In Mrs. Price’s English IV classes, seniors are going back to the roots of education with a Socratic Seminar. On Friday, they discussed The Lord of the Flies –– taking a deeper look at the pull between civilization and primal instincts, at what makes a good leader, and at what happens when there are no rules. The seniors are reading a novel traditionally read by younger students so that they can dig deeper and to look at the more sophisticated and nuanced themes and symbols in the novel. Using the Socratic Seminar, they are able to flesh out ideas with each other with minimal input from the teacher. Students have to formulate questions which they then present for discussion. During the discussion, students refer to the text and take notes that will be used for the essay on their Third Quarter Exam. Student-led discussion offers students time to process ideas and see different interpretations of the novel.
