The Great Gatsby Socratic Seminar

📖 The Great Gatsby Socratic Seminar | 9th–10th Grade Literature Discussion Resource

Engage your students in rich, text-based discussion with this complete The Great Gatsby Socratic Seminar resource — everything you need for meaningful literary analysis, collaborative learning, and test prep.

This ready-to-print, 23-page packet guides students through every stage of discussion — from preparation to reflection — as they explore F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel. Students gather textual evidence, make personal and thematic connections, and strengthen speaking and listening skills aligned to CCSS ELA standards.

Perfect for grades 9–10, this resource can also be adapted for honors or advanced middle school learners and older high school students studying this iconic work.

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✨ What’s Included

✅ Teacher Resource Guide

• What Is a Socratic Seminar? Anchor Chart

• Before, During, and After the Seminar guide

• Detailed discussion outline + tips for success

✅ Student Materials

• Seminar Cover Page with Objectives & Standards

• Student Checklist for preparation, participation, and reflection

• Ten high-level Socratic Seminar Questions aligned with major themes:

  • Wealth, The American Dream, Love, Morality, Social Class

  • Designed to explore multiple literary lenses: feminist, socio-cultural, historical, and psychoanalytic

• Individual research pages for each question

• Model Textual Evidence Guide (3 examples per question with page numbers) – accommodation-ready

• 3-page Model Discussion Script for classroom demonstration

✅ Assessment Tools

• Teacher Rubric (5 categories with explicit performance descriptors: Preparation & Evidence, Critical Thinking, Participation, Collaboration, Discussion Quality)

• Student Self-Evaluation Form

• Peer Evaluation Form

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💡 Why Teachers Love It

• Test-prep ready for STAAR, AIR, PSSA, PARCC, and other state exams — practice evidence-based reasoning and academic discourse

• Fully structured — saves planning time while supporting differentiated instruction

• Encourages student-led discussion, critical thinking, and empathy through analysis of characters, themes, and symbolism

• Provides a meaningful alternative assessment for novel studies, literature circles, or thematic units

• Helps students explore complex literary ideas from multiple perspectives

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🎯 Perfect For

• 9th–10th Grade ELA

• Honors or Pre-AP Literature

• Test prep aligned to Common Core discussion standards

• Novel studies or thematic units on The American Dream, Social Class, Morality, and Love

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⭐ With this Socratic Seminar resource, students practice high-level discussion skills, cite textual evidence naturally, and analyze Fitzgerald’s novel through multiple lenses — all while building confidence in academic discourse.

Check out: Literary Analysis Anchor Charts and More!

✍️ Follow Learning Between the Lines for more ready-to-use, standards-aligned literature resources that make discussion and analysis meaningful!