Socratic Seminar #1 Guidelines and Questions

New Utrecht High School                                                   AP English Mr. Como

English 2                                                                         Ms. Chan

Romeo and Juliet Socratic Seminar #1

Socratic Seminar Layout: In a Socratic Seminar there are only two roles: 1 person who leads the discussion and the rest respond to the discussion questions.

Role: Facilitator/Leader

Responsibilities

·         Address the class with the question

·         Select students to answer

·         If applicable, follow –up with any additional comments or questions

·         Always end with, “Is there anything else someone would like to add?”

Role: Students

Responsibilities

·         Have your “Guided Questions” handout on your desk

·         Have your homework on your desk

·         ANSWER the questions. Participate.

·         LISTEN to your classmate’s responses – put a CHECK beside each question you answered correctly and jot-down any new information beside questions you gained more information for.

·         If applicable, follow-up with any additional comments or questions

Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentence. In order to receive full credit, you must find textual evidence to support your answer and cite the evidence.

Guided Questions for Discussion:

1)   How is the nurse an important character in the play?	2)   Compared to Act I and II, how has Romeo and Juliet changed in Act III? Did they change for the better or worse?
3)   Suppose Mercutio killed Tybalt in the sword fight. How might the action of the play have changed? If he lives, could Mercutio have persuaded Romeo to act differently? Do you think the old feud would still have happened again? Explain.	4)   How does the nurse offend Juliet in Act 3 and stops being her friend? How does this development add to the tragedy of the events that follow?
5)   What have the events of Act 3 revealed to you about the characters of Romeo and Juliet? Describe how the young lovers are changing. What lessons are they learning about life?	6)   What do you think of Romeo’s exile? Is that a fair punishment for Romeo’s supposed crime? What snowball effect would this have on the play?