“If you stab an orange, juice will spurt out, like when they stabbed Caesar and he bled out.”
“You can peel back the skin of the orange, kind of like they were trying to peel back the layers of power in Rome.”
“In The Godfather, an orange always meant someone was going to die. In JC there are predictions of someone dying.”
“If you go deeper than the skin you see something different. This is like the characters, one thing on the surface, but different deep down.”
Neuroscientist Judy Willis (yes, I am a fan!) tells us that novelty grabs attention and helps information to get past the RAS (Reticular Activating System.) Once information makes it past the RAS, the brain begins to make predictions. We can direct this impulse to support our content objectives! Students were engaged and thinking in creative, connected ways. So grab a food item from your kitchen or pantry and give it a try!