The Prince by Machiavelli:Graphic Organizer/Socratic Seminar

Graphic Organizer/Socratic Seminar

The Prince has proven to be a very difficult text for many of my students.

However, through various interpretations, real world connections, discussions, and using a wide range of close reading strategies,

One very successful lesson that aided in comprehension, application, and analysis including a graphic organizer and a pre-write.

In the lesson prior to this one, I had my students generate 5 higher order thinking questions as an exit slip for the following topics:

1. The Prince by Niccolo' Machiavelli
2. Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
3. Current political/police state of affairs
4. A comparison between The Prince and Julius Caesar
5. A comparison between The Prince and current political/police state of affairs.

Before the day of the Socratic Seminar, I had selected a handful of questions from various students and embedded the questions into a graphic organizer. Because I have so many students in need of differentiated instruction it benefits many of my students to have peer examples and an opportunity to organize their thoughts prior to the lesson. Below is the graphic organizer that I used as a Bell Ringer/Do Now:

Graphic Organizer

CORNELL NOTES SHEET	Name: ________________________________________ Class:  ______________________     Topic:  ________________________ Date:   _______/ _____/ ________                                          Period ______
QUESTIONS	NOTES
Discuss whether it is better to be feared or loved when you are a position of power.           ~ Ezequiel S.
Determine the ways that Machiavelli’s theories about how to be a strong ruler is still present in today’s society?      ~ Kelvin W.
Julius Caesar was loved by the people, but hated by the Senate. Explain why and connect the Senate’s actions to statements made in The Prince. ~ Maddlyn H.
Identify examples of how police officers are considered to be Machiavellian through their actions in our society. ~ Alexis B.
Analyze how the current policy systems and government policies are like the principalities described in The Prince. ~ Landon A.
It is common knowledge that Tupac was heavily influenced by The Prince. Infer why this type of text would have such a huge influence on a person hundreds of years later. Discuss whether you believe that Tupac truly identified with the text or if he used Machiavelli to simply gain attention.  ~ Kyle D.
Generate your own higher order thinking discussion point for this seminar.
SUMMARY:  Write 4 or more sentences describing specific learning from these notes. __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________
STUDENT REFELCTION:  Write 4 or more sentences describing what you enjoyed about the lesson and how you believe the lesson could be improved in the future. __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________

For further help in understand how this was used in my class discussion and as an assessessment piece, here is my lesson plan from that day. 

Socratic Seminar for The Prince and Julius Caesar

English II (Pre-AP)/English II (ESL/Repeaters)

Goals, Objectives, and Standards:

Goals: Students will conduct an academically advanced, collaborative discussion that generates ideas instead of asserting opinions.

Objective: Through a Socratic Seminar, students will be able to gain a deeper understanding of The Prince by Niccolo’ Machiavelli (through chapter 10) and Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare through discussion in a student-run/student-based method of instruction.  Students will answer both interpretive and evaluative questions concerning important issues in the novel and the drama while making real life connections.

C.C.S.S.:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.C

Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.D

Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented.

Activities, Tasks, and Methods: 

Do Now:   Students will review a sample of discussion points and create a list of points that they want to have evaluated/discussed amongst the group using a graphic organizer (Cornell notes).

*ESL/Repeater Modifications (if needed): The teacher will monitor understand and hold mini-discussions while using examples to help students recall and apply the information that was previously learned.

Opening: The teacher will review expectations for listening and responding to one another in a Socratic Seminar.  

*ESL/Repeater Modifications (if needed): The teacher will review the expectations for contributions and show a video that models Socratic Seminar to the students for standards of behavior:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxZMGK6IdEs

Work Period:

Whole Group:  Students will engage in a Socratic Seminar to develop further understanding of the texts.

Task: The teacher will monitor for academically appropriate discourse between students. The teacher will facilitate the lesson while aiming for a student-led lesson.

Closing: Students will complete the summary and reflection piece on their graphic organizer (Cornell Notes).

Assessment, Grouping and Questioning:  

Assessment: Students will be assessed by contribution to the discussion, which will be evident through respectful and well-processed questions and responses. Students will also provide documentation of their thought-process through their additions to the graphic organizer.

Grouping:  The students will be in a whole-group setting in order to achieve the desired environment for a Socratic Seminar.

Questioning:  Most questions are/will be student-generated (developed prior to class and through discussion); however, the initial question will be:

Considering Machiavelli’s points about a strong ruler, discuss whether it is better to be feared or loved when you are a position of power.

Additional Student Generated Questions Designed for the Purpose of Discussion

1.      Determine the ways that Machiavelli’s theories about how to be a strong ruler is still present in today’s society? ~ Kelvin W.

2.      Julius Caesar was loved by the people, but hated by the Senate. Explain why and connect the Senate’s actions to statements made in The Prince. ~ Maddlyn H.

3.      Identify examples of how police officers are considered to be Machiavellian through their actions in our society. ~ Alexis B.

4.      Analyze how the current policy systems and government policies are like the principalities described in The Prince. ~ Landon A.

5.      It is common knowledge that Tupac was heavily influenced by The Prince. Infer why this type of text would have such a huge influence on a person hundreds of years later. Discuss whether you believe that Tupac truly identified with the text or if he used Machiavelli to simply gain attention. ~ Kyle D.

Homework:

N/A (students are preparing for standardized testing)

Materials and Resources:

Notes on The Prince by Niccolo’ Machiavelli

Notes on Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

Cornell Notes/Graphic Organizer

Modifications:

Preferential seating

ESL Strategies

·         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxZMGK6IdEs

·         Extended time

·         Translation Dictionaries

·         Additional Support (as embedded within the lesson)

Until Next Time, 


LEARN LOUDLY!!!

P.S. Don't forget about Tupac