Odyssey Socratic Seminar Essential Questions

Answer the following questions using direct quotes and situational examples from the text: The Odyssey. Think about our real world when answering these questions as well. Your answers should be at least a paragraph each including a minimum of one direct quote from the Odyssey each.

- What is a hero?  What is a villain?
- How does the definition of a hero change?  (Across time, culture, situation?)  What (if anything) is unchanging about the definition?
- From where does courage come?
- How do choices shape our character?

Essential Question Practice

Skinny Block:
Use the story Valediction by Sherman Alexie to answer each one of these questions in a paragraph response. A minimum of 4 sentences each.

1.) What does the story tell about the storyteller? (What does the author think/feel about the subject of the story?)
2.) How does this story relate to the world around us? (Connect the story to our world)
3.) Why do we still read this? (What lesson does it teach?)
4.) What would you have done differently if you were the main character in the story?
5.) How can we use this story to better ourselves? (Relate the story to you personally, what part of it can make you better? Why?)

Short Stories Socratic Seminar and Essential Questions (Quarter One)

Socratic Seminar Instructions and Information

Essential Questions for the first semester:

- What does the story tell about the storyteller (Author)?

- How are oral stories different from written stories?

- How do stories change/explain the world around us?

- Why do we still read this?