Grade 10 students at UCC are developing their inquiry learning with the novel Fahrenheit 451. Throughout the novel students have begun to develop deeper learning by asking questions about the text, author and society. They record their questions in a journal where they can keep notes and add observations. Once a week they meet in a discussion group where they collaborate in an attempt to answer and build upon these questions together.
After the novel is complete students begin their personal analyses of the text. During this phase students record their final responses, consider what they have learned from their peers as well as continue to examine unanswered questions. This activity allows the students to experience deeper understanding of the text independently and amongst their peers without the teacher directly pointing to the answers. As a result the students build a closer connection to the text.
I was impressed with how quickly they began to think deeper after only a few days of myself modeling the approach. Here are some examples of the great questions they asked!
On page 104, Montag says that his feet can’t move. How is this an accurate comparison to Montag’s mental struggles?
On page 128, it says Montag kept moving his books from hand to hand, “as if they were a poker hand he could not figure”. Why does Bradbury use this metaphor?
Faber explains the world they are living in, “ Yet somehow we think we can grow, feeding on flowers and fireworks, without completing the cycle back to reality” (Bradbury 83). Analyze how this quote explains the society in the novel Fahrenheit 451 and how our society is headed in the same direction?
Thank you to guest blogger, Megan Brewer, English teacher at UCC in Chatham. @MBrew5
If you want to know more about literature circles, check out Comprehension and Collaboration, Inquiry Circles for Curiosity, Engagement and Understanding
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