Budding Scientists

Questions that have taken our science intersession class off on tangents:

• How do birds fly?
• Do penguins have hollow bones?
• Why do some birds run fast?
• Can an ostrich kill a lion with a kick?

• How is that potential energy?
• What does gravity have to do with energy?
• How much gravity is there on Jupiter?

• How can those weigh the same?
• Why is that balanced?

And my favorite, I don't get it! Followed by much effort to understand how something works.
All of this is from a one hour period this morning.

I Hear Him

Attempting to get certain 5th grade boys to focus on what their teacher deems important rather than what they deem important can be a real challenge. (I don't mean to sound sexist, it's true for certain girls as well.)

My students had to write about themselves in 100 words or less recently. All but one have managed to draft, do some great revising, edit and get my help with editing, and publish (both on paper and on their blogs). This last young man can't get it done.

On Friday I finally told him that I really wanted him to finish this.

His response?

Me too. I really want to be done with this. Don't let this face fool you.

I don't think it was the face that was sending me the message.