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AQA English Language: Speaking and Listening PLCs

Pass Merit Distinction These three main stages in the Speaking and Listening marking criteria are quite different. As a result, I'v...

Tuesday 7 June 2016

Socratic Seminar AO cards for English Literature AQA 8702 Paper 1 Section A

Socratic Seminar question cards.



You can download your copy of Socratic Seminar cards from here!

 @Ms_WatsonBCS  kindly suggested using Socratic seminar cards tailored to suit mark-schemes at any Key Stage.

Her example included comparing two poems. The seminar was for a group of 6 students. The group was led by two G&T students who had been given the two poems beforehand for annotation. Once the leaders were ready to discuss the poem, front of their peers, their peers were each given a focus card. The rest of the group had to make notes on how the G&T leaders spoke about the poems. Each student was given a focus card.

For example: make notes on how the leaders discuss the use of language techniques in the poems.

I decided to adapt this brilliant idea for GCSE English Literature AQA 8702 AOs. I will give my class two extracts from The Crucible for annotation. I'll divide my students into groups of six. Two High Ability students will have a discussion about the two extracts (comparing them). The rest of the group members will be given an AO card each to analyse the HA students' discussion.


It's an ideal way of developing our students' speaking and listening skills as well as their awareness of the AOs.

You can download your copy of Socratic Seminar cards from here!