1. Bellringer
Think back to our “Agree, Disagree, Both, or Not Sure” activity that we did before we started reading Romeo and Juliet.
What do you think most contributes to teenage behavior patterns?

2. The Teen Brain: Still Under Construction

3. I Can…
Read an informational pamphlet, “The Teen Brain: Still Under Construction” by the National Institute of Mental Health.
9.RI.RRTC.10 Read and comprehend a variety of literature throughout the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with a gradual release of scaffolding at the higher end as needed.
Identify the author’s claims about how adolescent brain development influences teen behavior.
9-10.RI.KID.1 Analyze what the text says explicitly and draw inferences; cite the strongest, most compelling textual evidence to support conclusions.
9-10.RI.KID.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development; provide an objective or critical summary.

5. Considering the Source
Consider the organization that published the pamphlet, the National Institute of Mental Health.
What do you think is the organization’s mission and purpose for this publication?

6. Claim
The assertions or opinions of an author, or in this case, an organization
Since claims are the opinions of an author, what does that mean for the audience’s response to those claims?
Considering this, claims must be _______.

7. Introduction Page 108 in the purple guide book
Take a moment to identify and underline a claim in this section of the text.
What were some of the claims you all identified?

8. Possible Claims from the Introduction
“The research has turned up some surprises, among them the discovery of striking changes taking place during the teen years. These findings have altered long-held assumptions about the timing of brain maturation.”
“An understanding of how the brain of an adolescent is changing may help explain a puzzling contradiction of adolescence: young people at this age are close to a lifelong peak of physical health, strength, and mental capacity, and yet, for some, this can be a hazardous age.”
“Even though most adolescents come through this transitional age well, it’s important to understand the risk factors for behavior that can have serious consequences.”
“The more we learn, the better we may be able to understand the abilities and vulnerabilities of teens, and the significance of this stage for life-long mental health.”
“The fact that so much change is taking place beneath the surface may be something for parents to keep in mind during the ups and downs of adolescence.”

9. The “Visible” Brain Let’s read this section of the text together.
Are there any major arguable claims in this section of the text?
Are there any previous claims you can connect to the information in this section of the text?
What is the purpose of this text?

10. What’s Gray Matter? Partner Work
Identify and underline at least ONE claim in this section of the text.
Write a sentence explaining WHY this is a claim.
Define “synapses” and “pruning” based on their use in the context of this passage.

11. A Spectrum of Change
Number the paragraphs in this section of the text.
Find the correct passage for your desk number based on the list below:
Desks 1-6—paragraph 1
Desks 7-12—paragraph 2
Desks 13-18—paragraph 3
Desks 19-24—paragraph 4
Desks 25-33—paragraph 5
Task: Identify and underline the claim in your paragraph.
Do you all notice a pattern in the placement of the claims in the paragraphs?

12. Let’s Finish Reading the Text
Your Job—annotate the text for claims

13. Let’s Review Describe the study of the “visible” brain.
What happens to the amount of gray matter in the brain during adolescence?
What part of the cortex is among the last to mature? What impact might this have on adolescent behavior?
Identify other facts or evidence in the text about brain development that might impact adolescent behavior.

14. Partner Work Turn to page 113 of your purple guide books.
Work with your partner (and ONLY your partner) to complete the “Teen Brain Claims” chart.
Let’s look at the example in the top row:
Claim—Identify a claim from today’s text that you can relate to the behaviors of the characters in R & J.
Adolescence can be a dangerous time even though people are at their physical and mental peak during this time.
Character Action—What is something one of the characters in R & J do that reflects the claim from our text today?
Juliet is immediately infatuate with Romeo, her enemy. This is a hazardous risk.
Evidence—What specific evidence from R & J shows this action from the character?
Upon learning that her newfound love is forbidden, Juliet laments, “My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is to me, that I must love a loathed enemy.”

15. In “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet”, what is the relationship between the characters’ thoughts and actions? Are their ages a factor in their decision- making? Why? Be sure to include textual evidence.
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