Ms. Barth's Reading Class

I have to say that even with all the distractions the majority of the students remained on task and topic. Interesting points were made such as: is truth an opinion or fact? When is lying okay? Who are we most willing to be honest with? I was especially pleased that the students who didn't say much yesterday participated today. I hope that as we do more of these all students will feel ready to participate and prove that this is a wonderful group of students! 

I was amazed at the direction this seminar took! Kyle demonstrated excellent leadership skills as he steered the conversation when it went off topic. The depth of the coversation, deiscussing what makes a curse word negative and their original meanings. The fact that the class could discuss these issues calmly, without arguement or anger, shows the level of maturity of each student. I was so proud to partake in this seminar with them.
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For the first Socratic Seminar students were amazingly respectful of eachother and their beliefs. They listened to each other thoughtfully and made comments that encouraged more discussion. Students appeared passionate about the article's topic. I think the discussion could have continued into the following day, and that shows me that the discussion was a success!

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Although a few students tended to overtake the discussion, students made valid points and related the text back to their lives and issues. The discussion allowed topics that would most often be too personal or "hot" to touch to be discussed in a safe setting. I was very proud of the way the class handled these issues, never mocking or judging. Overall, the discussion was a success!
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Two questions--
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

Does anyone ever say no?

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