Literature Circles: Asking Deeper Questions about Fahrenheit 451

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 

Changing My Approach-Exciting and Rewarding

Changing educational approaches to something as tried and true as the classroom novel can be a daunting and potentially frightening task. However, coming to the end of a novel unit that turned my usual practice on its head, I can honestly say that changing an approach is exciting and rewarding. 


I used a student-voice centered, inquiry based, collaborative approach to teach the novel To Kill a Mockingbird to grade 10 academic English classes. The students were very excited to discuss the aspects of the novel that excited and intrigued them. 

“(Before this experience I would have said that,) I usually just like to read a book - I don’t like classroom novels because all the questions make it boring and less exciting to read.

(This time,) getting to really think about To Kill a Mockingbird and discuss what I found interesting and shocking and exciting was really cool. I really enjoyed studying this way and I feel like I understand everything well. “ - Grade 10 Academic Student





Learning was exciting and the classroom environment was organic. Small group, large group, student blogs and google classroom were some of the learning environments and partnerships used. 

Despite my reservations, I was able to cover all pertinent curriculum and did so in a way that was more rewording and meaningful for the students and myself. 

Inquiry learning in the high school English classroom is definitely worth the time. 


Thank you to guest blogger, SCCDSB Secondary English teacher from Sarnia, ON, Natalie Gouveia, who can be found on twitter @thebard18

Just Start... Dump the Whole Class Novel Study. A Risk Worth Taking

Since creating my first blog post several weeks ago, I've been reflecting on how to use Robin Sharma's message to just start in my classroom.  I've been contemplating whether or not to dump a traditional whole-class novel study in my English class and explore 'Book Clubs' as an alternative.  This seems like an incredibly uncomfortable risk when we are bound by the time constraints of a semester and we grimace at the potential lack of control this process proposes.

Our curiosities about tragedy
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I am blessed with a group of open-minded students who have joined me on a renewed teaching journey this year... 

So I've scrapped all my old materials and changed up my teaching style dramatically with this class to allow room for greater risk-taking. It's a messy venture at times, though the results are promising.

Many of my students entered my classroom with self-deprecating thoughts and beliefs, especially about their academic abilities. 

I have seen every single one of my students shine in some way or another this term - reluctant readers have found books to love, anxious nerves have been overcome to complete oral presentations, shy thinkers have openly shared their beliefs during class and struggling writers have found their voice through greater organization and development. 

We started the unit by examining two key inquiry questions - What is love? (cue video:  Haddaway) and What is tragedy? 

I'm inspired by the variety of beliefs and experiences that these students were able to share on these topics. Love and tragedy seem to be so central to teen experience (and really, aren't they central to experience regardless of age?).

Because of these successes, we are entering the realm of book clubs. Our focus is 'tragic love' and as such we've chosen four high interest texts to examine this concept, including a graphic, plain-text novelization of 'Romeo and Juliet'!

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Our curiosities about love.  Hmmm... interesting.

At any rate - we have started - and I am nervous and excited  and very uncomfortable. Will my students be able to maintain focus? Will they carry on academic discourse or get lost in distraction? Will they hold themselves accountable to ensure they're contributing to their novel study groups? Will this whole thing end in a gigantic mess full of tears, stress and a burned out teacher feeling like this was the worst idea EVER? 

I'm hopeful that all will end well - and at the very least, no matter how messy it gets - I know that the greatest risk is to not take any risks at all. Regardless of the outcome, this feels like a risk worth taking.

Thank you to guest blogger: Jordan Matteis Chatham Secondary English teacher/Student Achievement Teacher.  Mr.  Matteis @JordanMatteis blogs at The Eclectic Collection: techlecticcollection.blogspot.ca