Name: ______Period: ____
Seminar Preparation, Due Thursday, 18 December.
Socratic Seminar Guidelines:
● Be prepared by having done your homework and read the text
● Speak to each other as if you’re having a conversation (don’t raise your hand)
● Take a risk – be willing to think out loud and explore ideas with us
● Understand and accept that people may have different interpretations of the text
● Treat your seminar comrades with respect and honor;
○ Avoid side conversations
○ Actively listen to speakers and build off of what they say
○ Wait for the speaker to finish before you start speaking
● Make the text a part of the seminar; refer to specific places in the text to support your ideas
● Speak loudly enough to be heard across the circle
Seminar Preparation Questions:
Answer the following questions in complete sentences. For full credit, you must support your answer with specific evidence from one or both of the following texts: So B. It or Temple Grandin
1. How does “truth” affect Heidi’s mindset? How does it change her?
2. Who are the most important people in Heidi’s life?
3. On p. 85 Judi tells the ticket man to “get a life,” which prompts Heidi to think about her life. Explain how she changes the meaning of that phrase.
4. On p. 73, Heidi says “I felt a sliver of truth slip under my skin. A jagged little splinter of what lay underneath all those tales about war heroes and medals of honor.” Explain what Heidi discovered (inferred) about Zander.
5. Using mentor figures from the Temple Grandin film and So B. It as examples, what character traits make a good parent?
6. What do you think is the theme (or main message) of So B. It?
7. How does Sarah Weeks use figurative language (metaphors and similes) in her writing? Choose a specific example, and explain the effect it has on your overall understanding of the novel?
8. Explain how Heidi’s character changes throughout the course of the novel. What character traits (if any) change? Why do you think they do or don’t?