MS Grammar Has Never Been This Much Fun: “Now I have to go to the bathroom bad.”

Sometimes you just gotta say, "Theory, Smeory.  Let's just get in the trenches and roll our sleeves up!"

In what may be one of my favorite blog post discoveries in recent memory, I simply have to say, "Bravo," to the Reflective Teacher who reminds me how much fun teaching English can be when you step outside of the traditional textbook boundaries.  This is precisely the power of language and communication that can capture the creative hearts of young students while grammar sheets drag them through the mind-numbing mud. 

Here's where the post starts:

“Sweet!” the student responded. “Now I have to go to the bathroom bad.”

The post continues:

And so I said to them:
Y’know….this is what teachers call a ‘teachable moment.’ This is when I get to take something that came up in class and turn it into a short little lesson. This time, I hope you enjoy it.

That kid just said: ‘I have to go to the bathroom bad,’ right?

Well, the placement of the word ‘bad’ totally changes his statement. Because he put it at the end of the sentence, it describes how he goes to the bathroom.

And he's just getting warmed up with is middle school kiddos!  What follows is one of the most playful, creative, and academically rigorous word play discussions I've ever heard a teacher invite their kids into...and from a 2nd year teacher, too!  Check it out!

And remember:  all of this edu-blogging is ONLY worthwhile if we balance theory and research and stats and NCLB chatter with real glimpses of innovation inside the 'learning' space.

*****

Image:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucidpieces/15927193

Comments

[Harold Jarche]

How true; and I just read this post about a similar kind of teachable moment in the workplace:
http://www.anecdote.com.au/archives/2006/09/surveys_rewards.html

Life, and learning, is in the details.

[the reflective teacher]

:)

Glad you like this one, Christian.

I've gotta say, this class was so involved with this discussion that Iknow if I were to test them on adjective placement, they'd pass the test with flying colors.

My only problem is passing off this same lesson to other classes without naming the student.

Then again, I suppose I could say: "I had a student who said he 'needed to go to the bathroom bad,'" and then follow from there.

Just want to say, I really appreciate the link, and I turly appreciate what you're doing to move schools forward. It's always surprising, innovative, and so close to what's already happening in schools that I'm amazed we don't push design over pedagogy.

Students first!