Routledge Socratic Seminars in Middle School: Texts and Films That Engage Students in Reflective Thinking and Close Reading

Teach students how to engage in thoughtful discussions about a text. Socratic seminars are highly effective at helping students read closely and think critically about what they’ve read. They also teach students how to participate in authentic discussions. This practical book from bestselling authors Victor and Marc Moeller is your go-to guide for getting started! It will help teachers who are new at Socratic seminars and provide fresh ideas to teachers who are experienced with the format. Part I provides guidelines on how to prepare students for discussion and how to form good discussion questions. Part II includes ready-to-use lesson plans organized by compelling themes to engage students. The lesson plans include unabridged literary and nonfiction reading selections from classic and contemporary authors, as well as suggested film pairings. Authors featured in this book include... William Faulkner Gina Berriault Gene Siskel President Obama Ray Bradbury Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Kahil Gibran William Shakespeare Robert Frost William Saroyan Carson McCullers And more! Review This book will be an excellent resource for principals and other administrators to read in order to get a picture of what is meant by "close reading" and ‘deep analysis of text’." - Susan Gorman, Director of School Improvement, Osawatomie, KS   Practical, intuitive, and enlightening, this guide brings literature to life for students. Each chapter opens a path for students to unlock the meaning of literature for themselves. Moeller and Moeller’s application of the Socratic method invites true inquiry based on the soul of the human experience. Students are invited into lively, relevant, and serious discussions; at the end, participants can walk away with a deeper understanding of themselves. - Vicki Agustsson, High School English Teacher, Bolingbrook, IL About the Author Victor J. Moeller is an English professor at McHenry Community College in Illinois. Marc V. Moeller teaches English at Prairie Middle School in the Barrington Community Unit School District in Illinois.