Burke Ch. 4 Meaningful Conversations

In this chapter Burke explained how to determine what the essential questions should be when creating one to guide a unit using a required text.  He stated that students must be engaged in meaningful conversations in order to understand the text and remain engaged.  He emphasized the importance of choosing an essential question that can withstand “prolonged inquiry” (p. 130) and developing assignments within the unit that will enhance a wide range of skills and knowledge.

He used a unit he created around the novel, Of Mice and Men as an example.  The essential question that this unit was designed around is “Am I my brother’s keeper?”.  The unit began with a brainstorming of the significance of the novel’s title, a search on Google Earth of the California valley in which the novel takes place, and the use of photography from the 1930’s to prompt writing and discussion.  By incorporating these multimedia elements and engaging discussions, this dusty old novel is introduced with renewed vitality.

During reading students must keep notes that include character descriptions, predictions, connections and inferences.  These are exactly the types of critical reading skills that standardized tests require of students, only cleverly disguised as part of the reading of a novel rather than as “test prep”.  According to Burke, “Effective teachers embed test preparation into their instruction, making it a more authentic component of the curriculum without making it the point of the curriculum” (p. 137).  I suspect that students react much more positively to this than they would to a passage from a test preparation book, yet the skills they will develop are the same.  Much of the problem that teachers encounter with students during test preparation is lack of engagement, but I suspect that this unit would be far more engaging to students and would actually result in deeper learning.

To bring students to a place where they are truly prepared to respond to the essential question, it is important to include several texts that explore the topic in different ways. Burke had students analyze a Red Cross advertisement that points out our responsibility towards each other.  He also had students read essays from the collection called A Hand to Guide Me by Denzel Washington.  It includes Washington’s personal story of his mentor, as well as the stories of many other celebrities.  These essays would certainly appeal to students’ interests, and would allow students some choice of which essays to read.  The next step would be for students to write their own essays about a mentor or ally that has impacted their lives.  Another assignment required students to read Barack Obama’s 2004 speech, “I Am My Brother’s Keeper” and write about it on a blog.

I was truly inspired by this unit and the wide range of engaging texts and activities that it includes.  It made me wish that Of Mice and Men was a part of my curriculum so that I could teach this unit in its entirety.  I know, however, that the point of Burke sharing these units is not so that other teachers can steal his work (although I’m sure students across America would still benefit).  The point is to show examples of thoughtfully-designed units to serve as models for teachers.  I am excited to look over next year’s curriculum and take our required texts and turn them into exciting, engaging and thought-provoking units such as these.

Here are links to the graphic organizers and other documents Burke created for this unit:

Event Notes
Ally Essay Prompt
Of Mice and Men Online Socratic Seminar