Remember making these? Origami fortune tellers (aka cootie-catchers) were all the rage back in, what...middle school? Maybe further back in elementary school? Bet you didn't anticipate that they would make a comeback as an interesting way to approach critical thinking!
The inspiration for this post came from a Romeo and Juliet lesson I saw by Creative English Classroom on Teachers Pay Teacher. (For $1, you can get her digital template, but you can easily make your own for free.)
The origami fortune teller fits quite nicely with a story like Romeo and Juliet where fate, destiny, the stars, and the like play (possibly) a large role. Students use the fortune teller (fate?) to lead them towards critical thinking questions about the text. It could be used as an actual in-class activity (a humorous way to approach pod discussions?) or the fortune teller could be available for those who finish early and need something productive to occupy their time.
If it has been a while since you last made one (or if you have never made one!), follow these folding instructions. (If you don't have square paper, you can start with a normal 8 1/2 x 11. Once you do the first large triangle fold, cut off the extra paper above the folded section.) Follow the directions through step 11 ("Write the numbers 1-8...") and then adapt according to your needs. Suggestions for adapting follow the illustrated instructions.
Possible Adaptation:
In step 12 ("Add your 8 fortunes..."), replace the fortunes with your set of critical thinking questions.
In step 13, replace the color or object with a symbol or word pertinent to your lesson. (For Romeo and Juliet, it could be character names, the family names, or words such as love, hate, fate, etc.)
Possible critical thinking statements/questions for Romeo and Juliet fortune tellers can be found in this previous post. The critical thinking questions listed below are adapted from questions I've used in the past and the Teachers Pay Teacher lesson. Really, you could use any set of questions.
- Was Juliet's nurse a good friend? What does she (or doesn't she) do to make you feel that way?
- Do Romeo and Juliet truly fall in love? What is your definition of love? How do they fit (or not fit) your definition?
- Do Juliet's parents truly love her? Why or why not?
- Who/what is most at fault for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet? Why?
- How could Romeo's parents have handled the situation better? How could Juliet's parents have handled the situation better?
- What would be the best alternate ending to Romeo and Juliet? Would your ending improve the play? Why or why not?
- What is Friar Lawrence's biggest mistake?
- Which character makes the wisest decisions throughout the play? Explain the wisdom behind the decisions.
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