Lesson Report:
Title
Finishing MLK–Antigone Dialogues and Launching an Annotation System for Plato’s Apology
This Day 3 session closed out the MLK–Antigone comparative dialogue project and shifted into building stronger systems for reading difficult texts through Plato’s Apology. Students identified meaningful vs. challenging passages, discussed concrete reading strategies, and launched a group task to design a shared annotation system to make sense of complex arguments and language.
Attendance
– Students mentioned absent by peers: 2 (names not specified)
Topics Covered (chronological)
1) Welcome, agenda, and objectives
– Day 3 goals:
– Finish and submit the MLK–Antigone comparative dialogues (based on a key theme/quote from each text).
– Deepen textual comprehension skills using Plato’s Apology (Socrates’ defense).
– Begin systematizing reading/annotation practices for difficult texts.
2) Private free write (3 minutes)
– Purpose: warm up writing “musclesâ€� with a non-share, private exercise.
– Prompt options:
– Write on any topic of your choice.
– If stuck, respond to: “What was the biggest disagreement you had with your best friend?â€� (Optional: if the “best friendâ€� was yesterday’s partner, write about that.)
– Clarifications:
– This is private (do not upload), unless students wish to share voluntarily.
3) Focus free write and Apology homework check
– Homework framing: Read as much of Plato’s Apology as possible; acknowledge difficulty (older translation + abstract ideas).
– In-class notebook task (divided page):
– Draw a line across the middle of a fresh page.
– Top half: copy one passage you found true/meaningful/agreeable (can be 1–3 sentences).
– Bottom half: copy one passage you found challenging/confusing/disagreeable.
– Time given: ~5 minutes (with 2–3 extra minutes for most).
– Submission: upload a clear photo of the divided page to Google Drive.
– Note: “Fewer than halfâ€� had uploaded mid-activity; extra time granted.
4) Logistics: finish and submit MLK–Antigone comparative dialogues
– Task: Reconnect with yesterday’s partner(s) and finish the joint dialogue in your existing Google Doc.
– Tools for reconnection: WhatsApp, Telegram, Google Meet (use whatever is fastest).
– Special cases handled:
– Students who already finished (e.g., Umani and Nargis) could take a short break.
– Absent partners: students formed new pairs/triads; example: Abdulbayez partnered with Mohammed Ateef (new today) and one additional student as needed.
– If a partner was missing, the new student joined as another “voiceâ€� in the dialogue.
– Submission requirement: Post the Google Doc link in the class chat (ensure sharing is set to “Anyone with the linkâ€�).
– Tech guidance provided:
– Use the Share button (top-right in Google Docs).
– Set to “Anyone with the linkâ€� and appropriate access level.
– Send link in chat/Spaces.
– Time: ~10 minutes, plus an additional 2-minute wrap-up request to share links even if not fully complete.
5) Whole-class debrief: difficulties in Plato’s Apology
– Students identified challenges and examples:
– Persuasion vs. truth: How easily crowds are swayed by rhetoric, even by lies (emotional influence).
– Vocabulary barriers: words like “exhort,â€� and the need to look up unfamiliar terms.
– Conceptual/paradoxical claims:
– “To fear death…is to think one knows what one doesn’t knowâ€� (Socratic view of ignorance vs. presumed knowledge; intuitively clashes with the “naturalâ€� fear of death).
– “A good man cannot be harmed either in life or in deathâ€� (tension between moral/spiritual “harmâ€� vs. bodily suffering/injustice).
– Title/author confusion:
– “Apologyâ€� = apologia (defense), not saying “I’m sorry.â€�
– Plato is author; Socrates is the speaker/figure in the text.
– Instructor response: flagged these as key interpretive knots to revisit in the next segment(s) of study.
6) Metacognition: how to read difficult texts (strategy inventory)
– Class brainstormed practical strategies already in use:
– Re-reading (often twice) before seeking outside help.
– Identify what you do understand; underline main ideas and supporting parts.
– Highlighting key sentences/terms; keep a vocabulary list; look up words.
– Contextual reading: read 3 sentences before/after; read more lines/pages to see connections.
– Skimming to grasp structure/main argument before close reading.
– Translation into native language when English itself is the barrier.
– External tools: Google, AI, YouTube for explanations/examples (used after personal attempts).
– Framing: Move from ad-hoc tactics to a systematic annotation approach that can be reused across texts and disciplines (not just language learning; also critical thinking and reasoning).
7) Group project launch: design a reusable annotation system
– Task overview:
– In groups of 3–4 (breakout rooms next session), create a practical annotation system based on strategies you actually use (not a generic one generated by a search/AI).
– Include 4–5 categories of notes/markers to guide reading and thinking.
– Required: “Main point/argumentâ€� (what the author is trying to establish).
– Suggested: “My questions,â€� “Key quotes,â€� “Vocabulary and definitions,â€� “Evidence/examples,â€� “Counterarguments/objections,â€� “Personal reactions/agreements-disagreements,â€� “Connections to other texts (e.g., MLK/Antigone),â€� “Structure/outline,â€� etc.
– Deliverable: A clear, shareable document describing categories and how to use them (with brief examples if possible).
– Process note: Students asked to negotiate categories with partners; base it on real habits and class brainstormed strategies.
– Timing: Break announced, then breakout rooms immediately upon return to begin building the system.
8) Break and timing
– Time check: At 17:58 Kabul time; 12-minute break granted.
– Return time: 18:10, after which breakout rooms begin for the annotation-system task.
Actionable Items
Urgent (before next session)
– Collect missing uploads of the divided-page Apology exercise; verify all photos are in Drive and legible.
– Ensure all MLK–Antigone dialogue Google Doc links are posted in class chat/Spaces; fix any share-permissions (“Anyone with the linkâ€�) so the instructor can view.
– Confirm new pair/triad formations for students whose partners were absent; verify everyone has a working group and document link.
Next session prep
– Pre-assign breakout rooms (groups of 3–4) for the annotation-system build; provide a simple template with required and optional categories.
– Prepare a short mini-lecture to address flagged Apology confusions:
– Apologia (defense) vs. apology (saying sorry); Plato author vs. Socrates speaker.
– “Fear of death = thinking you know what you don’t knowâ€� and Socratic ignorance.
– “A good man cannot be harmedâ€� and Socratic focus on the soul vs. bodily misfortune.
– Rhetoric and persuasion vs. truth in the Athenian context.
– Create/attach a brief vocabulary sheet for the Apology (e.g., exhort, calumny, refutation, acquittal, impiety) with space for student additions.
Soon (this week)
– Select and announce the “third textâ€� that will be combined with MLK–Antigone and Plato, and draft instructions for integrating it into the comparative dialogue work.
– Provide a quick-reference tech guide (screenshots) for:
– Google Docs sharing settings.
– Uploading images to Drive.
– Posting links in class chat/Spaces.
Optional enhancements
– Standardize file naming for submissions (e.g., GroupName_MLK-Antigone_Dialogue; Name_Apology_TwoPassages).
– Encourage groups to include one worked example (a short marked-up paragraph from Apology) demonstrating their annotation categories in action.
Homework Instructions:
NO HOMEWORK
The only homework referenced was prior reading (“for homework today, I asked you guys to please read as much of Plato’s Apology as you couldâ€�), while all other tasks were in-class activities with immediate submission or live collaboration (“When you are finished, please upload a picture…,â€� “I can give you guys 10 minutes to wrap this up,â€� and “we will immediately join the breakout rooms and create our annotation systemâ€�), and no new after-class assignment was given.