Outside In

We put our Christmas tree in the stand today. After being bound-up out on the deck for a week, the lovely fir needs to fall for a day or two before being festooned with lights and decorations. That doesn't bother the cats, though. The two of them have taken residence underneath its upturned branches. As in years past, they seem enchanted by the notion of bringing such a big, wild thing indoors. They preen and blink beneath its boughs as if to purr, Why don't we have this all the time? And as the fresh, piney scent floats my way, I'm hard put to find an answer to convince the three of us.

Holiday Mission Accomplished

I was more than a little frustrated after spending 45 minutes stringing outdoor lights on my balcony this afternoon only to discover they didn't work. How did I fail to check them? I had used zip ties to secure them, along with some showering icicles, and so rather than start the whole display again, I used scissors to cut the offending string into a dozen pieces for easy removal. As satisfying as that was, I was even happier when the back-up lights were twice as long and much easier to hang. 

As night fell, I went outside to get the full effect of the handiwork: merry and bright, just as I hoped!

Star of the Essay

"We should have the kids read that story you wrote about babysitting," my friend Mary suggested in our CLT planning meeting today after I confessed to abridging another author's work to make it more accessible to the sixth graders.

"That would be funny," I laughed.

"Is the character of Tracey a good babysitter?" Mary asked.

"That's definitely debatable," I said, "and plus, I would love to read a bunch of essays about... me!"

Background Knowledge

I read a story to my sixth graders today that was called "Rabies" which details the misadventures of sixth grader Jack Henry, an autobiographical character created by Jack Gantos. Like most of Gantos's writing, it is funny in a realistic and self-deprecating way. Jack Gantos was in sixth grade around 1962, though, and it takes a little background knowledge building to help kids relate to his story nearly 60 years after it took place. 

We have to start with rabies itself; many students do not know what it is. This year, when I told them it was caused by a virus, I figured we'd have a little less ground to cover, considering we have been living in a pandemic caused by a virus for the last 18 months. "But rabies is not airborne like COVID," I assured them.

"COVID is in the air?" asked a student in alarm.

"IT can be," I said. "That's why we wear masks."

"I already had it," another student reported, and her comment started a chain reaction. It turned out that over a third of the class had already had a positive case of the virus. Thankfully, the symptoms they reported sounded short-term and very mild, more like a reaction to the vaccine than anything else.

"That's why I don't really care about my mask," one boy admitted candidly. It was true that I often had to remind him to cover his nose.

"But your mask is more to block any virus you might have from getting out," I explained. "My mask protects you, in case I have COVID, and yours protects me. We know now that it is possible to get it again, and maybe spread it."

He pulled his mask up and so did a few other kids. I wondered what else they might not know.

Run the Day or the Day Runs You

I told my very chatty students that they would have to finish the notes before they went to lunch. With that warning, I let them talk, circulated through the room, and answered questions. When the bell rang, I dismissed the kids who had shown me their work, which was only about a third of the class. 

The reaction from the others was mixed. Some rushed to finish, others took their time, and at least one tried to sneak out. A couple were mad, and one told me how very, very hungry she was. "I know!" I agreed, "It's my lunch time, too."

Their miscalculation was understandable: today was one of the "anchor days" we have on five-day weeks to balance the block schedule. With all the fall holidays and other planned interruptions in instruction, the days when kids have all their classes have been sporadic so far this year. 

This particular group usually leaves my room for another class, but on anchor days they go straight to lunch. It was leverage that I grasped immediately, but it took a while for the kids.

"We have to go to science!" I heard one student whisper to another. "Do you think Ms. M will give us lunch detention?"

"This is lunch!" her friend hissed.

"Right!" I confirmed. "You already have lunch detention. Now get those notes done!"

Foreshadowing

Were those tiny little snow flakes falling almost imperceptibly this morning? 

You bet your keen sixth grade sense of observation they were. "Go ahead!" I shouted over the din of joy. "Take two minutes and look at the snow."

Within 90 seconds they were back to their seats, satisfied that although snow season might be here, that day off we all dream of this time of year was not going to be today.

Breaking Brains

Since our school implemented in-person block scheduling for the first time this year, I have been on the lookout for good five minute brain breaks for sixth graders. I've written lately about my mindfulness yoga challenges, but I thought it wise to branch out, so yesterday when I saw the game Whatchamadrawit at a discount store I added it to my cart. 

Today, I opened the deck of wacky drawing challenge cards, and gave the kids three minutes to draw and post their work of art for the sweet little reward of a Jolly Rancher. My first period group had to sketch their version of an animal with a fish head, elephant body, and spider legs. Their products were remarkably recognizable and cute, but it was the kid that drew the elephant ears behind the fish's head that bowled me over with her visual problem solving. 

The next group to do it was my class with many English language learners. They were super excited for the challenge until we pulled a card that read A princess sitting in an apple tree playing the banjo. "What is a banjo???" cried several students in dismay. Others searched up an image, and I pivoted to project a picture of a banjo on our screen before stating the timer. 

When the three minutes were up, we had a nice collection of cartoon trees,  basic apple shapes, and simple figures with crowns and giant lollipops on their laps. We all got the point across, and some of us? Learned a new vocabulary word. 

Maybe this little brain break has broader applications.