Readers learn together with a group discussion activity. As they read William Shakespeare's The Tempest, high schoolers prepare for a fishbowl discussion in which three or four learners sit in the middle of a large circle and have a thoughtful discussion about a concept or opinion from the play.

Concepts

group discussions, the tempest, william shakespeare, socratic discussion

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Encourage kids to work together to prepare for the discussion, either in groups or in pairs
• Introduce the discussion strategy with a sample topic, not based on the play (use a popular movie, TV show, or general statement as a point of discussion)

Classroom Considerations

• Pages 3 and 5 are blank
• Refers to the discussion strategy as a fishbowl discussion, also known as a Socratic discussion or guided discussion

Pros

• Well-considered and organized lesson plan
• Offers helpful pieces of advice, such as a suggested place in the play in which to implement the discussion, and different ways to activate prior knowledge
• Provides a worksheet to prepare for the discussion, as well as a reflection worksheet after the discussion
• Lesson is versatile for any novel, argument, historical debate, or anything else you'd like kids to discuss

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.9-10.1 RL.11-12.1 SL.9-10.1.a SL.9-10.1.b SL.9-10.1.c SL.9-10.1.d SL.11-12.1.a SL.11-12.1.b SL.11-12.1.c SL.11-12.1.d