The Socratic Seminars (Fishbowl Discussion) for

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien

A Socratic seminar is a way of teaching founded by the Greek philosopher Socrates.

Socrates believed that:

  • Students learn best by asking questions.
  • It is the teacher’s job to moderate the discussion instead of leading the discussion.

How it Works

A Socratic seminar, also known as a fishbowl discussion, features an inner circle of students sharing, discussing and having meaningful dialogue related to the issues and themes reading materials. There is also an outer circle of students observing, reflecting, and taking notes.

Each seminar will focus on a select section of novel. The discussion will take place on the day the readings is due. It is essential that you read the novel and prepare yourself for the Socratic Seminar with important questions and quotations. You must also complete one Socratic Seminar Preparation Sheet per group.

Please Note: If you are absent on the day of the discussion, you will need to make arrangements to make it up outside of class.

Reading ScheduleAnnotations:

While reading the novel, you need to create annotations. Refer to the handout instructions on how to complete them. You should expect to create 3-5 annotations per chapter. You should be prepared to participate in a Socratic Seminar on the day the readings are due.

Due: 9/7/16: “The Things They Carried”, “Love”, “Spin”, “On the Rainy River”, “Enemies” & “Friends”, “How to Tell a True War Story” (About 80 pages)

Due: 9/13/16: “Stockings”, “Church”, “The Man I Killed”, “Ambush”, “Style”, “Speaking of Courage”, “Notes”, “In the Field” (About 90 pages)

Due9/19/16: “Good Form”, “Field Trip”, “The Ghost Soldiers”, Night Life”, “The Lives of the Dead” (About 60 pages)

What should you look for?

Comparisons & Contrasts:
  • War vs. intimacy/love
  • Physical vs. emotional burdens
  • Mental vs. physical pain
How to Read Literature Like a Professor
  • Connections to the novel referenced in the examples in HtRLLaP
/ Symbolism/Motifs:
  • The Sewage Field
  • Dead Young Vietnamese Solider
  • Mary Anne Bell
  • Kathleen
  • Linda
  • The old farmer
  • Dance of the young girl

Examples that support the themes of the novel:
  • MORTALITY AND DEATH
  • SOCIAL OBLIGATION
  • MORALITY
  • STORYTELLING AND MEMORY
  • SHAME AND GUILT
Other Connections:
  • Other works that have a similar idea or theme
  • Personal or real world connections to the novel
/ Language Devices/Imagery:
  • Syntax (sentence Structure)
  • Figurative Language (simile, metaphor, hyperbole, personification, allusion, irony, etc)
  • Diction (Choice of words, speech: colloquial, formal, etc)
  • Point of view (first-person, third-person, etc)
  • Tone (the attitude of the author toward the subject such as humorous, serious, grave, didactic, etc.)

Group Assignment: Socratic Seminar (Fishbowl Discussion)

The Fishbowl Discussion involves concentric circles: an outer circle (the bowl) and an inner circle (the fish). In order for everyone to have a chance at being a fish, I will divide the class into two “schools” of fish, and each school will have its turn in the bowl. The school of fish inside the bowl engages in a (face-to-face) discussion, while the remaining school (forming the bowl) listens and takes notes in preparation for a chance to respond to and to ask questions of the school that is inside the bowl.

Each school gets one group grade for its conversation, and the only way to get a good grade is to make sure EVERYBODY in your school participates in a meaningful way in the discussion. Their silence is yours! So think about ways to engage the quieter members of your group! You also improve your score by taking full advantage of your chance to engage with the other fish in the bowl when your school is outside it! Your school is also responsible for how (& how much) the other school engages with you.

At points chosen by me, the fish outside the bowl may respond to, and ask questions of, the fish in the bowl. Halfway through the discussion, I will ask the schools to switch places.

WARNING: Please don’t just Google discussion questions for the novel. They need to be questions you come up with. You can also reference parts of the story that stood out to you or confused you.

While in the INNER CIRCLE, you should:

  • Ask questions of your fellow fishbowl members.
  • Answer the questions of your fellow fishbowl members.
  • Listen carefully to what your classmates say and respond thoughtfully.
  • Build upon your classmates’ arguments.
  • Respectfully challenge or disagree with your classmates.
  • Take turns – watch your “air” time.
  • Encourage each other to speak -- speakers may ask direct questions of each other to encourage participation.
  • Refer to your prep-work, notes, and text to support your ideas and/or pose questions.
  • Encourage your peers to support their ideas & encourage depth of discussion.
  • Take risks when responding to and answering questions – push yourself to go beyond what we have already gotten to together as a class and explore the text.

While in the OUTTER circle, you should:

  • Come prepared with ideas and questions about the section
  • Listen carefully to the discussion
  • Take notes on what is discussed by the featured speakers
  • Write down your observations, questions, connections, etc.
  • Participate in the open discussion
  • Refer back to your notes & to the text when participating in the open discussion
  • Encourage exploration through your comments and questions

Score / Criteria
10 / All contribute in meaningful way / Addresses all key aspects of the text or reading / All ask thoughtful, probing questions / All offer thoughtful responses, using textual support / Discussion evolves from Q&A session into genuine conversation / Audience eagerly engaged throughout / All interact with other school
8 / Most… / Addresses most… / Most… / Most… / Mostly rises above Q&A format / Audience evenly engaged / Most…
5 / Some… / Addresses some… / Some… / Some… / Evenly divided between conversation& Q&A format / Audience unevenly engaged / Some…
2 / Few… / Addresses few… / Few… / Few… / Does not get beyond Q&A format / Audience is bored / Few…

USE THESE QUESTION STEMS TO FORMULATE GOOD QUESTIONS

Determine the basics
What are the characters doing? (& why?)
The characters are NOT doing what… (& why?)
What do they want very badly? (& why?)
Who is telling the story? (& why did the author choose X as the narrator?)
How is the story organized? (& why?)
What is the source of tension? (& why?)
Can you trust the narrator? (& why?)
Do X’s words match his/her actions?
I notice the author uses… (& why?) / MAKE CONNECTIONS
What surprised/interested me most was X, because I always thought…
I think X caused Y because...
X is similar to/reminds me of X because...
X is important because...