Summary: This week I am introducing nonfiction to our unit on Romeo and Juliet.

My CT and I collaborated in showing this video series on the Teenage Brain. Now that we are half way through reading the play, students have slowly began to shut down because they have identified the scenarios as unrealistic; the young characters (Romeo and Juliet) decision making is stupid. These videos will explain that the teenage brain is simply wired differently and is still being developed. This may or may not change students views on why Romeo and Juliet are so impulsive in both their love and choice to marry. In viewing just a couple videos a day, students are required to take two column notes both indicating Information and Implications (we will discuss what both of these are before going into the lesson). They will eventually create a Venn Diagram comparing the seven videos to a corresponding article in Times (which is a more recent study). This mini unit will end with students creating a personal narrative on an event in their lives that tie into the idea of fate. We will then continue with Romeo and Juliet. Before the essay topic is assigned in class, their final journal topic will read: Can we justify (a little more) Romeo and Juliets decision making after talking about the teenage brain? Reflection: The lesson went very well overall. Students enjoyed the additional resources that helped guide them through Romeo and Juliets decision making and therefore my end goal was reached. Students loved the videos, probably because they found they could relate to them. I showed two videos a day that were about 7-10 minutes long. I would pause the videos throughout to encourage class participation (and to make sure everyone was still on board). The students responses matched up with ones from the video. This prompted them to be actively engaged throughout. I allowed students to work in small groups when viewing the Time article because it was filled with some jargon that might need students collaboration. I do think students got a little off track at times, which is inevitable when they are allowed to talk quietly, however, I still walked around the room, keeping students on track as must as possible. They surely enjoyed the videos more than the article, which allowed a side discussion on how nonfiction is usually boring, but we will read it the most in our everyday lives. Students had trouble making the connections at times between the article and videos so I was there to assist. Once they found out the two were intertwined they were able to get through it with barely any problems. They would receive two grades for this mini unit the first being their three sheets of notes, which were graded on completion and ability to pull out important facts (I couldnt really find another way). The second grade, which was the bigger chunk of this lesson, would be the in class, written, narrative that would take all the knowledge the students have learned and apply it to a personal experience/event. One of our main focuses through reading Romeo and Juliet is whether or not their deaths were a cause of Fate or Free Will (also a motif), so students thesis in their essay would tie the same argument either agreeing or disagreeing with the act of fate. In this particular case technology was used in the presentation of the lesson. Even though students have a class set of laptops, if I allowed them to view the videos individually I am not sure everything that would have needed to be discussed in my occasional pauses would have been. So I am glad that I chose whole class instruction for presenting that material.