See the Play
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A Doll's House (Claire Bloom/Anthony Hopkins)
A Doll's House (In Norwegian with English subtitles)
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Questions
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Yes or No: No Maybes
To each of the following statements, respond only "yes" or "no." You will decide why and defend your answers during philosophical chairs.
What to Do With the Prereading Questions
Discussion: Philosophical Chairs* Philosophical Chairs is an in-class debate activity in which students take sides on deliberately ambiguous questions. Students begin by individually answering a series of questions agreeing or disagreeing with the deliberately ambiguous questions, but then are put in small groups of about five to six students. There, the entire group must come to an absolute consensus ---- no "majority rules," no "give in because everyone else disagrees." Encourage students to keep fighting for their position and giving explanations and reasons why. The purpose of the group is to sway the other members to consensus. Find Consensus Once groups have come to a consensus -- a process which may take a substantial amount of time, possibly as much as an entire regular-length period -- then students should be directed to go to one side of the room or the other depending on the question. (Using the example above, all students should go to the right side of the room if they agree that the purpose of college is to prepare one for a career and to the left if they disagree.) There are a number of different rules for conducting philosophical chairs that should be explained and put on the board for reference: Philosophical Chairs Rules Students are to keep an open mind and listen to the speaker's statements without rushing to judgment. Students are to divide into Yes/No groups based on their answers to the questions.
Your Role in Philosophical Chairs During this discussion, the teacher should primarily stay out of it except to enforce the rules -- or to call foul on students who aren't moving even after a very persuasive argument has been given. It's going to be hard to keep to the "wait three seconds" and "restate the other person's argument" rules, but those are absolutely crucial. (How many of us just "wait to speak" rather than actually listen to an opposing argument and actually address another person's concerns?) Otherwise, listen for discussion going to the same ground or winding down as a signal to change questions. Reflection and Writing As an option for journals, exit tickets, or casual writing, students may be asked to provide a reflection on the discussion, essentially answering, "What arguments did you hear today from the other side that was persuasive or compelling? Did any argument change or modify your own initial position?" |
Ibsen's Background
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Overview // Ibsen's Background
Doll's House
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Act I
OVERALL QUESTIONS FOR ACT I AS A WHOLE
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Overall Questions
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Thematic Questions
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