-Henry David Thoreau, from “Civil Disobedience”
In this chapter, Burke described how he takes the required
curriculum for 9th grade English (such as Romeo and Juliet) and determines which important questions the text
answers in order to turn the teaching of Romeo and Juliet into an inquiry
unit. This is similar to what I did for
the unit I taught this year on Sir Gawain
and the Green Knight. I actually
thought this approach was almost “cheating” but I am glad to know it is
perfectly acceptable. Until the day
comes that English teachers are given the freedom to select their own texts
based on their students’ needs (I won’t hold my breath), this is probably the
only way many teachers will be able to design inquiry-based units. Burke explained that inquiry-oriented classrooms
increase student motivation and engagement, higher-order thinking skills, strategic
and conceptual understanding, and improve students’ attitudes towards learning
in general.
For Romeo and Juliet, Burke decided to focus on the theme of
relationships. The play provides insight
into relationships between lovers, friends, family members and mentors. The essential question he chose was, “How do relationships
shape our values, actions and lives?”
Students began exploring the theme by interviewing someone who is in
love. During reading students utilize
several structured note-taking graphic organizers to help them compare and
contrast characters’ attitudes towards love or determine the significance of
certain details from the text. I loved
the way these graphic organizers made the steps involved in deep analysis of
the text explicitly clear. He also had
students create a graphic called a “decision tree” to demonstrate the options
that Romeo and Juliet had to consider and the possible consequences of
each. Even though Romeo and Juliet did
not make very wise decisions in the end, I could see this process helping students
to improve their own decision-making skills.
All of the notes that students take during reading can be used to write
an essay that counts as an exam grade in which students discuss the various
types of relationships in Romeo and
Juliet and how those reflect real life relationships.
I liked so many things about this unit plan that it almost
made me wish I still taught freshman English so that I could utilize this plan
in its entirety. Almost. Actually what I will do is use this model
when I plan next year’s unit on Macbeth
for my senior English classes. I would
like to explore the essential question, “How much control do we really have
over our own lives or how many circumstances are beyond our control?”. This theme of determinism vs. fate is a
significant theme in Macbeth, and the
question is an important one for young adults who are just beginning to take
control of their own lives and destinies.
Here are links to the handouts that I mentioned that Jim Burke designed for this unit:
Interviewing: An Overview
Conversational Roundtable
Romeo and Juliet Structured Note-taking Handout
Decision Tree Graphic Organizer
Final Exam: Romeo and Juliet
Thank you heinemann.com!
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