Shakespeare & Socratic Circles

Shakespeare in 8th grade? Yes! Students at Byram Intermediate School are reading one of Shakespeare’s best comedic plays: A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This comedic play is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1597 and portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus,  and Hippolyta. The play includes the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of six amateur actors (the mechanicals), who are controlled and manipulated by the fairies who inhabit the forest in which most of the play is set. The play is one of Shakespeare’s most popular works for the stage and is widely performed across the world

And there’s more…

As students read and finish the play, they continue to follow the theme of control in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They trace which characters wish to control or manipulate others, how they attempt to exercise this control, and whether or not they are successful. For the end of unit assessment, students write an argument essay in which they use the strongest evidence from the play to make a claim about whether Shakespeare makes the case that it is possible to control another person’s actions or not. In addition, they prepare for the Socratic seminar.

What a joy to watch students read Shakespeare and relish in its plot. What was most rewarding was to hear them laugh at the many humorous and ironic lines. “They’re really getting it!”

Want to see if the kids really get it?

Have a Socratic Seminar. And what is that? The purpose of a Socratic Seminar is to achieve a deeper understanding of the ideas and values in a text.

In a Socratic Seminar, the participants carry the burden of responsibility for the quality of the discussion. Good discussions occur when participants study the text closely, listen actively, share their ideas and questions in response to the ideas and questions of others, and search for evidence in the text to support their ideas. The discussion is not about right answers; it is not a debate. Students are encouraged to think out loud and to exchange ideas openly while examining ideas in a rigorous, thoughtful, manner.

Advance preparation

Students prepare several questions in advance, in addition to questions that students may bring to class. Questions lead participants into the core ideas and values and use of the text in their answers. Questions are open-ended, reflect genuine curiosity, and have no ‘one right answer.’ Students choose one question as the key interpretive question of the seminar to focus on and begin a discussion.

Sample Question

One of the questions for our Socratic is: Of all the happy couples at the end of the play, Demetrius and Helena stand apart because Demetrius alone is still under the spell of the love potion. In your opinion, does this render their love false, or is it just as valid as the love between the other couples? Informing your opinion, consider what the play has to say on the whole about love. Use examples from the text to defend your stance.

Assessment

After the seminar, students answer debriefing questions and complete a self-assessment rubric. In addition, students complete an observation checklist on another participant in the class.

The most significant difference between this activity and most typical classroom activities involves the role of the teacher. In Socratic Circles, the students lead the discussion and questioning. The teacher’s role is to ensure that the discussion advances. It is wonderful to watch the student take a collegiate approach to the book discussion.

Thank you to Amy Stevens and Lori Loredo from Byram Intermediate School for sharing their best practice.  If you would like to guest write for our blog, please contact swozniak@njamle.org