Socratic Seminar
Bring the critical thinking!

Seminar Reflection:
Choose any of seminar questions listed below, and write a 250-500 word response to the question.  Make sure to quote and use evidence from the text.  Feel free to draw on our seminar discussion.  This should be organized in formal academic paragraphs, and proofread before you turn it in to me.  Make sure to look at the Timed Writing Rubric on the Documents page of my DP!  Due:  Friday, start of class, shared or emailed to Lori BEFORE class starts.
 

1. In this essay, Solnit offers a number of criticisms of naïve cynicism.  What is the most important/cutting critique she offers?  Why?
   
2. To what extent is cynicism useful?  Harmful?
   
3. What kind of thinking habits do we need to cultivate to move beyond naïve cynicism?
   
4. How do you see naive cynicism in this election cycle?  Be specific, think about both sides!
5. In paragraph 6, Solnit makes a number of points about complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity.  To what extent are you comfortable with complexity and uncertainty?  Give at least one concrete example.
   
6. To what extent are you a naïve cynic?  How much of what Solnit describes rings true to you about yourself?  Explain.
   
7. How does this article connect to your education?  To your goals this year in Humanities?  To our class values and behaviors?

 
HONORS:  This writing will be the application essay for the Honors application.  Please see the Honors page on my DP for your instructions for Essay 1.  For you, this assignment will be due on Friday, September 9 at 8:15 am regardless of what class you are in.  Let me know if you have any questions!

HOMEWORK:
​Seminar reflection.  DUE: Friday, start of class, emailed or shared with Lori.
 

Starter 2- Seminar Norms

1. What needs to happen for a class to have a successful seminar?  What behaviors do you need to see, and what kind of thinking and preparation need to occur?
2. Do you prefer to have seminars graded or ungraded?  Why?

 
Revisit Values, Add Behaviors
Yesterday we talked about what we value as a class.  Today, we’ll make it a little more concrete. 
 
Values mean nothing until the rubber hits the road.  Unless you show it in action, can you really say that you truly value it?

1. Values listed on boards
2. Students in pairs
3. We value __________, so we____________
4. Brainstorm together for a few minutes.  Then hit at LEAST 3 of the values on the board and finish the sentences!
5. Come back together, gallery walk.  Put a star next to the sentences that really stand out to you.  Lori will compile the top choices!

 
"The Habits of Highly Cynical People" Coaching
In groups of 4, do the following tasks to ensure your understanding.

1. Summarize the main point of this article.  What, in one sentence, is it saying?
2. Go paragraph by paragraph.  Pay special attention to paragraphs 3-7, 20, 23
   1. Summarize main idea
   2. Answer questions/clarify meaning
3. Have your group write two thought-provoking seminar questions on an index card and give them to me.

 
Seminar Prewrite
Answer two of the questions below.  Handwritten or typed is okay.

1. What is Solnit’s definition of a naïve cynic?  What are the two types (see paragraphs 8 and 11), and what characterizes their thinking?
2. To what extent are you a naïve cynic?  How much of what Solnit describes rings true to you about yourself?  Explain.
3. In paragraph 6, Solnit makes a number of points about complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity.  To what extent are you comfortable with complexity and uncertainty?  Give a concrete example.
4. In paragraph 7, Solnit offers a number of criticisms of naïve cynicism.  What is the most important/cutting critique she offers in this paragraph?  Why?
5. In paragraph 20, Solnit says, “Accommodating change and uncertainty requires a looser sense of self…”  What does she mean by this?
6. To what extent is cynicism useful?  Harmful?
7. What kind of thinking habits do we need to cultivate to move beyond naïve cynicism?
8. How does this article connect to your education?  To your goals this year in Humanities?

HOMEWORK
Finish seminar prewrite (see above for details), have it ready to go at the start of class tomorrow.

Set Up Starters (10 min)
Every student creates a Google Doc labeled with “Full Name Humanities Starters,” and shares it with me.  Make sure to give me permission to comment!

1. Every starter should be clearly labeled with the Starter # and date
2. Newest starter goes at the TOP of the page

 
Starter 1 (20 min)
Syllabus: Go to Lori’s DP, and find the Syllabus page.  Read closely!  Then explore the rest of Lori’s DP.  Bookmark it!

1. What are you most excited about for Humanities this year?
2. What are you apprehensive/nervous about?  What can I do to help alleviate those fears?
3. What questions do you have?  List them!

 
Pair/share, try to answer each other’s questions.  Then come back as a whole class, I will answer any remaining questions.
 
Class Values (40 min)
Collaborative activity to determine our shared class values.  We will build on this more tomorrow!
 
The Habits of Highly Cynical People (30 min)
Read and annotate this article—it will be the basis for a Socratic seminar that is connected to our critical thinking goals for the course this year.  Make sure to mark:

1. Places where you are confused
2. Important or beautiful sentences/ideas
3. Vocab (look it up!)
4. Questions you have
5. HINT…you’re probably going to want to look up a definition of cynicism!

We will coach tomorrow, so have this ready to go.
 
HOMEWORK:
Finish reading and annotating “The Habits of Highly Cynical People”.  DUE:  Start of class, Tuesday
 

Hi everyone!  Welcome to Senior Humanities- It's going to be a crazy ride this year!