Burke Ch. 3 Natural Curiosity

“Be a Columbus to whole new continents and worlds within you, opening new channels, not of trade, but of thought.”
-Henry David Thoreau, from “Civil Disobedience”

In this chapter, Burke described how he takes the required curriculum for 9^th 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!

Heinemann Podcast Gadget

Check out my new gadget!  It is an RSS feed of podcasts from Heinemann.  They cover a variety of topics that are relevant to the world of education today.

This week's podcast is from Jim Burke, the author of the book I am currently reading, What's the Big Idea:  Question-Driven Units to Motivate Reading, Writing and Thinking.  The podcast is actually on the subject of inquiry-based instruction!

Here is a direct link to that podcast:

http://www.heinemann.com/shared/podcasts/E02157/JimBurkeWBIPodcast2.mp3?id=101

Burke Ch. 2 – Spirited Inquiry

In this chapter, Burke described how he uses inquiry-based lessons to deepen his 12^th grade AP English students’ understanding of a complex text (in this case, the novel Crime and Punishment).  On the surface, this once again seemed like a lesson that I would not be able to apply with my 12^th grade, below-level readers.  I was wrong, however, because some of Burke’s suggestions would be very useful for helping struggling readers achieve those deeper and more analytical responses to many texts (although I still probably won’t be assigning Crime and Punishment).

Burke begins his unit by providing students with a list of topics that are covered in the novel.  These topics include relationships, choices, faith, philosophy, psychology and justice.  To begin, students will write a one-page reflection on the topic, turn the subject into a guiding question that they will consider as they read and generate a list of questions about the topic to help them think more about the subject.  Students must also conduct research on the topic and participate in an online discussion group with other students focusing on the same topic.  Ultimately students will write a 5-8 page paper synthesizing information from research, from the novel and their own insights.  I think that this is a great way to make the reading experience more meaningful to students and incorporate students’ personal interests by allowing them to choose a topic of focus.  Everything that students do during reading is designed to prepare them for the writing assignment, so it won’t be as intimidating as it first might seem (although I would still have to make some adjustments to the expectations Burke outlines). 

Burke suggests several methods for increasing students’ comprehension of the text.  He requires that students annotate the text during reading (either by marking directly on the text or with post-it notes), which is a practice that I think is crucial for struggling readers.  He incorporates technology and discussion with the online discussion groups, which is something that I am very interested in trying with my own classes (if only I can find a program which isn’t blocked at school!).  He also utilizes a graphic organizer to help students understand the significance of events from the text.  It looked like this:

Who	What [did character do?]	Why	So what? [Why is it important?]

    

At the beginning of Ch. 2, Burke states, “We need generative, analytical, creative thinkers – the ones who will bring imagination to their work.  We do not need students who are obedient – those who think as they are directed; that way of thinking will ensure our country’s decline and its intellectual ruin.” (p. 46).  I think that if more teachers utilize the types of methods that Burke described in this chapter, we will have many more generative and creative thinkers graduating from high school and ready to take on the challenges of the world.

What's the Big Idea? Ch. 1 – An Intellectual Rite of Passage

Ch. 1 – An Intellectual Rite of Passage

In this chapter Burke described an inquiry-based project that he has developed for his senior AP English students during the second semester.  Students are to select a subject that they are interested in and formulate a “big question”.  Some examples included:

·        How do you measure and maximize human worth?

·        How does war affect those who experience it and their families?

·        What does the future look like?

·        What most influences the choices we make?

·        How does the environment in which we live or are raised shape us?

·        How and why does our relationship with our parents change as we grow up?

(Burke, 2010, p. 25)

Students select three novels on the subject, which they must read over the course of the semester and write in-class essays on.  They are expected to conduct additional research on their subject and ultimately design a presentation on all that they have learned by the end of the semester.  Burke has several handouts describing the assignments, as well as rubrics for the essays available for print and reproduction at www.heinemann.com.

I love the idea of an inquiry-based project, especially since I do teach high school seniors and I know that they need a project that holds their attention in order to combat the effects of senioritis that takes a very strong hold by the second semester.  I can imagine this working very well for AP students.  I especially liked the statement Burke included on a handout he created for his summer reading assignment, “AP Literature is college.  If you are looking for ways around this reading assignment, you should not enroll in this class.” (p. 43).  I will keep all of these suggestions filed away in case I ever have the opportunity to teach AP English. 

The average reading level of the seniors that I teach, however, is very far from college level.  My students tend to read on a 5^th to 7^th grade level.  Assigning independent reading is a challenge with these students because the books have to be written at a level that is not going to create frustration.  Another challenge with these students is finding any subject that truly interests them.  I am currently working on persuasive essays with my 12^th grade English classes, and I asked them to think of an issue on a local, state, national or international level that they think needs to be changed.  This suggestion was met with blank stares.  I provided them with lists of suggested topics that ranged from gun control to animal experimentation to school start times.  Some students found a topic that interested them; others still insisted that they just don’t care about any of those issues.  I had one student tell me that he wanted to write about how all drugs should be legalized.  Another student told me that the only issue that she is upset about is that her birth control pills caused her to gain weight.  I don’t know what I can do to inspire my students to think about the types of significant questions that Burke listed above.  I hope that Burke dedicates some of the chapters in this book to ideas for the kind of students that I teach.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Unit Plan

Here is the unit plan that I described in my post about Jum Burke's book, What's the Big Idea?.  I converted the file from a pdf to an internet-based program called Youblisher.  It's not a terrible lesson, in fact it was quite effective at enabling my below-grade level students to comprehend Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, but I know that this lesson was not designed around a true "essential question" so I am submitting this as my "before" documentation.  I hope that after I have read Jum Burke's book I will be able to share a truly thought-provoking lesson designed around a meaningful essential question.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Unit Plan

What's the Big Idea? by Jim Burke

I have just started reading this book for my Language Arts Methods class.  I chose this book because designing lessons around essential questions is a technique that is currently being encouraged throughout my school district.  I have already created several lessons centered around essential questions, which I will soon try to transfer to internet-friendly formats and post on my blog.  So, why read this book if I am already such a seasoned "essential questions expert"?  Well, to be honest, this is a skill that, for me, is still in its infancy.  The lessons that I have created so far were more text-centered than anything else.  I had to teach a certain text (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, for example) and I had to create a lesson around an essential question.  So what did I do?  I built a question based upon what I knew students would (or should) understand after reading this text.  I have to admit, I knew this was a bit like cheating.  I know that a true question-driven unit is just that, it starts with a question.  But what are these questions?  Where should I really begin??  That is what I hope to learn from this book.  So I will share with you this lesson that I created around the text, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and my hope is that by the end of the semester I can share with you a new lesson, one that truly is centered around a meaningful and thought-provoking question.  Wish me luck!

The Hand of Fatima Lesson

Here is a lesson I created for my 12th grade intensive reading students using Prezi.  We were reading a short story called "The Hand of Fatima" by Elsa Marston.


http://prezi.com/pdlbj3il4nxk/the-hand-of-fatima-by-elsa-marston/?auth_key=d2b6882e02d4ef03365a1c5134ddea93db73d53d&kw=view-pdlbj3il4nxk&rc=ref-20909127

Beautiful Creatures - the movie

Check out the trailer for Beautiful Creatures.  One of the books I read last semester is coming to theaters February 13th.  I can't wait to see it!