Name: ___________________________________
Period: ___________
The Adventures of Huck Finn and “The Lowest Animal” Socratic Seminar 2 Preparation
LEARNING TARGET: I can find evidence to compare and contrast Huck Finn and
“The Lowest Animal.”
Directions: Record evidence to go with each of the following arguments.
Rank all of the animals in Twain’s “The Lowest
Animal” from most important to least
important. Give one reason why they received
that ranking.
Rank the characters in Huck Finn from most
important to least important. Give one reason
why they received that ranking.
Socratic Seminar Question Stems to Involve Others
1) __________, what do you think about….?
2) __________, do you agree with that? Why/why not?
Socratic Seminar Question Stems to Expand the Conversation
3) Thank you, __________. I am going to build on that…”
4) Good point, __________, but I wonder….”
5) Interesting point, _________. Can you think of some examples from the text that support your idea?
“The Lowest Animal” and Huck Finn Discussion Prep Questions
1) What makes “The Lowest Animal” satirical? What makes Huck Finn satirical? Find an
example in each text that supports your reasoning.
2) What is Twain’s overall purpose in “The Lowest Animal” ? How does it compare to his
purpose of writing Huck Finn? Do you think his essay is noble, childish, useless, or realistic?
3) What specific changes in human nature does Twain hope his satire will encourage in “The
Lowest Animal”? How about in The Adventures of Huck Finn? Explain.
4) Find at least two examples of hyperbole (exaggeration) in the “The Lowest Animal”. Do
these examples make the satire more effective to Twain’s purpose, or are they just silly?
Explain.
5) Find an example of irony in “The Lowest Animal.” What is the purpose of this specific use
of irony? Explain.
6) How does Twain’s tone in “The Lowest Animal” compare to his tone in The Adventures of
Huck Finn?
Name: ______________________________________________________________
Period: __________
Socratic Seminar Reflection:
Our Ground Rules:
1)
Speak so all can hear you.
6) Ask for clarification. Don’t stay confused.
2)
Listen closely (take notes).
7) Invite and allow others to speak.
3)
Speak without raising your hand.
8) Consider all viewpoints and ideas.
4)
Refer to the text and/or your notes whenever you can.
seminar.
9) Know that you are responsible for the quality of the
5)
Talk to each other, not just the leader.
Which of the Ground Rules…
• Did you, individually, do the best on? Why do you think this was easy?
• Did your seminar, as a whole, do the best on? Why do you think this was easy?
• Did you, individually, do the worst on? Why do you think this was hard for you?
• Did your seminar, as a whole, do the worst on? Why do you think this was hard for the group to do?
• What one improvement can we make in the next seminar to make better?