My 5th graders made me laugh quite a bit last week. Here’s a look into their wisdom…
During study hall time on Wednesday, some of my students were using the computers to take reading quizzes for points. One student called over her shoulder, “Miss Agee, for the Internet, I click on Mozzarella Firefox, right?” I answered, “Yes,” before registering what she had actually said. Then I stopped and looked up, thinking to myself, Did she really just say Mozzarella Firefox?! None of the other students seemed to have noticed…except one boy, whose desk faces mine. The two of laughed to ourselves for quite a while.
For science last week, we learned about food chains and food webs. The students sat in a circle, each representing a different living thing (grass, insect, spider, fish, snake, hawk, etc.). We started with the sun and made a food chain with yarn until we reached an animal that was the top of the food chain. I then cut the yarn and started a new food chain with a different color yarn. As we started the 3rd food chain, I told the students to look at the colors (white, purple, and black) and tell me what my favorite sports team is. They all shouted, “Rockies!” Then we moved on.
For the 4th food chain, I had red yarn. One student was frustrated that it didn’t fit with the Rockies theme. Then he said, “Oh, I know! It can be for Matt Holiday! Because Matt Holiday betrayed the Rockies…and now he plays for the Cardinals!” Another student chimed in, “And if you start with green next, it’ll really be for Matt Holiday!” “Why’s that?” I asked. “Because red and green is for Christmas!” :)
After forming our food chain, I asked the students to choose one living thing and imagine what would happen if that living thing disappeared. Here is one student’s response:
How would living things be affected if all the grass disappeared?
1. If grass disappeared, then the grasshoppers would disappear.
2. If the grasshoppers disappeared, then the mice would disappear.
3. If the mice disappeared, then the snakes would disappear.
4. If the snakes disappeared, then the eagles would disappear.
5. If the eagles disappeared, there would be no freedom.
Teaching can be so much fun! :)