NAME:_________________________________ SEMINAR:

Socratic Seminar Guidelines and Rubric

Guidelines for Participating

 Come prepared. Bring notes and info that is relevant to the discussion.
 Participate, participate, participate!
 Back up your comments with evidence/ facts.
 Try to comment on someone else's previous statement before you give yours.
 Personal stories should have a direct connection to the facts.
 Keep discussion alive by asking open-ended, thought-provoking questions.
 Disagree with comments, not individuals. NEVER put anyone down.
 Use your speaking time fairly (contribute but do not control).

Socratic Seminar Rubric

5 4 3 2 Total
Conduct *Patient with differing *Respectful. *Participates but *Disrespectful.
opinions. *Comments, but shows impatience. *Argumentative.
*Asks for clarification. does not attempt to *Some focus. *Does not participate.
*Brings others into the involve others. *Engages in
dialogue. *Generally focused. “sidebar”
*Very focused on the conversations.
dialogue.

Speaking *Speaks to all *Speaks to most *Speaks too softly. *Reluctant to speak.
participants. participants. *Needs prompting to *Comments do not
*Articulate. *Attempts to move get involved. support point.
*Takes a leadership role on to new ideas. *Has no sustainable
without monopolizing the *Tends to “ramble point; uses “sound
discussion. on” after making a bites.”
point. *Monopolizes the
discussion.
Reasoning *Cites relevant text. *Makes limited *Accurate on minor *Illogical comments.
*Relates topic to outside connections to points, but misses the *Ignores the
knowledge and other others’ ideas. main point. movement of the
topics. *Some intriguing *No textual support; seminar.
*Makes connections points that merit “talking of the top of
between own thoughts reaction. your head.”
and others’. *Some references to *Refuses to
*Willing to take an text. acknowledge
alternate viewpoint. alternate viewpoints.
*Asks questions to further
dialogue.
Listening *Writes down comments, *Generally attentive *Appears *Inattentive.
questions, ideas. and focused. disconnected. *Comments show
*Builds on other’s ideas *Responds *Takes limited notes. lack of understanding.
& gives others credit. thoughtfully. *Takes no notes.
*Takes some notes.
Reading/ *Familiar with text. *Fairly familiar with *Confused with key *Unfamiliar with text.
*Understands major text. concepts of text. *Very much
Preparation concepts. *Asks for references. *Occasionally unprepared in small
*Was well prepared in *Was mostly prepared in small discussion groups.
small discussion groups. prepared in small discussion groups.
discussion groups

Total: