Lesson Plan (Grades 9-12): Socratic Seminar with Live Polling

I. Introduction

Lesson Title: Socratic Seminar with Live Polling

Grade Level: Grades 9–12

Subject Area: English Language Arts & Speaking & Listening

Overview In this immersive, multi-session unit, students will participate in a structured Socratic seminar on a thought-provoking text—such as a complex short story, persuasive essay, or novel excerpt—enhanced by real-time live polling. Working collaboratively, learners will:

1. Annotate and close-read the text to extract central themes, ethical dilemmas, and rhetorical nuances.
2. Design open-ended, evidence-based discussion questions that promote critical inquiry.
3. Launch anonymous live polls (using Mentimeter, Poll Everywhere, or similar) to gather classmates’ initial positions on key thematic prompts.
4. Facilitate a guided Socratic dialogue, leveraging poll data to steer the conversation toward deeper text-based analysis.
5. Cite precise textual evidence in support of claims and counterclaims throughout the debate.
6. Reflect on how integrating technology-driven data enhanced the seminar’s depth, fairness, and engagement.

This blend of classic Socratic technique with digital polling encourages students to articulate informed opinions, respond thoughtfully to peer viewpoints, and build digital literacy—preparing them for civic discourse in a networked world.

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives Students will be able to:

1. Interpret and Analyze complex text passages, identifying key themes, moral ambiguities, and authorial intent.
2. Formulate Open-Ended Questions that require participants to support answers with textual evidence rather than opinion alone.
3. Implement Live Polling effectively, designing polls that capture nuanced viewpoints and displaying results to shape discussion.
4. Engage in Socratic Discourse, demonstrating active listening, building on others’ ideas, and maintaining respectful, evidence-based dialogue.
5. Integrate Textual Evidence seamlessly into verbal responses, citing chapter and paragraph or line numbers to substantiate arguments.
6. Reflect Critically on how technology-enabled data can inform, challenge, and deepen literary interpretation.

Standards Alignment

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1 / SL.11-12.1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of discussions, building on others’ ideas and clearly expressing their own.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.2 / SL.11-12.2: Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media to make informed decisions.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.3 / SL.11-12.3: Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.4 / SL.11-12.4: Present information and findings clearly, sequencing ideas logically and using descriptive details to emphasize main ideas.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.6 / L.11-12.6: Use technology to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate.
• SEL Competencies (CASEL)
  • Self-Awareness: Recognize personal biases when responding to poll questions.
  • Social Awareness: Demonstrate empathy by considering diverse perspectives revealed by polling.
  • Responsible Decision-Making: Use evidence from text and poll data to guide respectful, meaningful dialogue.