Using the LORAX for Socratic Seminar in Elementary Lesson Plan & Activities

Bring RIGOR to Dr. Suess/Read Across America Week by using Socratic Circles in the elementary school!

A Socratic circle (also called Socratic seminar) is a process to try to understand information by creating the dialectic in class in regards to a specific text. … A Socratic Circle is not debate. This lesson addresses a small-group discussion using Dr. Suess/Universal Studio’s THE LORAX - using only the official movie trailer (found on YouTube).

Students must have ample opportunities to take part in a variety of rich, structured conversations—as part of a whole class, in small groups, and with a partner. Being productive members of these conversations requires that students contribute accurate, relevant information; respond to and develop what others have said; make comparisons and contrasts; and analyze and synthesize a multitude of ideas in various subject areas.

New technologies have broadened and expanded the role that speaking and listening play in acquiring and sharing knowledge and have tightened their link to other forms of communication. Digital medias confront students with the potential for continually updated content and dynamically changing combinations of words, graphics, images, hyperlinks, and embedded video and audio.

The integration of speaking, listening, reading and writing is more important that ever!