Their thinking is changing.

I am constantly amazed by the insight that my students give me on a daily basis. I guess that I have been so programed by the daily grind to expect somewhat complacent students, that their enthusiasm has surpassed all of my expectations.
Anne and I have been giving an in class assignment for the end of Fahrenheit 451 for the last couple of years. This year I am really pushing my students to go beyond what Bradbury is literally writing.
I had a lesson planned last week that didn't fit into the way our discussion was going. Instead, I asked students to turn to a random page in the novel and I asked them to read it to themselves and then stop when they got to a passage that they believed was extremely poignant and thoughtful. About 95 percent of my students all came to sentences that they believed were about more than what was literally written. We talked about why Bradbury was writing the novel and what his purpose was beyond the basic plotline. My students really seemed to understand that there is so much more in the literature than what meets the eye.
I am excited to set in motion the desire to look for more in text. My students are starting to "dig deeper" for comprehension beyond the general language and I am thrilled.