McGee+Socratic+Seminar

=Socratic Seminar on Dropping the Atomic Bomb=

2) Students given document packet to read through and questions are prompted at the end to get them thinking towards the two sides of the issue. 3) Web search by students to get more background information on the bomb, idea is for them to get cold/hard facts. Basic information for being able to understand the situation around the issue. 4) More documents given/students chart basic information, again, there are questions to drive their thinking. These documents are all written, which is sometimes difficult for students to analyze. 5) Students look through their information and start charting their information into a T-Chart as arguments for dropping the bomb or against dropping the bomb. 6) Class discussion to pose questions and discuss whether the US should have dropped the bomb. || 1. Students enjoyed the different environment for learning and talking to each other about an academic topic. 2. Many prepared by looking at the documents, but wish they understood the significance of them better, should have modeled looking at the documents first. 3. I was stuck asking all the questions and leading them in the various directions, should have had them generate their own questions. ||
 * **Title**: ||< The Decision to Drop the Bomb ||
 * **Subject**: ||< US history ||
 * **Grade**: ||< Juniors - grade level ||
 * **Time Frame**: ||< 2 block classes, plus some time for homework ||
 * **Summary:** ||< Students research the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan by looking at primary sources from the time period, then we have a discussion over whether the use of the bomb was necessary. ||
 * **Tasks**: ||< 1) Background information given on the atomic bomb, through a ppt presentation and students take notes.
 * Objectives: ||< * Analyze major issues of WWII; development of conventional and atomic weapons.
 * use a variety of both primary and secondary valid sources to acquire information and to analyze and answer historical questions.
 * understand how historians interpret the past and how their interpretations of history may change over time.
 * analyze information by summarizing, making generalizations, drawing inferences and conclusions.
 * use appropriate skills to analyze and interpret social studies information like speeches, lectures, graphs, and political cartoons. ||
 * Assessment: ||< Students will be given grades for participation and their pre-work to prepare for the discussion. ||
 * Resources: ||< * access to internet, primary source documents ||
 * **Teacher**
 * Reflections:** || Please share what went well, what was challenging and what you might tweak or modify for your next round....
 * **Examples**: ||< * Links to teacher or student work examples. ||

Discussion:
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