Socratic Seminar Topics

1. Race and the Judicial System Denial Loss of Innocence Escape Importance of Appearances Fear Effects of Social Class Socratic Seminar Topics

2. DO… Give an educated answer when you speak Connect the topic to both Monster and any of the supplemental reading Give everyone respect DO NOT… Repeat! Interrupt Simply agree with something Dominate the conversation Hold side conversations/be rude Seminar “How To”

3. Selections to Use • Monster (you must use this in any conversation that you start) • People Like Us: Tammy’s Story • The Hungry Coat • Langston Hughes/Maya Angelou poems • Trayvon Martin articles

4. Grading Scale • A- 95 (there is ALWAYS room for improvement) • B- 87 • C- 80 • D- 72

5. Good Luck!!!

6. Seminar Topic: Control “We gained control of many things, but we had to let go of others” (The Giver, Ch.12)

7. Seminar Topic: Knowledge/Censorship “Jonas frowned. ‘I wish we had those things still. Just now and then.’ The old man smiled. ‘So do I,’ he said. ‘But that choice is not ours.’” (The Giver, Ch11)

8. Seminar Topic: The Importance of Relationships “Two children- one male, one female- to each family unit. It was written very clearly in the rules” (The Giver, Ch.1)

9. Seminar Topic: “Sameness” “ ‘What if we could hold up things that were bright red, or bright yellow, and he could choose? Instead of the Sameness.’ ‘He might make the wrong choices.’” (The Giver, Ch.13)

10. Seminar Topic: Rebellion “Things could be different. I don’t know how, but there must be some way for things to be different” (The Giver, Ch 16)

11. Seminar Topic: Fear “I was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened. No. Wrong word, Jonas thought.” (The Giver, Ch1)

12. Seminar Topic: Emotion “All those feelings! They’d never experienced that before.” (The Giver, Ch 18)