"Will there be atomic
concoctions?"
"Will the puppy sleep for all eternity?"
Yes, both of those questions came out of the mouth of one first grade boy, lets call him "Tommy," who has kept me smiling all year with his astounding vocabulary and the unique way he constructs spoken and written language.
I suppose these quotes maybe aren't the funniest things you might hear in a first grade classroom, but they certainly rank way up high in the "rare" category.
Let me provide you with a little context:
This last week we had our "Science Fair and Extravaganza!" The first graders don't do any projects, but everyone is welcome to come to the family night that includes local professionals who use science in their daily careers. Each community partner set up shop in various classrooms and had information and hands-on activities to share with the families in attendance. We had an astronomers association, the aquifer folks, people from the solid waste department (eww..but kind of interesting), rock rollers, a gardening club, an orthodontics office, a local kids' science museum, and more. The older students had their science projects/experiments on display in their classrooms for viewing too. I got the awesome job of walking around with "Aqua Duck"...apparently some sort of local celebrity/mascot?? I had to make sure he (who was really a she inside) didn't run into anything or anybody because the duck suit didn't have any peripheral vision. I guess it wasn't so bad...but pretty awkward. I kind of wish I could have been in the suit instead of walking along side it. One student asked if the duck was my husband. Funny side note: Aqua Duck looked a lot more like an angry bird.
ANYHOW, prior to the extravaganza, I was trying to talk up the event to my kids in class one day. I was telling them all the cool things they could do and see if they brought their families back that evening. That's when Tommy pipes in with..."Will there be any atomic concoctions?"
Where does he get this stuff?!?! "I'm not sure, Tommy...you better come back tonight and scope it out," was the only response I could muster through suppressed laughter.
Later, before heading to a third grade classroom to view their projects, I was telling the kids to be thinking of questions to ask the third graders, "What they did? Where they got their ideas? What they discovered?" Things of that nature. We've been learning about asking and answering questions (CCSS RL and RI 1.2...for you teacher folk). Sometimes the answer to our questions can be given to us...by an author or a scientist, etc., while other times the answers require deeper though, further investigation, and inference. It might sound like a silly thing to have to teach, but trust me...the distinction between questions and stories is not naturally apparent to a six year old. Ask a room full of six year olds if they have any questions and you will be met with countless "One time my cat..." and "This one time, I ..." stories. I promise. Every time.
So, Tommy pipes up again, "Can we ask them if they made any atomic concoctions?"
I told Tommy that was an excellent question, but he needed to be prepared to explain what he meant...and everybody smiled their toothless smiles and laughed in their cute little first grade belly laughs.
I love my job.
Now, as for the puppy question....
As I mentioned before, we are working on asking and answering questions. I was reading the students a story (High-Wire Henry) about a family that gets a new puppy...and the arrival of said puppy totally miffs the family cat, Henry. So, Henry spends the book trying to impress his family and win their attention back. He teaches himself to walk on his hind legs...on the clothes-line. One day a squirrel runs across a power line and onto the roof of the house...well, the puppy is looking out an open window in the room upstairs, sees the squirrel and goes on the roof to chase it. Henry tries to get the family's attention, but again he is ignored. At this very suspenseful point in the story I stop and ask the kids what they are wondering. They turn to their neighbors, mouths moving a mile a minute with lots of great questions. Will the puppy fall? Will he get hurt? Will he catch the squirrel? Will the family notice in time? How will the puppy get down? Will Henry walk across the power line to save the puppy? Etc. etc.
I asked the students to write down their biggest, most important question on a sticky note and add it to our class chart of questions from the story. And what does Tommy write?
Not Will the puppy fall?
Not Will the puppy get hurt?
Not even Will the puppy die?
But Will the puppy sleep for all eternity?
In addition to his question he has a picture of a tombstone with "RIP" inscribed on it.
This kid...I don't know why...has a way of making me smile on a daily basis. And I am so thankful for that!
