This Week In Education February 24th

The Crucible 

Ever see that play?  It was loosely based on the Salem Witch trials.  Witchcraft and Mean spirited children caused people to blame others to blame people as to having caused the problems. This was attributed to mass hysteria or bad flax seed on the bread.  Well mass hysteria hit my class today.  We were taking a fifty-question unit test in English Language Arts.   It is hard enough keeping them quiet even during a test. They know the district won't let you give them a big fat zero for cheating. So they talk.  Then it happened; the ghost.  Their talk turned to the paranormal. Every knock on the door was the ghost coming to get them. Even though it is generally ding dong ditch.  Then came the coincidence that cemented their terror. Having finished a unit in english Language Arts means that I have to start using a new teachers edition. This I keep in an upper cabinet whose door is hinge bound and doesn't stays closed all the time.  The door popped open slightly. A student closed it and in a few seconds it creaked open again. This started a whole new category of the horror movie genre to be discussed.  This started the creepy crawlies. Now students started screaming that something touched them.  Why do the always blame the Jezabels for all the proplems.  Then the speech teacher called and let it ring once. This is a signal to send a student to speech.  

Now they’re screaming, "Don't answer it!"  

"They’ll know we are in here." pleaded others.

Yeah I've heard of that movie too. It was a windy day and the lights flickered. This was enough to spark full-scale hysteria. Now they were looking for anything. They noticed that the computer that was on stand by had a flashing light. It had to be a ghost. As in the Crucible, they started to turn on one another.  I felt like saying, "Goody would you please stop.” 

The worst was yet to happen. It was lunchtime. A couple of students said, " I bet the ghost will make a mess in room while we are at lunch.” When I returned it looked like a tornado struck my room.  A student hid in the room and turned over desks and chairs. Papers were strewn everywhere.  

Then the students said to me, “Aren’t you afraid of the ghost.”  

I said, “No, I teacher fifth grade.  Ghost cannot scare me.”

Yeah it was a short week.  But we got some work done.  In science, we learned the water cycle.  I had the high performing students do a poster for the wall and had all the students do individual 8 1/2 by 11 examples. 

In mathematics, we were learning about geometric solids, surface area, and volume.  

In English Language Arts, we always do weekly vocabulary.  I like to have them use words and pictures to help make those connections that they have with their prior knowledge.