Academic Services has materials available for check out about using Socratic Seminar in the classroom. Contact becky.whittenburg@bvsd.org to check out these materials.
Socratic Seminar and Language Arts Standards
As we continue to respond to the needs of standards based education, the question of how Socratic seminar addresses these standards naturally arises. The following list was developed by Jaye Zola using the draft document of the Language Arts Standards to respond to these questions:
Standard 1: Students read and understand a variety of material
Benchmarks:
using word recognition and comprehension strategies
reading a variety of texts
paraphrasing texts
synthesizing information from texts
Standard 2: Students listen, speak, and write for a variety of purposes and audiences
Benchmarks:
using responsible listening skills
speaking and writing using a variety of forms (for example: expository, argumentative, persuasive, descriptive, reflective, personal, etc.)
organizing ideas to achieve cohesion in writing and speaking using a variety of strategies to draft and revise written and spoken message
Standard 3: Students use grammatical and mechanical conventions of language
Benchmarks:
The benchmarks ask students to be able to use correct grammar, word usage, capitalization, punctuation, sentence and paragraph structure, spelling
Standard 4: Students use reading, writing, speaking and listening to synthesize information, analyze and evaluate arguments, and develop and defend argumentative positions
Benchmarks:
forming hypotheses about texts
evaluating the content of a variety of print and non-print materials
supporting and defending an argument
evaluating own and others' effectiveness in group discussions and informal presentations
Standard 6: Students read, recognize, and understand literature as an expression of human experience
Benchmarks:
reading a variety of literature
understanding the historical context in which a text was written
understanding the ways in which literature reflects the ethnic background of the author and the culture in which it was written
responding to literature (for example: suggesting an interpretation, recognizing possible ambiguities, nuances and complexities in a text, etc.)
understanding influences on a reader's response to a text