1
Questioning Strategy -- Socratic Seminar
Should Huck Finn be Banned?
Literary Text: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Publishing Info: Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library
Context: This strategy is for after reading, because it explores the fact that many people consider Huck
Finn to be full of racist/stereotypical elements. As a class, students will have looked at the historical and
authorial background to better understand the context of the novel. However, they will also need
knowledge of passages and elements of the text to come to an educated consensus. This strategy fits in
perfectly with this novel, because it allows the class to look at the sensitive issues in a constructive
manner. At this point in the novel, students have completed reading and are trying to glean things from
their reading experience. Students will have written a one page response to the question, “should Huck
Finn be banned,” an issue we will have previously explored through passages, video clips, historical
study, newspaper articles, etc.
Purpose: The purpose of this problematic situation activity is to think about the problematic uses of the
word nigger and other racist/stereotypical elements. The teacher will help students recognize the criticism
for and against this book in the schools as well as letting them analyze passages and elements so they can
decide for themselves. This strategy is best for this situation, because it allows students to debunk or
acknowledge a common belief about this classic book—not merely taking others’ opinions as their own.
Coming to a consensus allows the students to consider other viewpoints and realize that issues are not
always clear-cut. In this project, students will complete activities to decide whether they think Huck Finn
should be a banned book and why.
Directions:
Materials needed: students' one-page responses, Socratic Seminar question starters,
Time: 45 minutes
Previous class period—students will have done research on the question, “should Huck Finn be banned.”
They will have read the following article most recently and will have written a one-page response to It in
preparation for the Socratic Seminar.
"Unfit for Children: Censorship and Race." In Understanding Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Student
Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents by Claudia Durst Johnson. Westport, CT:
Greenwood Press, 1996, 29-45
Instructions for Students:
1. We are going to do a discussion activity called a Socratic Seminar. From the one-page response
you wrote, you should have an idea of where you stand on the question of banning Huck Finn.
2. First, we will have one student start us off with a point from their response paper.
3. Following that student, each student is to respond at least once and no more than three times when
they feel they can insert a point relevant to the discussion.
4. If there is a lull in the discussion, you are also free to change the direction of the discussion with a
different point.
Instructions for teacher:
1. Put all of the student desks into a large circle so that they can see each others' faces.
2. Give them a list of Socratic question starters to help prompt thinking.
3. Using the one-page responses as prompts, have one student start the discussion with a point that
Baltich, BYU, 2010
2
addresses the question of banning.
4. Make sure that each student responds at least once (let them know you're keeping track). This
ensures everyone participates and that no one person hogs the conversation.
5. You may work as a discussion leader and use questions like the following to help facilitate a rich
discussion.
•
What is racism? Is it a belief? Is it an action?
• What causes racism? What beliefs do people invoke to try to justify racism? In what kinds of situations do
we see or find racism?
• When did you first recognize your own racial, ethnic, religious (or other) identity? What does it mean to you
to identify yourself in this way? What do you like most and least about being a member of your group?
• How has racism affected you or people you know?*
• Do you think most minorities have a positive or negative image of whites? Do you think most whites have a
positive or negative image of other races?*
• What's the biggest misconception blacks have about whites? Whites about blacks?*
• Why is the teaching and reading of Huck Finn so controversial?
• How have the criticisms about the book changed over the years?
• How do these various criticisms reflect a changing America?
• How does knowing about the history of the controversy make you feel about reading the book?
• Under what circumstances, if any, do you think a book should be taken off a school's reading list and/or out
of its library?
(Questions from PBS teacher's Guide)
6. As the teacher, you can add additional leading questions to help elicit answers/help students
expound on their responses—Such as:
•
What passage of the book makes you think that?
•
Which characters show this type of attitude?
•
What was going on historically at that time?
Assessment: Every student is to turn in a one-page response to a prompt handed-out the previous day. Also, each
student should respond and participate in the conversation. Each student is required to reply at least once in the
discussion (It might be a good idea to keep track). Participation, clarity of response, ability to comprehend,
formulate, and answer differing questions all indicate students’ understanding of questioning strategies.
Name __________________________ Period ________ Date ____/____/_____
Questioning Strategy
Socratic Seminar
Should Huck Finn be Banned?
Socratic Question Starters
Baltich, BYU, 2010
3
Are you saying that_______?
Could you rephrase that?
What part don't you get?
Could you put that in your own words?
How is your idea related to_________?
Could you also be saying that________?
Do you mean__________?
I find it curious that__________
What in the text supports your idea?
What connections can you make with________?
Can you add something to_________?
How do you resolve_________?
Who can tell me about_________?
Think about________. What are your thoughts?
What do you understand up to the part you don't understand?
Write down points from your response that you might want to talk about:
•
•
•
•
•
Baltich, BYU, 2010