Turn Socratic Seminar into engaging, student-led discussions that your whole class will get on board with.
Turn Socratic Seminar into engaging, student-led discussions that your whole class will get on board with.
Right now, seminars feel like a bust. Students aren’t engaging. Deep, meaningful discussions are far from reality. And seminar planning has you spiraling.
In The Socratic Seminar Academy workshop, I’m giving you the strategies and resources you need to engage every student in seminars - no matter how shy or reluctant they are. Plus, I’ll give you a step-by-step guide to planning seminars that work for your classroom and tips for grading student participation.
Join me live on Saturday, January 31 at 10 am MT!
Chaotic seminars?
Kiss ‘em goodbye. 👋
Yes! I Need This!
Martina genuinely cares and puts 100% into the workshops. You'll walk away with pages of notes with ideas to implement right away and enough to chew on for the future. She makes it super flexible for everyone in every unique teaching situation.
Amy
gained confidence in her classroom:
My favorite part was how genuine and honest Martina is. She always admits none of it is perfect and focuses on making teaching better and better every day. I'm a member, but for all those workshops, I would have paid $250+.
Chrissy
loves the practical application:
Being able to ask questions and get them answered in real time was my favorite aspect of the workshops. I love the way you do your workshops, you are "real" and approachable.
Linda
loved the life aspect:
real results
- You threaten students with a bad grade to get them to participate. And even then, their responses feel shallow and fluffy.
- You don’t know how to get students to lead the conversation, so you end up talking more than they do and feeling frustrated.
- When students do end up discussing, it’s missing the evidence and analysis that you’re looking for.
- Your schedule is packed, and your class period is short. It feels like there’s not enough time to dig in during seminars.
- Grading seminars has you scratching your head. Surely it’s not supposed to be so subjective.
- And students who aren’t in the seminar are causing disruptions and distractions that might just tip you over the edge.
It’s not the vision you had for Socratic Seminar. You dreamed of students coming prepared, actively listening, and engaging with each other.
But instead, you’re struggling to set up seminars, and you walk away feeling like the time was wasted (which is the last thing you can afford).
Getting students to buy in and fully participate in Socratic Seminar feels like pulling teeth. 🙃
Ready for your life to change?
*heavy sighs*
One student dominates the conversation. Another shrinks into their chair. And the rest are checked out or off task. The chaos of Socratic Seminar doesn’t feel worth it...
You planned, prepped, and hoped for engagement. But your students didn’t show up for their part. So what happens now?
You planned, prepped, and hoped for engagement. But your students didn’t show up for their part. So what happens now?
1.
2.
3.
4.
it's just not cutting it
Or you could join me on Saturday, January 31 at 10 am MT, and I’ll take you through my four-phase Socratic Seminar process, so you can successfully prep students, plan for discussions, facilitate seminars, and assess student participation.
Your students can lead seminars and present evidence that genuinely blows you away. They just need the right support to get there.
Some students dominate the conversation, while others shrink back in their seats. You need a system that helps you evaluate each student beyond “who talks the most”.
In the workshop, I’ll share rubrics, self-reflections, participation trackers, and accountability tools that help you assess students without it feeling subjective. I’ll also show you how to move from seminars into writing, literary analysis, and more, so students can apply their knowledge beyond the seminar.
Assess students' participation and extend their learning.
With The Socratic Seminar Academy workshop, you’ll learn everything you need to:
You’re looking at your limited class time and packed curriculum - and it doesn’t feel like there’s room for one more thing. But I’ll show you otherwise. 😉
During the workshop, I’ll walk you through each step of planning, organizing, and implementing Socratic Seminar, whether you have 40 minutes or 90 minutes in class. I’ll also share strategies for making seminars feel more structured (and less chaotic) and coming up with guiding questions that get the conversation flowing (rather than leaving you to lead the whole thing).
Organize and facilitate Socratic Seminars with confidence.
Socratic Seminar can go a lot of different ways: one student leading the conversation, awkward silence, or dead-end responses like “I agree” with no elaboration. 😅
In the workshop, I’ll share how to get students actively listening and discussing, so they are leading the conversation (rather than feeling like you’re pulling teeth for responses). I’ll also provide you with strategies to get your students using text-based evidence in their responses, so they are analyzing, not just sharing opinions.
Encourage participation from every student in the room.
This will be my first year but I’m taking a lot of your advice and resources with me! I’m definitely feeling more confident because of it. I love to have things broken down for me. Having examples is huge for me, I also loved all your amazing advice and the valuable resources you provided. I almost feel like I didn’t pay for it because you let us include in the first three months of the hub membership. I would have gladly paid for it AND joined the hub. I was pleasantly surprised I could save a little more for my classroom.
— brooke
The knowledge and resources that it comes with are chefs kiss!
I initially enrolled in the Live ELA Experience Workshop because I trust everything Martina has to say!! My biggest frustrations before taking this workshop were time, how to teach grammar, and independent reading and I walked away with answers to all those questions and more. I loved the live chat because others asked questions I hadn’t even thought of. I would have paid $200 for these workshops!
-Pam James
Run, do not walk to any of Martina’s workshops!
I Initially enrolled in the Live ELA Experience Workshop because your enthusiasm is contagious and I wanted to feel that way about teaching again! My biggest frustrations before taking this workshop were fitting it all in, teaching grammar in a meaningful way, student buy-in for book clubs. I now have a stronger foundation for book clubs and grammar lessons, thanks to you! The content was amazing, but I loved how you would stop and answer questions the whole time. It was clear you had your whole day dedicated to this and weren’t afraid to run over time a little. It’s evident you pour your heart and soul into these programs, and like I said earlier… your enthusiasm is contagious! This was easily a $500+ workshop!
-Katie McGuire
"It’s evident you pour your heart and soul into these programs."
The Socratic Seminar Academy
introducing...
Join me live on Saturday, January 31 at 10 am MT, and I’ll show you how to turn chaotic, surface-level seminars into meaningful conversations where your students take the lead.
- Get a full walkthrough of my four-phase seminar process: building a foundation, planning with purpose, facilitating like a pro, and assessing students
- Learn how to fit Socratic Seminar into your schedule, whether you have 40 minutes or 90 minutes to work with
- Explore different seminar formats, including whole-class, inner/outer circle, and small group
- Hear real classroom examples for handling student behavior and engaging shy, reluctant students
- Ask your questions and leave with the tools + confidence to implement Socratic Seminar
- Watch the replay anytime with lifetime access
- Download the 3-hour PD certificate (check with your school to see if they accept this).
Here's What's Included
120-Minute Live Workshop
LET'S BREAK it DOWN
- Learn practical strategies to get students engaged and confidently leading seminars
- Get tips for writing interpretive and guiding questions that spark deep, meaningful conversations
- Learn how to handle challenging behaviors (because no one’s classroom is perfect)
- See sample seminar schedules that work for different class period lengths
- Learn how to integrate reading, writing, and listening standards into your Socratic Seminar
- Get simple strategies for assessing students, like rubrics and quick writes
- Learn how to use seminars across multiple genres, from novels to poetry to nonfiction
Guidance and Training
- Choose any three novel study units (with over 40 choices available - from poetry to nonfiction)
- Get done-for-you lesson plans, reading response examples, teacher slides, graphic organizers, and more
- Each unit includes guiding questions, built-in Socratic Seminars, and a teacher implementation guide
Novel Study Units
- Start strong with the step-by-step Teacher Guidebook covering procedures, norms, scaffolding, seminar set-ups, and more.
- Use the interpretive and guiding questions slides as your go-to question bank for high-quality seminars.
- Assess with ease using the editable discussion rubrics
- Prep students for Socratic Seminar using the Debate Mini-Unit, where they practice evidence use, respectful disagreement, oral communication, and more.
Additional Bonuses
This workshop is the only one of its kind because...
It’s built for real middle school classrooms, not the imaginary ones.
Most Socratic Seminar advice assumes you have endless time, perfectly motivated students, and a class that naturally knows how to build on each other’s ideas.
This workshop is different. I’m showing you how to run strong, student-led seminars with short class periods, packed pacing guides, reluctant participants, and the normal level of chaos that comes with teaching actual kids.
You’ll leave with options that work whether you have 40 minutes or a full block, plus management moves for the students who aren’t in the discussion so the whole thing doesn’t derail.
It gives you a repeatable system and the tools to actually implement it.
Most PD gives you “tips” and sends you back to your classroom to figure out the hard parts alone.
Inside The Socratic Seminar Academy, I walk you through a clear four-phase process you can reuse all year: build the foundation, plan with purpose, facilitate like a pro, and extend and assess.
And you’re not leaving with just a framework. You’re getting the rubrics, trackers, reflection tools, question stems, and bonus resources that make seminars easier to plan, easier to run, and way less subjective to grade.
#1 Socratic Seminar Success Pack
This workshop is packed full of strategies, but I’m not sending you off to implement alone. Inside the success pack, you’ll find an expanded Teacher Guidebook, which walks you through procedures, evidence use, scaffolding strategies, and options for whole-class, inner/outer circle, and small-group seminars.
With the workshop + this guidebook in your backpack, it’s time to give seminars a shot. Start with the bonus novel unit, Freak the Mighty, which has Socratic Seminars built in. Then, use the Literature Question Stems Slides alongside this novel unit (or any unit) to plan high-quality guiding and interpretive questions that lead students to deep conversations.
You also get access to these exclusive bonuses!
#2 Speaking & Listening Skills Bundle
You want students to engage in thoughtful, meaningful discussions. This bonus bundle will help! Prepare students to engage and actively participate with the Debate Mini-Unit. They’ll gain skills like respectful disagreement, building solid claims, and using textual evidence.
Then hold students accountable and assess their skills with the editable Discussion Rubrics. The rubrics are aligned to speaking and listening standards and include multiple versions for different grade levels and seminar types.
#3 Novel Study Coupons
Implementing Socratic Seminar should feel simple (especially in the beginning), which is why you’ll get to select three novel study units from over 40 different options. Choose the novel studies that fit your grade-level, curriculum, or district requirements.
Each novel study follows the Socratic Seminar model, meaning seminar opportunities are built into the unit, and you’ll find pre-written guiding and interpretive questions. And that’s just the beginning. Units also include daily lesson plans, teacher slides, graphic organizers, activities, and more.
This workshop is different. You’ll learn classroom-tested strategies specifically for middle schoolers. No fluff. No BS. If you want to finally take a step back in the classroom and let your students do the hard work - leading discussions and digging deep into their texts - join me at the workshop.
Plus, I’m sweetening the deal. When you grab a ticket, you’re getting access to the workshop + resources worth $337 for only $28! 😮
Join me live on Saturday, January 31 at 10 am MT and get access to this 120-minute workshop and all the amazing bonuses.
Wondering if a workshop can really change your seminars? I know, you want your students to be invested and engaged in classroom discussions. You want them to go beyond the surface and analyze a text. But the strategies you’ve tried before haven’t worked…
Hear me out...
Literally, what do you have to lose? 😉
After The Socratic Seminar Academy, you’ll have the strategies and resources to help you effectively organize seminars in your classroom. Plus, you’ll know exactly how to get students engaged in discussions and how to grade their participation (without the headache).
If you’re not 100% satisfied with this workshop after 14 days, I will gladly refund every penny you paid for it.
money back
guarantee
100%
I went to the Independent Reading Reset Workshop, and it was AMAZING!
I have so many take-aways that will help improve my instruction. Martina even gives you access to a recording of the session so you can revisit it as many times as you want. She shares how she worked through independent reading in her classroom and showed real-life examples of it. It’s not a list of must-dos. It’s designed as helpful tips of what worked for her and gives you a starting point for what you might want to do in your classroom! I’ve never been to a workshop that has phrased ideas like this.
I would pay to go to a conference to see this workshop. My favorite part was the professional development books!!! I started reading The Book Whisperer and it spoke to me. It reopened my eyes to what teaching should be. It also opened my eyes to what my classroom was turning into.
After taking the workshop I found that I could really invest time in a lot of the strategies right now and refine them for next year.
— Serena nevels
"I found my love for tceahing again"
I was once the teacher desperately trying to get my students to participate in classroom discussions. I tried everything from whole class talks to round table chats, but I kept running into the same issues:
A handful of students did all the talking. The quiet, reluctant students never spoke up. Or it was just crickets. Awkward. 😅
After several PD sessions and flipping through more teacher books than I can count, I decided to give Socratic Seminar a try…and it went horribly. I was the only one asking the questions and engaging in the discussion. Once again, I was doing all the hard work while my students sat back.
But I didn’t give up.
I established new routines and expectations that put students in charge. I helped students practice their analytical and speaking skills. I modeled for students how to engage in discussion with each other.
Slowly but surely, Socratic Seminars went from dreadful to effective. Eventually, I had a strategy that had students working hard and thinking deeply.
I practiced my own skills as well. I learned how to take a facilitator role, instead of leading every conversation (which was harder than expected). And I figured out how to grade their participation, without just falling back on who spoke the most.
Now, I’m sharing everything I learned and used in my middle school classroom for years, so you can do the same. Your seminars won’t change overnight, but you’ll have the strategies to gradually turn Socratic Seminar into an effective classroom tool.
I'm Martina!
This for you if:
It's probably for you if...
not
is
It's probably
for you if...
- You want your students to engage in thoughtful, meaningful classroom discussions.
- You want Socratic Seminars to be student-led (instead of running the show yourself).
- You are brand new to Socratic Seminars and don’t know where to start.
- You’ve tried Socratic Seminars but want to refine and make it better.
- You teach with novels, short stories, or book clubs, and you want students to have deeper conversations about what they read.
- You are struggling to make Socratic Seminars fit in your class period.
- You want resources and tools that help you implement Socratic Seminar in your classroom.
- You want a simple way to grade and hold students accountable during seminars.
- You want realistic, no-fluff tips for using Socratic Seminar.
- You teach primary grades where independent text discussion wouldn’t be developmentally appropriate.
- You are consistently using Socratic Seminar, and you feel confident in your process.
- You don’t plan to use or want to use Socatic Seminar this school year.
- You don’t use text-based instruction, like reading novels, short stories, or book clubs.
- You have all the novel studies and resources you need to implement Socratic Seminar in your classroom.
When you attend live, you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions and interact with like-minded educators who understand your exact struggles. However, this workshop is happening live only on Saturday, January 31 at 10 am MT.
Tickets won’t be on sale forever. You don’t miss the opportunity to snag $337 worth of resources for just $28.
Don’t miss your chance to grab your ticket to this live workshop!
Will I get the recording if I can't come to the live workshop?
Yes! You will get the recordings within 72 hours of the live event. You will get lifetime access to this recording.
Frequently Asked Questions
I teach upper elementary or special education. Will this be a good fit for me?
Yes! I got my start as an upper elementary teacher and used this method successfully with my 4th and 5th graders all year long—and the core structure of Socratic Seminar can be used even earlier.
With the right scaffolding, modeling, and expectations, this approach can work as early as 2nd and 3rd grade, as well as in upper elementary, special education, and ELL classrooms.
The workshop walks you through how to adjust the structure so discussions are developmentally appropriate—whether that means shorter seminars, sentence frames, visuals, or guided participation.
Some of the bonus resources are written with grades 6–8 in mind, but they’re flexible and easy to adapt to meet younger learners where they are.
If your students are ready to talk about texts, listen to one another, and build ideas together—even in simple ways—this method will work for you.
How long is the workshop?
My workshops are about 120 minutes, with time for questions. I would plan for at least 2 hours, however, I stay on until every question is answered, so sometimes it runs longer!
Is the workshop live?
The workshop will be live on Saturday, January 31 at 10 am MT. You’ll also get lifetime access to the recordings within 72 hours of the live event.
Will I be able to ask questions?
Of course, if you attend the live event on Saturday, January 31 at 10 am MT, you can ask questions! I encourage it! I always plan for 30-45 minutes for questions after. Honestly, I stay on as long as is needed to answer every question.
I can’t make it live. Should I still grab a ticket?
Yes! The only way to get the recording is to be a Hub member or by purchasing a ticket. If you do one of those two things, you will get the recordings within 72 hours.
How long will it take me to implement and see results?
You will be able to implement the workshop's components immediately, and I will give you the resources to do so. However, I can’t predict when you will see results. Socratic Seminar isn’t an overnight success. It takes time to “perfect”, but it will get better each time you implement the strategies I share.
Do I need any prior experience with Socratic Seminars?
Nope! This workshop works whether you’re a total beginner or you’ve tried seminars before, but want to run them more smoothly. You’ll learn the entire four-phase process, from teaching discussion skills to assessing participation, no matter your starting point.
My class periods are short. Can I still use Socratic Seminars?
Yes. I’ll show you how to run full, meaningful seminars in 40–59 minute periods, and how to break them into manageable chunks if needed. I’ll also share sample schedules for different period lengths.
What if my students don’t know how to discuss or build on each other’s ideas?
That’s what the workshop is here for! You’ll get modeling strategies, sentence stems, question scaffolds, and routines that help even reluctant or quiet students participate with confidence.
Will this help if my students struggle with text evidence?
Absolutely. Seminars rely on evidence, so I’ll show you how to prepare students to annotate, gather citations, and reference the text naturally during discussion.
What if Socratic Seminars feel chaotic or hard to manage?
I’ll share different seminar structures (inner/outer circle, small group, rotations) and classroom management strategies that keep discussions focused and predictable. You’ll also get tools to keep students outside of the seminar on task, so they don’t disrupt the conversation that is happening.
Will this work with the texts I already teach? What about independent reading and book clubs?
Yes. The workshop includes question stems and guiding/interpretive templates you can apply to any novel, short story, nonfiction article, poem, or film. You’ll also receive coupons to choose three full novel study units from my shop.
I’ll also show you how to run quick, structured discussions with any text - novels, IR books, small-group novels, or literature circles.
Does this align with reading/writing standards?
Yes. Socratic Seminars support Speaking & Listening, Reading, and Literature/Informational standards, and often lead directly into writing tasks. I’ll show you exactly how to connect them.
Students who actually come prepared to discuss the text.
How does this sound?
More voices in the conversation — not just the same two kids.
01
02
the results you're going to get:
Discussions that go beyond “I agree” and surface-level opinions.
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A clear way to facilitate without running the whole discussion yourself.
04
A grading system that feels fair, clear, and not wildly subjective.
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ENROLL NOW
A year from now they
will have wished they started today....
So let's get them started!
Socratic Seminars work best when students know how to think, talk, and reflect — and when you know exactly what to say to them before, during, and after the discussion. Included when you join the Socratic Seminar Academy.
This bonus guide shows you how to run fast, focused conferences that turn student talk into stronger reading, writing, and accountability — without adding more grading or prep
Grab your seat today and get my Conferences Unlocked Guidebook!
Free guide
Conferences Unlocked Guidebook
Bonus!
"I was carrying the whole discussion for my students."
— ME, YESTERDAY
Have a clear, repeatable system for running Socratic Seminars.
No more winging it or hoping it “just works.” You’ll know exactly how to prep, plan, facilitate, and assess seminars using a process you can reuse all year.
Get more students participating — not just the loudest ones.
You’ll learn how to structure discussions so quiet, reluctant, or anxious students engage without being put on the spot or shutting down.
Hear deeper, more text-based discussions.
Instead of “I agree” and surface-level responses, students will reference the text, build on ideas, and actually analyze what they’re reading.
Know how to facilitate without running the whole discussion.
You’ll understand when to step in, when to step back, and how to guide conversations without doing all the talking yourself.
Have a grading system that feels fair and defensible.
You’ll walk away with rubrics, trackers, and reflection tools that make participation easier to assess — without guessing or grading based on who talked the most.
Leave with tools you can use immediately.
Between the workshop resources, templates, and bonus materials, you won’t be starting from scratch. You’ll be able to plan and run your next seminar with confidence.
By the end of The Socratic Seminar Academy Workshop , you will...
ENROLL NOW
Why this workshop exists...
I didn’t always feel confident running classroom discussions — especially Socratic Seminars.
When I first tried them, it was rough. A few students did all the talking. Some sat in silence. Others checked out completely. I was asking all the questions, steering the conversation, and somehow still walking away feeling like nothing meaningful actually happened.
And grading? Don’t even get me started. It felt subjective, frustrating, and honestly unfair.
I tried tweaking things. I sat through PD sessions. I read the books. I Googled strategies. But most of what I found assumed I had unlimited time, perfectly motivated students, and a classroom that didn’t reflect… reality.
So I started building my own system.
One that worked with short class periods.
One that supported reluctant, quiet, and off-task students.
One that helped students prepare, discuss, and use evidence — without me running the whole show.
Over time, Socratic Seminars went from something I dreaded to one of the most powerful tools in my classroom. Students showed up prepared. Conversations went deeper. And I finally felt confident stepping back and letting them lead.
That’s exactly why The Socratic Seminar Academy exists.
You don’t need to be special.
You don’t need more charisma.
You just need a better system.
but it wasn't always this way.
This workshop includes everything you need to do to run Socratic Seminars with confidence.
You don’t need to piece together strategies from a dozen places or guess how to make them work with your students.
Inside The Socratic Seminar Academy, you’ll get clear instruction, practical examples, and ready-to-use tools that show you exactly how to prepare students, facilitate discussions, and assess participation — all in a way that fits real middle school classrooms.
This isn’t just theory. It’s the systems, structures, and resources that help seminars actually work.
Running Socratic Seminars that don’t feel chaotic or awkward.
Building a discussion system you can actually sustain.
Getting more students to participate — not just the confident few.
Spending less energy managing discussions and more time listening.
Assessing participation without guessing or second-guessing yourself.
Feeling more confident walking into discussion days.
If you want THIS to be the year that you *finally* commit to:
ENROLL NOW
SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
Let's Do This Thing!
9.5K+
02
3.5K+
300k
I completely understand. Every dollar a teacher invests is important! You can always email me — I’m happy to help you decide.
Still on the fence?
