In advance of this performance assessment, students should have just read/learned about a topic in preparation for a discussion. Students will prepare questions for, participate in, and observe a Socratic Seminar around this topic. Students will then reflect on what they learned and how the readings and the discussion may have modified their views. There are resources for a sample topic in the resources section.
This assessment includes documents for students observing each other during the Socratic Seminar, a participant record to write their discussion questions and reflect on the feedback from their observer, and a set of reflection questions for students to use to respond to the Socratic Seminar as a whole (both participant and observer) post-Seminar.
Before participating in this performance assessment, it would be important for students to have experience with an established classroom community in which formal discussions are a normal aspect of class. If this is the first whole-class discussion held during the school year, a Socratic Seminar will feel overwhelming for many students. It would be useful but not necessary for students to have completed a Socratic Seminar specifically so that they are familiar with the structure of the discussion. This performance assessment works well with topics and texts students are already familiar with or topics that would easily engage discussion with your particular students.
In advance of this performance assessment, students should have just read/learned about a topic in preparation for a discussion. Students will prepare questions for, participate in, and observe a Socratic Seminar around this topic. Students will then reflect on what they learned and how the readings and the discussion may have modified their views. There are resources for a sample topic in the resources section.
This assessment includes documents for students observing each other during the Socratic Seminar, a participant record to write their discussion questions and reflect on the feedback from their observer, and a set of reflection questions for students to use to respond to the Socratic Seminar as a whole (both participant and observer) post-Seminar.
Before participating in this performance assessment, it would be important for students to have experience with an established classroom community in which formal discussions are a normal aspect of class. If this is the first whole-class discussion held during the school year, a Socratic Seminar will feel overwhelming for many students. It would be useful but not necessary for students to have completed a Socratic Seminar specifically so that they are familiar with the structure of the discussion. This performance assessment works well with topics and texts students are already familiar with or topics that would easily engage discussion with your particular students.
| Big Ideas | Competencies |
|---|---|
D. Speaking and ListeningStudents can listen effectively, present information appropriately to a variety of audiences, given the situation, and collaborate with peers. |
D2Students can actively participate in collaborative discussions and acknowledge new information and modify views. |
Below are analytic teacher rubrics. The column on the left shows the dimension that is being measured in the student’s performance. The levels across the top row indicate the performance level in the dimensions. Occasionally all dimensions and performance levels are exemplified by multiple students in a single recording.
| Dimensions | Not Yet Meeting Expectations | Meeting Expectations | Exceeding Expectations |
|---|---|---|---|
Preparation |
No exemplars at this time.
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No exemplars at this time.
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No exemplars at this time.
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Reflection |
No exemplars at this time.
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No exemplars at this time.
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No exemplars at this time.
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