Socratic Seminar Reflection
Format: Typed, double-spaced, 1-2 pages, 12 pt. Times News Roman, 1” margins
In your reflection, you should discuss the following categories:
1. Specific ideas you found particularly interesting and why. Give specific examples and explain your reasoning. Please include who said the idea (this shows me you were listening carefully).
For example, “I found Brad’s speculation that not wearing white after Labor Day is connected to the Puritan’s dress code for wearing somber outfit interesting because I had not made that connection myself. However, I am not sure I agree with this connection because I am wondering whether those arbitrary color rules have more to do with Southern etiquette and Emily Post rather than Puritanism. I need more information on this; however, Brad’s comment jump started my thinking on the ways in which we dress in America today and how they might be connected to Puritanism.”
2. Unanswered questions or ideas you are still grappling with regarding the topic. Explain why you still have these questions or intellectual tensions.
For example, “I question George Will’s argument that Puritan asceticism has led to the gross accumulation of “material delights” in our society today. Were people truly rebelling against the Puritan way of life or was capitalism in and of itself a driving force? Can we really link the two? I am not convinced by Will’s reasoning. I need more evidence suggesting that people’s extravagant spending is a response to Puritanical austerity.”
3. Discussion of why you scored yourself on the rubric for each category the way you did and specific examples supporting your self-score.
For example, “I responded to Oscar V’s question regarding whether President Bush is a modern-day Puritan. I referred to the Puritan Moral Code’s rule that all sins should be punished and connected this code to Bush’s references to evil in the Middle East needing to be crushed. This example reflects how I was listening intently to the conversation, following the ideas, and extending them by providing a relevant example that pushed the discussion forward, which is why I gave myself an “Excellent” in listening and speaking and reasoning.”
4. The class’s overall participation and assessment of your chosen person– strengths and areas of improvement. Please provide specific examples supporting your point.
For example, don’t say: “Everyone was nice.” Instead say, “Generally, everyone listened carefully to the speaker. For example, I noticed that when Luis was speaking, every student was looking at him and taking notes. This also happened when Stephanie talked about Edwards’s simile about God’s wrath being bent like a bow. However, when Garrett was talking, I saw two people whispering. This happened several other times. Due to our class’s inconsistent listening, I would say it was a strength at times as well as an area of improvement. Additionally, I observed [student’s name]. She was prepared because…”
Also, here is a link to our class-createhttps://docs.google.com/document/d/151vVSWXZpOmK3_BNr7a080HU3aafa35oFzQAWhMQupg/editd rubric for you to self-assess on:
Also, here is a link to our class-createhttps://docs.google.com/document/d/151vVSWXZpOmK3_BNr7a080HU3aafa35oFzQAWhMQupg/editd rubric for you to self-assess on:
Megan Anderson
ReplyDeleteMrs. Colando
English 9 Honors
7 October, 2016
Socratic Seminar Reflection
One thing I found interesting about or discussion was that we talked about how the women and men in the story were all stereotyped and were discriminated by their gender. How the men in the story where always the stronger, more powerful figure in the story, when in reality, the women were stronger morally and mentally. I found this interesting because I was thinking this while I was reading the story myself.
I am still questioning about who had more moral fiber in the story because it seemed like throughout our seminar, no one was really able to come up with an answer to that question. Everyone gave ideas supporting each way, but a complete answer was never decided upon. So I still question who had more moral fiber in the story.
I gave myself in between a exceeds standard and meets standard in the Speaking and Listening category because I felt like I listened to everyone’s ideas and responded in an adequate manner with my own thoughts. I felt like I could have improved on moving the conversation along and talking more throughout the discussion, which is why I gave myself a 3.5 in this category.
I believe that the whole class participated in all of the discussion sessions. I believe everyone gave their thoughts on their focus questions for their groups. There were a few times where I noticed people spoke little to none throughout the discussion, but seemed to be listening intently to their group members. I believe the little talking may just be because it was the first seminar and people were nervous to talk in front of the class. I also saw that almost everyone seemed to come prepared with notes, quotes, and explanations which lead to an in-depth discussions session. Overall, for the first Socratic Seminar of the year, I thought everyone did really good and was well-prepared.
I believe that moral fiber is opinionated, and related to each individuals' own moral fiber.
DeleteAriana Pimental
ReplyDeleteMrs. Colando
English 9
7 October 2016
A Yellow Raft in Blue Water: Socratic Seminar
During our socratic seminar based off the book, A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, I found many ideas interesting in which caught my attention. For example, I found Cailyn's outlook on the significance of the braiding rather interesting. She said that each braid represented each person and their generation, and that they came together as one, hence the way you braid. Furthermore, I do agree with this because that represents the theme Michael Dorris was trying to convey to us readers. Also, while realizing it now it helps make the story make more sense and have a better understanding. Another idea I found interesting was when Jessica P stated her opinion on the last page of the book. She said that Aunt Ida and Father Hurlburt seemed to have a “thing” going on. I never noticed this accusation before until she pointed it out. Rereading the page, I can now see what she means by it.
Throughout the book, I had stumbled over sections and gotten confused. One question I had was, why did Aunt Ida not tell Christine for many years? Why would she not have told her by now? At first, I seemed to think why she did not tell her was because she was too young to understand and realize at first. But now since Christine is grown up and matured, I do not understand why she would not have told her yet. Another question I had from the book was, why did Rayona seem unbothered by people discriminating her? Throughout her point of view, especially with Foxy, she did not seem to care much and would just brush it off. Why would she not be like hurt about it? This confused me a lot while reading her point of view, and really made me think throughout reading.
During the self-assessing, I rated myself a three for the “Speaking and Listening” category. I think I spoke fluently and loud, and made eye contact with others as I did. Also, I carefully listened and took into consideration of what each individual said. However, I only asked one question throughout the seminar. I would rate myself a four if I asked three or more questions. For the, ‘Using Textual Evidence’ category, I rated myself a four. I believe I got a four because, I used direct text evidence from the story and backed up each of my statements with quotes. I also annotated the book and left comments to each statement that caught my eye. For the next category, “Preparation” I rated myself a three. I give myself a three because, I underlined most important parts of the text and I came ready for what I was going to say and use in the seminar. I did not think i would give myself a four because, not every important detail I underlined. Lastly, for the category “Leadership” I gave myself a three because, I think I moved the conversation over at some points, asked different questions, reflected on other people in my group’s ideas, and linking ideas. I did not give myself a four because, I did not point out key points we could have missed, or did not always keep the conversation forward or add to other people's comments.
Our class participation was very good overall. I noticed in the seminars everyone respected each other well and everyone engaged in the conversation. No side conversations happened or interruptions throughout them. The outer circle people were also very respectful as well. No one talked during it, and each person fully listened to one another talk. In each seminar everyone was fully prepared and ready for the seminar.
Briana Cipolla
ReplyDeleteMrs. Colando
ELA 9 Honors
7 October 2016
Socratic Seminar Reflection
Within the seminars that took place in class, there was a lot of interesting information and points being made regarding the novel, A Yellow Raft in Blue Water. I agreed with Ronicka’s statement within the first seminar, that the different point of views affect the story, by creating a story that you can fully understand what everyone is thinking. I also think without all the point of views, the story would not be complete. The three point of views made it that you can completely understand what is going on. For instance in Rayona’s point of view, it stated her mother was in the hospital and was overreacting. However in Christine’s point of view, Christine said how she only had six months to live and did not want Rayona to know.
I still wonder what the true meaning of the braid is. I question if the braid had the meaning of just being an actual braid or a deeper meaning behind it. Points made in the seminar about this topic, were that the braid could signify Lee, Rayona, and Ida. Another idea is the strength and power between the three girls, Christine, Ida, and Rayona. That all the three women in the book are strong and reflect each other. The women’s teachings also help one another grow. Before the two ideas, I do believe that the meaning of the braid is it pretty simple, it has a cultural meaning. Now, I question which idea could be true.
On the rubric for speaking and listening, I put myself at three, meets standard. I did have three questions, but however, I did not ask more than three questions. Despite that, I meet all the stands of a four, therefore, deserving a three. In Using Textual Evidence, I also graded myself at a three. I put myself here because I did not use textual evidence for every single argument I made in the discussion, but I did refer to the text. Also in the discussion, I used quotes to support. For Preparation, I graded myself at a four. I do believe that I annotated all the important sections. Within the annotations I showed understanding of the text. I also made comments, connections, and also asked questions in the book. In Leadership, I put myself at a three. I do believe there was not a true leader in the discussion. Three out of four of us, talked the entire time and were always making the discussion flow. We all helped eacher and backed everyone up.
For our first seminar this year I do believe the class did very well. Everyone was listening to every speaker and when their person was talking, they were writing down notes and grading them, while listening to what they had to stay. During the discussions, everyone inside the circle was paying attention to the conversation. If they believed someone was not understanding the novel, they would clarify it for them. For the seminars, I followed Ronicka, Megan, and Cailyn. They all had strong points. Ronicka and Cailyn had similar points about how the book would not be complete without all three of the point of views. Megan made a point that the women in the book were very strong mentally despite battling with everything in their lives. She also said that the secrets in the book were kept to save the others from worry, stress, and heartbreak. I agreed with all three of the girls statements. Overall, I think our class had an awesome first seminar.
I believe that the braid symbolized togetherness and the feeling of belonging. In this way, I found it interesting that at no point in the story did Christine have a braid.
DeleteKasie Loeum
ReplyDeleteMrs. Colando
English 9 Honors
7 October 2016
Socratic Seminar Reflection
While listening to my classmates, I heard new topics and ideas that I hadn’t thought about before. One idea I found to be the most interesting was how a braid is a big part of the novel and what it symbolizes. This was interesting to me because as I read through the book, I didn’t notice it all and I had brushed it off as just another detail in the book. However, as everyone was stating their opinions on what it represented, I started to make connections between the braid and the protagonists. My favorite idea is how each section of the braid represents each main character and how their stories come together in one way or another.
One concept that I had trouble understanding is why the author decided to use “ A Yellow Raft in Blue Water” as the title. At first, I thought that it meant each main character had to brave through their problems on their own. However, as I thought about it more, the yellow raft could represent more than that. It had appeared a few times in Rayona’s point of view, and if I remember correctly, only in her’s. The raft was never mentioned in the other protagonists’ points of view. Why would the author name the novel after something that doesn’t stand out much in the story?
For my rubric assessment, I circled “nearly meets standard” for speaking and listening and “meets standard” for the rest of the categories. The reason why I had chosen “nearly meets standard” for speaking and listening is because I did not talk much during the seminar. I had tried my best to talk, but I kept freezing up and stopping myself from saying anything. I didn’t give myself a one in the scoring because I had talked and made eye contact for a little, spoke clearly, and put full effort into listening to my peers. For the other categories such as using textual evidence, preparation, and leadership I had given myself a three. This is because I had used text evidence when I could to support my opinion, like when I had claimed that the Native Americans thought they were superior compared to other races, and gave a quote from Rayona that supported my claim. My notes were full of quotes that I could use for the discussion and any point that I thought would be interesting to bring up. I had also brought my book and the sheet with the questions on it. During the seminar, I made sure that I listened carefully and then give my opinion on the topic without changing the subject or adding too much to it.
While we were doing the seminars, I think that everyone had done what was expected of them. We had all brought our notes and books when possible, and were prepared for our discussions. During the seminars I noticed little to no side conversations, and anything someone had to say was saved until after a discussion was finished. Everyone respected each other’s ideas and didn’t interrupt someone unless it was an accident. If anything were to be improved, I think it would be that some people need to speak a bit louder. I’m sure it was mostly because I was sitting near the air vent most of the time, but I could barely hear some people talk during their group conversations. Other than that, I believe that everything went smoothly, and just as they were expected to.
I feel as though the title represents each main characters' feeling of being an outcast. In my opinion, this is shown as a yellow raft would definitely stick out against blue water, as Rayona, Christine, and Ida seem to do within their surrounding community.
DeleteRonicka Yin
ReplyDeleteMrs. Colando
English 9
7 October 2016
Socratic Seminar Reflection
While Madison was speaking, what I found interesting was when she said that the braiding scenes show significance to the story. Before I did not know particularly why the story ended with Aunt Ida’s hair being braided. I also did not notice before how the different braiding scenes occurred more than once in the story with different characters. This symbolizes that the story overlaps with the Christine’s, Rayona’s and Ida’s perspectives. Just like when braiding, it shows how the three characters’ parts create one story together. Another thing I found interesting was when Ariana said how Rayona did not really stick up for herself when people kept mentioning her skin color. Though while reading the story Rayona gradually becomes stronger for herself and says that she is no different from anyone else just because of her skin color.
One question I still have is how Ida managed to keep her secret from Christine for so many years but not really open up to others about it. Since Christine is in a bad state during the time and only had a few months to live, she maybe didn’t want to make things worse. Though still, I do not know exactly why she did not tell someone the secret just to let it out. An idea I’m still thinking of is that Christine is the least trustworthy during when she enlisted Lee herself to the military.
In the speaking and listening part I rated myself a 3 because I made eye contact spoke clearly and listened closely to the other members though I could have done better. When using textual evidence I rated myself a 3 also because I used evidence that was relevant to what our group was talking about and to prove any points. Before the socratic seminar, I did prepare well and answer all parts of the questions our group had so I gave myself a 4 on that. My notes did include any textual evidence that was necessary and annotations. Lastly I would rate myself a 3 on the leadership part because I did give my ideas on what my other group members had to say though I did not really move the conversation forward effectively myself.
During the socratic seminar I noticed that everyone came well prepared with notes and especially the text evidence while discussing. Everyone in the inner circle had a chance to talk, no one was interrupted, and the group members were respectful of one another. The rest of the outer circle seemed to listen closely, pay attention and say any ideas they had to say after a discussion. Everyone listened to everyone’s ideas and thoughts and discussed about it so I think it went well.
Madison Drezek
ReplyDeleteMrs. Colando
English 9 Honors
7 October 2016
Socratic Seminar Reflection
In our socratic seminar based off of A Yellow Raft In Blue Water, there were a few ideas that I found interesting. One idea that I found interesting was Isabella’s statement that Lee and Christine thought that they had to call Aunt Ida their aunt because she was not married. When I was reading the book I had not noticed this myself. However I do agree with this because it makes sense that Aunt Ida was not married and would not want her kids to call her mom even though Lee is her child.
One question that I am still having trouble understanding is why Ida was on the roof braiding her hair in front of Father Hurlburt, someone who doesn’t understand her. During the seminar this topic was barely brought up. I believe that since Father Hurlburt does not understand Ida it can symbolize how all three protagonists were in situations where people did not understand them. I still do not understand why Dorris ends the work here or what it means.
For the self assessment I rated myself at about a three or a four in the “speaking and listening” category. I rated myself this because I spoke as much as I could in a clear way that everyone would hear and understand. I also responded to questions when I could and payed close attention to what my peers were saying. However I gave myself a two for asking questions because I asked less than three. For the “Using Textual Evidence” category I also gave myself a three to four. I believe this because I backed up all of my information with text but, I did not annotate the text too closely. On the rubric for “Participation” I gave myself a three. I graded myself this way because I annotated the text and made connections to the questions and understood the text. For the “Leadership” category I gave myself a three because I moved along the conversation when needed and participated by asking questions, comments and listening to others in the discussion.
I believe that all of the socratic seminars went great. I noticed everyone paying close attention to what other students had to say in the discussion and then answering back with their own questions and ideas. Everyone came well prepared and i noticed that the outer circle also took notes when they could and paid close attention to the group. Overall the first socratic seminar went very well and everyone did what they were supposed to do.
Rachael Perrotta
ReplyDeleteMrs. Colando
English 9 Honors
7 October 2016
A Yellow Raft in Blue Water Socratic Seminar Reflection
During the socratic seminars of last week, one of the most interesting comments in my opinion was made by Nic Sincyr saying that “Rayona is the most trustworthy because she had no secrets.” I thought this was interesting because I completely disagree and this shed new light on other people’s perspectives. In my opinion, due to the fact that Rayona had no secrets, this would make her the least trustworthy. Both Ida and Christine were able to keep crucial secrets, but Rayona confessed to hers after a short time (such as the lie about her parents she told Evelyn).
While reading the book, I asked many questions, one of them touching upon how the author emphasizes the portrayed carelessness of the male gender and the females’ ability to stay strong through hardships. As the author is male himself, this struck me as odd. I had questioned if the author had experienced these emotions or had even fallen into one of the stereotypes himself. After doing some research on the author, I discovered that he had been charged with sexual and domestic assault and had committed suicide ( http://m.startribune.com/the-anguished-life-of-michael-dorris/11473191/ ). I feel as though A Yellow Raft in Blue Water was the author’s indirect way of expressing his negative emotions about his life, the same emotions that caused him to end his life.
After my Socratic Seminar, I scored myself all fours on the rubric except for the “asking questions” portion. While I had prepared four questions to ask in the discussion, I do not recall if I got a chance to ask four; however, I am positive I asked three. I scored myself fours on all other sections as I felt as though I moved the conversation along by asking at least three questions and adding on to almost every point made. I also questioned Jessica Panichas when she said that at the end of the story Ida and Father Hurlburt had sexual relations, and requested textual evidence. In addition, I was thoroughly prepared for the seminar by having multiple quotes for each part of the question. I used four quotes (that I can recall) that supported my answer reasonably.
In my opinion, the class did well as a group in the seminars. I believe that my group and Lexi Lombardi’s group were the most interesting however, as we questioned each other more often and touched upon new ideas. For example, I noticed that Jessica Sullivan and Lexi Lombardi had contrasting opinions, but similar evidence to support their opinions, which I found very interesting. In my own group, I felt that Niko Montaquila and Ella Abenante and myself controlled the topic of discussion, but mainly agreed with each other. This contrast of shifting opinions between the groups was interesting, and showed the different chemistry between the groups.
Ethan Wu
ReplyDeleteMrs. Colando
English 9
7 October 2016
Socratic Seminar Reflection
I found that Nick said that Rayona was the most trustworthy character out of all three characters. Personally, I disagree because all three characters have kept secrets from each other. Rayona kept that Father Tom secret from Christine, Ida, and the rest of the reservation. Christine kept that she only have about six months to live. Ida kept that Christine was not actually her child and it was actually Clara, her mother’s sister. I think all the characters kept their secrets to protect someone. Especially for Rayona, Father Tom could have been hated for what he did to Rayona in the park.
In the group, I would have like to listen to other’s opinions of why Ida didn’t tell Christine the truth about who her real parent is. I also question why didn’t she tell Christine when they were in the hospital checking on Clara before she died. My thoughts on why Ida didn’t tell Christine is that she actually loved her like she was her own daughter, and if Ida tells her the truth now Christine won’t ever come back and she will be lonely.
I responded to my group members with a clear voice and carefully listen to the speaker whiling they were talking. I kept a good eye contact while I were talking and when other members was adding to their ideas. I asked questions to clarify my understanding and to see other’s opinions on a certain subject. Using this I scored myself in between a three and a two on the speaking and listening category. Some things I have to strive to achieve like asking more questions and backing up my opinions with textual evidence.
Mostly, the class listened to the speaker with their full attention and there weren’t any side conservations. For example, Nick said that Rayona was trustworthy because she never kept a secret from anyone, but someone in the outer circle reminded everyone that Rayona never told the incidents with Father Tom to anyone in the reservation. Additionally, I observed Lexi. She was prepared because she had the book ready to look in when someone says a quote. She also had notes and quotes ready to discuss with other members of her group.
Alexander Men
ReplyDeleteMrs. Colando
English 9
7 October 2016
I found Nick’s idea that Rayona was the most trustworthy very interesting. I somewhat agree with this reasoning. I find this interesting because he thought of this question in a way that I would have never thought of. He said that she is the most trustworthy because she did not keep any major secrets like Ida, who did not tell Christine that she is not her real mom. And Christine who did not tell Rayona she was going to die very soon. However, I do not fully agree with nick’s reasoning. They had to keep the truth hidden because they did not want to hurt the other person, and they do not become less credible for trying to not hurt someone. However Nick’s idea does help to open my eyes, and I can understand where he comes from. I just don’t fully agree with this reasoning.
The unanswered question that I still have is how did Christine not notice that Ida has been making her say “aunt Ida” for her entire life. How could she have not made the connection that she is not her mom? Nick answered this question. He said that she’s been saying “aunt” for so long that it just became normal, and she never questioned it. I question this statement, because i do not know how calling your mom “aunt Ida” can become normal. She must have seen people calling their mom, and noticed that not what people call their mom. I think any other child would have put two and two together here, and I am still unable to figure out how she has not figured this out.
In speaking and listening I rated myself at a three. I attempted to speak as much as I could, as loud as I could, and kept eye contact for as long as i was talking. I also made sure to sometimes move to a new subject when the silences were too long, and no one had anything to say. I also made sure to ask as many relevant questions whenever I could. In uses textual evidence I had important quotes with page numbers for my arguments. I graded myself at a three in this aspect. In preparation i gave myself a three. I felt a was well-prepared for the socratic seminar, and was able to comfortably discuss and debate with my group members. I also annotated a lot of important pieces of the text that would be able to help me during my seminar. For the leadership category, I rated myself at a three. I rated myself at a three because I did not feel I was leading the seminar, but I did a good job at moving the conversation on, questioning, listening, and reflecting upon the group's ideas.
In general the socratic seminars went great. However, there were some things that needed to be improved on. I saw a few interruptions in the inner circle with some groups, but nothing too
serious. Besides from these interruptions, it was great. Whenever I looked around the room i saw
no side conversations at all, and when someone was speaking, they were given the undivided attention of everyone in the outer, and inner circle. Also, when the inner circle was done talking I
noticed that the outer circle conversations were really good. They were very interesting and
covered many points that were not covered by the inner circle.
Jessica Panichas
ReplyDeleteMrs. Colando
English9
6 October 2016
Socratic Seminar Rubric
In Michael Dorris’s A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, Dorris emphasizes the matrilineal tradition among Native American’s. The women have strength. The group decided that the women had to be strong due to the sake of overcoming stereotypes of women, overcoming hard times, and learning how to be on their own. They are different from men in the novel because the men seemed to have it easier. On their little reservation, the men were the kings. You were guaranteed some sort of job and a wife. Especially if they were good looking. One would think the men would have power but the women in the novel really oppressed that. The three generations of women were all in power to some degree. In other ways, they let men walk all over them - sometimes. It depend on the person. Out of all the women the group agreed that Evelyn or Pauline had the most moral fiber. We also agreed that Clara had the least moral fiber. I gave myself a 3 in speaking and listening except for the part about asking questions because I did not ask any. I gave myself a 3 in textual evidence because my arguments were grounded in relevant texts. I made direct references to the book. I gave myself a 4 in preparation because my book was completely annotated and I had quotes and questions prepared. And as for leadership I gave myself a 3 because I listened to people and reflected on their ideas. I asked questions or for clarification but never effectively moved the conversation forward.In our group our participation was good I noticed when Rachel talked everyone was quiet. Some took notes. Everyone in our group participated.
Destinee DelBonis
ReplyDeleteMrs Colando
English/Period 6
4 October 2016
Socratic Seminar Reflectionc
I found it very interesting when Ariana mentioned that the religious figures on the reservation are viewed highly amongst the community, while off the reservation society does not really view religion as very important. I think this is because on the reservation the people live in an old-fashioned culture, when religion was crucial in their everyday lives. This never crossed my mind while I was reading the novel so I am glad she brought that statement up.
Throughout the novel I struggled with who held the most power. On the reservation men are viewed at a certain high standard and are respected among the community. Likewise, though, the women have a sense of inner pride and power throughout the whole story. I wonder if Dorris intended to do this as part of his craft.
I scored myself a four in the Speaking and Listening category because I do believe that i made my ideas clear and used appropriate grammar and tone to help further support my claims. I also made contact with everyone in the group to ensure the group was focused. In the Using Textual Evidence category i scored myself a three because although I did have several quotes from the novel, I feel as though I could have perhaps used more textual evidence when supporting my claims. I scored myself a four in Prepartaion because I believe that I was very prepared for the seminar. I had a plethora of notes as well as quotes to support my ideas and claims. Finally, I scored myself a four in Leadership because I brought up key ideas and I moved the conversation effectivey.
Overall, everyone in my group was an intent listener. I enjoyed how everyone in the group bounced ideas off of each other and how we had a healthy debate on certain topics, for example, when we discussed which social group was the most discrimitated against. Most of us took turns, leadership wise, and everyone in the group had a myriad of strong textual evidence.
Ella Abbenante
ReplyDeleteMrs Colando
English 9 Honors
7 October 2016
Socratic Seminar Reflection
I found it interesting when Jessica shared how she comprehended the last few sentences of the novel. She claimed that there were context clues leading her to believe that Ida and Father Halburt were more than just friends. She pointed out that in these final sentences Dorris’s wording on how the two walked through the house and into Ida’s bedroom were meant to infer that something may have sexually taken place between the two after the novel was over. While reading the story I did not pick up on this, it was not until Jessica shared her thought that I made that realization myself.
After our discussion I am still not clear about why Dorris acquired such a respect for women in his novel, when having read about his personal life I know he did not have this same respect outside of his work. I read an article that stated “Beginning in December, Dorris' 22-year-old adopted daughter and two of his three biological daughters gave authorities graphic testimony recounting dozens of individual incidents of alleged offensive sexual contact, sometimes supporting one another's charges as witnesses”. Clearly Dorris does not hold the same moral fibers as one may think while reading his famous novel, and I wonder why he decided to deceive his readers in such a way.
In the category of Speaking and Listening I scored myself a four because I believe I made some good statements and asked some questions that led the group to further discussion. I also used appropriate language when doing so. In Using Textual Evidence I gave myself a three. Although I had many relevant quotes prepared for the discussion I found myself using more of my own words and less textual evidence to support my claims. I scored myself a four in Preparation because I thoroughly prepared myself with quotes, statements, and questions pre-seminar to keep the conversation moving smoothly for myself and the group. In conclusion, I gave myself a three in the category of Leadership because I felt I could have encouraged other group members to speak more and changed topics when I felt the group had exhausted one.
My group did a great job respecting each other by listening to what they had to say and responding to their inquiries to the best of their ability. I noticed the entire group was focused on what Rachael had to add to the conversation, which was nice to see. This is most likely because of the professional tone and unique viewpoints she possessed. I was proud of how focused we stayed on the given topic and how much attention we paid to each other. In the past I have been in Socratic Seminars where it was sometimes difficult to get a point across without being interrupted, therefore I was pleasantly surprised with how well our group respected each other.
Cailyn Cardente
ReplyDeleteMrs. Colando
English 9 Honors
7 October 2016
During the socratic seminars which were the topics were the assigned focus questions, I found that when Destinee brought up the significance of Rayona’s discriminating being greater because of her dual heritage. I believe this is important because I agree because of her build, skin tone, and heritage she was discriminated against more than the other two protagonists, who were only discriminated against for their gender and Indian heritage. A confusion I had during one of the socratic seminars was what was Christine’s motive to keep drinking and doing drugs? The reason for my confusion is because most people if they find out they only have a few months to live want to spend it with their family rather than do drugs and attempt to run away.
During the self assessing, in the category Speaking and Listening I rated myself a 3, this is because I spoke loudly and clearly, I feel like I could have improved in asking more questions to develop the conversation further. I rated myself a four in Textual Evidence, I rated myself this way because I used textual evidence to back up all of my statements. In the category Preparation, I rated myself in between a three and four, the majority of important sections were annotated but I did not annotate a few sections that should have been. In the last category, Leadership, I rated myself a four, I think that I started new questions and built upon others frequently within the discussion.
The class’s overall participation was well, after each discussion we engaged in conversations about the focus questions. Throughout each seminar I did not notice anyone whispering, or talking which is very good. Within the inner circle all group members were respectful, and majority of students were well prepared with their books and annotations.
ReplyDeleteIsabella Machado
Mrs. Colando
Period 6
7 October 2016
Socratic Seminar Reflection
While listening to everyone's ideas during the socratic seminars I heard a lot of interesting things. Brianna said that Rayona starts to think she’s not an outsider anymore then people, like Father Tom, reminded her of her differences. I find this interesting because while I was reading the story I never thought that people picking out her differences affects her. Maybe what people say did affect her making her feel like more of an outsider. Cailyn said that the three strands of a braid represent the three main characters and each person’s story is tangled together. I find this interesting because I agree with this.
I had a few questions while reading the book and listening to the socratic seminar. One question I have is: Why didn’t aunt Ida tell her children who their fathers are? It wouldn’t hurt to tell Christine who her father or mother is before she dies. Ida could’ve also told Lee who his father was. Christine wondered if her and Lee even had the same father because they were so different. I also wondered why Christine wanted Lee to join the army so bad. Maybe it’s because she was done living in his shadow.
I scored myself a 4 for listening and speaking because I spoke clearly, used appropriate language, made eye contact with the other people in my group, and asked questions. I gave myself a 4 in using textual evidence because I backed up my arguments with relative quotes from the book. I scored myself a 4 in preparation because I annotated all important sections and the annotations shows my understanding of the text. I scored myself in between a 4 and a 3 because I moved the conversation forward and listened to others and reflected upon their ideas.
During the socratic seminars, everyone listened closely to everyone else. For example, when the groups were talking everyone in the groups made eye contact with the student speaking and no one in the groups made side conversations. I noticed when Rachael was speaking everyone in the group made eye contact with her Also, in the outer circle everyone payed attention to the group presenting and no one was talking while the groups were presenting.
Jessica Sullivan
ReplyDeleteMrs. Colando
English 9
7 October 2016
Reflection on Socratic Seminar
Our 9th grade English class conducted a Socratic Seminar based on the novel A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris. The Socratic Seminar was a success to every student that participated. We discussed several topics and asked many different questions, resulting in a thorough analysis of the novel. I was most intrigued by the thought of Rayona’s discrimination, from Destinee and Briana. Rayona, they stated, was discriminated mainly because the people on the reservation could not categorize her; Ethnicity, culture, being new, etc. I liked how they said it was a collaboration of all these things that made them not understand her.
After several answers were proposed to the group and discussed, a few left me wrestling for a logical answer, some I still haven't avenged. The biggest one was debated in my own group; why is Lee included in the braid phenomenon. I previously assumed that braids pertained to the three women, and it was brought to my attention by Cailyn, that he was as well. Although this topic was supported by some evidence and explained, I still find it baffling to understand why a man was involved with the braid, and if his braid relates to Christine in any way. Did his death let Christine “take his place” and join into the braid? Was she ever gone in the first place? I'm not sure that I even agree that he participates in the braid concept, it could be coincidence. I understand the effect/connection Lee had with all three women, but not how he's involved. I will look into this issue more because after the topic was done and exhausted, I was still not convinced.
When asked to self-assess ourselves based on the rubric, I ended up with an Exceeds Standards in Speaking/Listening and Preparation, and between Exceeds and Meets Standards in Using Textual Evidence and Leadership. Starting off with Speaking and Listening, I got a four because while I explained the light on the car door mirror meaning at the end of Christine’s section, I used an appropriate loud voice, sophisticated language, maintained tone/emotion and eye contact with others (during my speech and others’), listened to each group member as they shared their opinion, and responded only to move the conversation along and not repeat. The next category was Using Textual Evidence in which I scored in between a four and three. Although I had multiple quotes laid out, my arguments ended up not using them. When I did use quotes, each was very specific and relevant to the question. For example, when asked what the braids symbolized, I used specific quotes that were examples of braids. I was very well prepared with detailed notes and deep analogies of the novel, which is why I got Exceeds Standards in the Preparation category. Finally, I gave myself a 3.5 in the Leadership category. Although I displayed leadership skills that exceeded the standard, I wasn't the only leader. Lexi and I together moved the conversation along, linked ideas, and etc. Since it was not only me, I did not give myself the four. For example, when our group talked about Lee and Rayona being connected, we took each others’ claims and added on/linked to another topic of braid meaning. Overall, I scored 15 out of 16 on the Seminar.
I was not the only person to have a successful experience, the whole class did well. Each group analyzed and depicted each topic, starting deep discussions. Everyone spoke, used textual evidence, listened respectfully. Some rose above and displayed strong leadership. For example, I found that Destinee and Rachael exhibited leadership and carried the groups’ conversations. Everyone was clearly well prepared from the opinions/evidence they shared, and all were easily able to hear something interesting. Our class did a great job in the Socratic Seminar, even greater than I expected. Our hard work and effort in preparation of the Socratic Seminar of the novel A Yellow Raft In Blue Water by Dorris paid off.
Alexa Lombardi
ReplyDeleteMrs. Colando
English 9 Honors
7 October 2016
Socratic Seminar Reflection
Throughout the Socratic Seminar, on A Yellow Raft In Blue Water, there were many ideas that my group members brought to my attention that I had not thought of while originally reading the book. I specifically found what Jessica said about the connection between light in Christine's section to be very thought-provoking, and it was something I did not think about before the seminar. Jessica explained when Christine was on her way to Lee’s funeral, she saw “a flight of golden stairsteps, and halfway up Lee was waiting”(Dorris 202). She then explained how this is a symbol for heaven and passing away, because the flight of stairs are leading to heaven and she was on her way to a funeral. Toward the end of Christine's section, when she was driving Babe back to Dayton’s house, there was a light in the car door window reflecting on her. As Jessica explained, this light is also supposed to symbolize how she is close to death in the near future. Jessica's statement really made me look over these parts of the book, after the seminar, and this connection is particularly interesting to me because I did not notice this at all while reading the book.
Although my group touched upon it, I continue to question why Dorris ended the book the way he did. The book ends with Ida braiding her hair in front of Father Hurlburt, who does not understand what she is doing. I completely understand that braiding, throughout the book, is a symbol for the three generations represented by the three strands and that the story can not be completely finished without out each strand. However, what I do not understand is why Dorris left Ida braiding her hair in front of Father Hurlburt. Is there a reason why she braids her hair in front of someone who wouldn't understand what is happening? I wish that my group had gotten to this question because I never understood why he ended the book in this way and I continue to try to decipher what it was supposed to mean.
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ReplyDeleteIn all of the category's on the rubric, except the “Speaking and Listening” category, I scored myself as a four (Exceeding Standards). In the “Speaking and Listening” category, I did well with speaking clearly and sophisticated, making eye contact while I was speaking, and speaking at a good volume. I also did well with moving the conversation along, specifically by summing up the ideas of my group members and moving us on to the next topic. For example, when Cailyn explained how braiding connected to each of the generations and Jessica tried to explain how each strand only makes a full story when they come to together as a whole, I summed up their ideas by explaining how each strand was each generation and they create a full story when put together. Next I asked the next question on our list and asked Madison if she had any thoughts. I also think I listened and responded appropriately to my group members. For example when Jessica questioned what I meant with the connection between Lee and Rayona’s braids, I kindly responded using textual evidence and asked if this cleared up what she had confusion with. The reason I gave myself a 3.75 in this category was because I did not ask more than three questions and I did not effectively use tone and emotion. Although I did ask three questions and I used tone and emotion throughout the seminar, I did not feel my work in these specific parts of the category were enough to exceed standards, this led me to give myself a 3.75. In the” Using Textual Evidence”category, I graded myself very well, exceeding standards in all parts of the category. For example, I used relative and detailed textual evidence whenever it was needed, like my reference to page 27, to explain how Rayona never felt like she fit in because she was not easily categorized. Also, my notes in and out of my book show that I analyzed and annotated the text well and exceeded this standard as well as all of the others in this category. In the “Preparation” category, I scored myself as exceeding the standards in every part. I feel I annotated the text very detailed and included specific comments and questions that I had throughout the book. Finally, in the “Leadership” category I scored myself as exceeding the standard, because I feel that I lead our group through the discussion. For example, I summarized and clarified the ideas of Jessica and Cailyn during their conversation of the braids, as well as then moving that conversation along to the next question. I also reflected upon what other group members said when I tried to make a connection between Rayona’s hair and how it keeps her and her mother close. Also, I brought up the key idea that was missed by the rest of the group when talking about how Rayona does not fit in because she is not easily categorized. Overall, I graded myself in these ways because of what I did during the seminar, and I feel that my grading me were as accurate as possible.
The classes overall participation throughout each seminar was very good considering this type of seminar was new to most students. All of the students seemed to engage in the conversations, some more than others, every student listened intently to the speaker, and many students took notes or made eye contact with the speaker as he/she was speaking, such as when Ella made eye contact with Rachael as she asked her question. One person that I chose when in the outer circle was Ethan Wu. Ethan did very well with asking good questions when he felt he needed to, such as when he asked why Ida didn't tell Christine that Clara was her mother when they visited her in the hospital. However, when I scored Ethan I thought he needed to work on how much he spoke and the volume he spoke at. Ethan did not speak much during the seminar and when he did speak he was very quiet. If Ethan improves on these areas next time he will score very well, because his comments are great he just needs to get them out there.
Part of the discussion i found extremely interesting was the point Jessica addressed as to how she interrupted the last few scentences of the novel. She highlighted Dorris’s used words describing Father Hulburt entering Ida’s house, her hushing him and leading him to her bedroom, leaving the reader to think that a sexual event may then occur. Looking back on the story I can now see this connection, yet while I was reading the story I did not pick up on it. I would think that such an event was implied, Dorris had many twists throughout the book and one such as this would continue with his pattern, a priest having relations with an unmarried woman with children (considered to be highly inappropriate and improper) would fit into Dorris’s pattern of plot twists; for example Rayonna’s odd encounter with a priest that changed the entire course of the book.
ReplyDeleteI found myself confused with how Dorris chose to portrait women and how he was able to accurately describe parent to child or adult relationships, especially given his past in respect to them. I found that Dorris was extremely abusive in both his marital and his parental relationships, kicking his children down stairs, chocking them, and in his fit of rage often striking them. Once Dorris went even as far as to “stabbed on of his daughters with a fork, bloodying her hand , because she didn't hold her silverware correctly.” As stated in an article from the Star Tribune. Despite his habits of belittling children and women, Dorris was able to make Rayonna, a child, and both Ida and Christine, women, extremely strong characters. This caused me to stop and think as to why he would go against his own nature to portrait the characters so strongly, especially regarding their independence from men.
In the category Listening and Speaking, I gave my self a four, as I spoke clearly, loud, and effectively when addressing the group, and brought up some good points which were able to further the conversation. Under the category Using Textual Evidence, I also gave myself a four as I used many quotes and was able to tie in my evidence to assist me while I was discussing. I was able to do this in the category of Preparation as well, where I had all my information ready and was able to use all of it in my discussion. The only area where I felt as if I could have really improved myself was in Leadership portion, while I did ask questions to change out an exhausted topic, I feel as if I could have done more to encourage other members to speak in the discussion.
I would add that my group did an excellent job respecting each other, where everyone who brought up a point was listened to, and then had their point fairly considered and discussed. I feel as if Rachael was able to change the topics around, and Ella was able to introduce information to the group in a new way, and I could build on the points of others. Our seminar was extremely calm and we were able to maintain total order, avoiding the pandemonium of past seminars I have partaken in, over all our group did an excellent job respecting each other in our discussion.