Thursday, August 30, 2007

Pre and Post Activities

Pre-activities

Read the "text" aloud
Discuss vocabulary
Have participants re-read the "text" independently
Brainstorm themes relevant to the text
Brainstorm character traits of key figures in the text
Ask participants to create their own open-ended questions
Pre-seminar voting activity:

Before engaging in a Socratic Seminar, you might generate an open-ended question that allows participants to cast a vote. This opportunity to "take a stand" serves the purpose of quickly "reeling in" students by asking them to focus on a question which is ironically more convergent than divergent. For example, when thinking of John H. Ritter's novels Choosing Up Sides and Over the Wall, participants could respond to the following:

1. Which character would you most enjoy as a friend?

2. Which character would you support as president of your student body?

3. Vote for the most honest character.

4. Elect a character to honor for showing the most growth throughout the story.

Following the seminar, allow participants to again cast a vote. Have participants compare their pre and post votes. Allow for "accountable talk." Frequently, students discover a shift in their own thinking as a result of engaging in the process of listening to multiple perspectives.

Post Activities:

Ask participants to share what they learned and/or observed.
Allow participants to discuss feelings regarding the process.
Brainstorm themes relevant to the "text." Compare them to the pre-activity.
Allow students to participate in an art activity.
Assign a writing activity:
1. Letter to the Editor
2. Friendly Letter to character in "text"
3. Compare/Contrast Essay
4. Poetry
5. Reflection

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