Socratic Seminar

Goals:
● Develop and present ideas based on the film and life experience
● Support ideas by citing evidence from the film
● Come to discussion prepared and engage in collective exploration of ideas
● Respond thoughtfully to questions and to your classmates perspectives and ideas

Seminar Grading:
● Preparation (4) - View the film ​Fruitvale Station​ and take notes based on the
questions(You probably only need to take notes for question one). Respond to questions
based on your notes and use evidence from the film. Raise your own question related to
each question and come up with some possible answers. Your responses and questions
should be written down on paper or typed to be handed in to me after the seminar.
● Participation (10) - Each student should contribute to the discussion ​AT LEAST ​twice.
Your contribution must be meaningful, not just agreement with another person. This will
make up the bulk of your grade. If you do not contribute to the discussion you will only
get partial credit at best.
● Notes (3) - Students must take notes during the discussion of important
ideas/arguments/questions raised by your classmates. Write down the point that was
made and why you thought it was insightful.
● Reflection (3) - After the seminar you will write a paragraph reflecting on a new
idea/ideas from the discussion. Feel free to expand on something from your notes. How
does this idea challenge or add to your understanding of the topic or life in general.

Socratic Seminar ground rules:

● Stay engaged through listening and speaking. Phones and side conversations are
unacceptable and will cost you points.
● Voice disagreement respectfully.
● You are responsible for keeping the discussion going; when a topic has run its course,
you can raise a new subject or direct attention to a different question.
● No hand raising - take turns and let the conversation flow.
● Allow on person to speak at a time. Encourage others to participate and don’t dominate
the conversation.
● Talk to each other, not me.
● Speak loud enough that everyone can hear you.
● Stay on topic.

Ways to participate meaningfully:

● Use your prep work and notes to raise questions and offer opinions. Use your notes as
discussion points.
● If you feel a topic has been exhausted, ask the group if you may raise a new question for
discussion, and explain your perspective so others may respond.
 ● Respond to a question that has been raised.
● Add on to something someone else has said.
● Provide evidence from the text or the world around you.
● Respectfully disagree with a point that has been made and offer a new perspective.
● Ask each other questions and follow up questions.

Socratic Questions

Use evidence from the film and your knowledge of the world to answer the following questions:

1. Describe the technical aspects of the film (sound, lighting, angles, shots, editing, etc.).
What techniques worked well and what did not? Were there any scenes that were
particularly effective? How did the director use cinematic and theatrical elements to bring
the story to life in those scenes?
Notes:

Response:
2. Kyle Smith, the author of the review we read in class, asks, “​should a film about politically
charged events that happened only four years ago simply fabricate incidents for dramatic
effect?” In other words, if a filmmaker is making a film about actual events (particularly
controversial ones), should they stick to the facts? Or do they still have creative license? Were
Smith’s criticisms in the review founded? Or was he missing the larger point of the film?
Notes:

Response:

3. How should we as a society evaluate films? Should we place more weight on social value,
entertainment, or cinematic techniques? With these questions in mind, what is your assessment
of ​Fruitvale Station​? How does it compare to other critically acclaimed films we’ve watched this
year, such as ​Psycho o​ r ​Shawshank Redemption​?
Notes:

Response:
Notes for Socratic Seminar discussion:

Reflection on Socratic Seminar:

Think back to the first day in class when we discussed the individual criteria that we
each look for in films (could be genre, story, director, cinematography). Compile a list of
5 movies you think every person on earth should see. They can be films we watched in
class or films you’ve discovered/encountered elsewhere. For each film, write a short
argument defending the film as essential viewing. 100-200 words per film. Things to
consider when making your argument:
● Social value of the film
● Entertainment value of the film
● Cinematic techniques
● Themes and subject matter
● Genre