JT

Cross-Discipline Socratic Seminar Notes

Participants in the Seminar

  • Erin Gilrein: Co-teacher, focuses on literature.
  • Jennifer Wolfe: Co-teacher, concentrates on social studies.

Overview of the Event

  • Conducting a Socratic Seminar within a Nine Honors integrated Social Studies and English program at Oceanside High School.
  • The seminar addresses a broad question: "What is the role of religion in the lives of its followers?"
  • Students are encouraged to utilize Herman Hesse's Siddhartha and various foundational documents from social studies.

Pre-Seminar Preparations

  • Students prepared by reading various texts, including:
    • The Ten Commandments
    • Excerpts from the Mahamranata
    • Law book of Manu
    • Documents to discuss religions including Confucianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity.
  • A handout was distributed to assist in forming questions using stems:
    • Example stems include:
    • "I'd like to talk to people about…"
    • "What does it mean when the author says…?"

Key Discussion Points

  • Discussion centered around how various religions affect lifestyles:
    • Christianity: Emphasis on the afterlife and heaven (Documents 5 and 6).
    • Hinduism: Concept of life being predetermined with aspects relating to djati (sub-caste) and karma.
    • Buddhism: Accessibility of enlightenment for lower castes, relating to Siddhartha's journey from Brahmin to finding personal enlightenment.

Socratic Seminar Dynamics

  • Students utilize both their DBQ and Siddhartha in discussions.
  • Emphasis on how religion is contextualized in various aspects of life:
    • Characters in Siddhartha challenge their respective social structures for personal meaning.
    • Importance of textual evidence: students are encouraged to root their arguments in specific texts.
  • Vocabulary introduced includes:
    • Sub-caste (djati): Implications for behavior and social pressure.

Assignments and Reflection

  • Students are provided with a one-pager post-seminar for self-reflection including:
    • What they learned from the discussion.
    • What they still have questions about.
  • The next seminar will involve comparing reflections against learning targets for self-analysis of participation and understanding.

Common Core Connection

  • Discussion linked to Common Core standards such as:
    • Preparation for discussions.
    • Key qualities including listening, speaking, and text analysis.
    • Development of "I can" statements for measurable skills.