Interpretive Questions
The core of the Socratic Seminar is devoted to considering interpretive questions. These are questions that ask students to interpret the text. They should be genuine questions – ones that you are also interested in. No single right answer exists, but arguments can be made to support
different positions. Students need to make their points using passages from the text to answer these questions. Sample interpretive questions might ask for the values evidenced byte author within the text, or might ask students to choose the most important word/sentence/paragraph and describe why it is the most important.
Literal Questions
Literal questions are used by some teachers at the very beginning of a seminar, to ensure comprehension of the text. These are questions that can be answered directly from the text. The answers are contained within the text and are stated clearly. Sample literal questions might ask for an important text detail, fact, or quote.
Evaluative Questions
Evaluative questions are sometimes used at the very end of seminar, to allow students to share their own positions and opinions. Answers to evaluative questions rely on student’s own experiences, not on the text itself. Students will not need to cite particular passages to answer these questions. Sample evaluative questions might ask for student opinions about the author’s position, or how the ideas in the text relate to their own lives.
Variation: Fishbowl
If you have a large class, it may be helpful to divide the students into two groups and use a fishbowl format.