Grade 6 English classrooms have been filled with lively conversation as students engaged in Socratic seminars while studying “The Giver” by Lois Lowry. Each seminar allowed students to engage in meaningful academic dialogue by listening carefully, responding thoughtfully, asking follow-up questions, and building on one another’s thinking.

“We incorporate Socratic seminars specifically in the spring during the The Giver unit to prepare students for the Harkness-style discussions they will participate in more extensively in Grade 7 and 8,” said teacher Jenna Sotire. “These seminars serve as an important introduction to collaborative listening, speaking, and thinking.”

Sotire added that there are three Socratic seminars over the course of the unit, each corresponding to a different section of the novel: the exposition, the rising action, and the climax or turning point through the end of the novel. 

“We reserve this structure for ‘The Giver’ because the novel naturally lends itself to philosophical discussion and deeper analysis of big ideas,” she said. “The themes and moral dilemmas in the text encourage students to move beyond comprehension and into thoughtful conversation and debate.”

Prior to each seminar, students complete a 3-2-1 preparation sheet, which asks them to identify three “golden lines” from the text that stood out to them, two open-ended discussion questions, and one meaningful connection to the text, themselves, or the world around them. The work ensures students come to the discussion with evidence, ideas, and questions to contribute.

“Socratic seminars are good because we can talk about what we are reading and get new ideas from one another,” added Charlotte Guttin ’32.

During the seminar, the class is divided into two groups, allowing students to work in a partner-observer system. While one student participates in the discussion, their partner observes and provides feedback, identifying one strength and one goal for growth. This helps students reflect on important discussion skills such as active listening, building on others’ ideas, maintaining eye contact, and supporting ideas with textual evidence.

“I like how it is a relaxed discussion and not a debate,” said Amelie Hayes ’32. “You can talk without having the teacher lead the whole conversation, and you can have your own opinions without having to get the right answer, and you can hear other people's opinions.”

Ultimately, the goal of the seminars is to help students become stronger thinkers, speakers, and listeners, while also developing empathy and perspective-taking skills. The discussions reinforce how the study of literature is not just about analyzing a story but also examining what it means to be human by connecting big ideas to one’s own life.