Taught 5th Grade

Today was a pleasant day in the fifth grade, possibly more pleasant for me than when I was actually in the fifth grade. Let's see, what do I remember, practically nothing about that year (1956?), except playing basketball against the 6th graders, and our team did pretty good, (I believe we lost, even so) because I was playing with all the "good guys" however I wasn't one of them in the same sense. I think this was the year that I figured out about the rotation of Earth on it's axis and was able to visualize how it would spin, tilt and revolve around Sun all at the same time. And then of course we learned about Moon and constellations. I still find astronomy fascinating, and read Discover Magazine frequently.
Today we made paper airplanes in the science class because it was the first day in a new booklet on "Variables" and it talked about experiments and scientific inquiry, and it took 15 minutes to read it and then there was nothing planned that I could find, so we did our own experiments with aeronautics. There was a lesson on this in the back of the booklet, so we just jumped ahead, it is something that can always be repeated. Since these kids did not have PE or recess in the AM, we opened the door and went outside to fly the planes. Great fun, even for me.
We had a math lesson on addition, which seemed rather late for 5th grade, a problem on factors, and then a crossword puzzle on fractions, and multiplying and other maths. That was good. There were some of the students who still didn't get the worksheet on addition correct, at least not very quickly, and some who had it done practically before it got passed out. This is a very multi-cultural, multi-ethnic community with students from several different countries. Math-crossword puzzles are a great way to review a lot of math and connect the maths to language. I don't think I had ever seen one before.
Last Friday I taught English in freshman high school, and it is always so depressing to see how poorly students write and think in the 9th grade. There must be something about that freshman year, some are still writing at 5th grade levels. Many of the fifth graders would out perform half the 9th graders.

I am including some short poems because I know there is someone out there who likes short poems!

After the rain
Reflecting on this scene is apt
Because after the rain everywhere
I see pools reflecting.
So seeing and understanding
Is made easier
When in this way Nature echoes its visions.

Animated
The mist dances gracefully above the polished surface of Beaver Pond
Partnering, animated with the sparkling reflections of the elegant trees
Made happy and brilliant by early morning Sun.
I.J. Hall, July 24, 2004

Godly

Planting flowers, bulbs and seeds
Is an erstwhile godly act
Knowing the future
Planning for the beauty
That will inevitably follow.
I.J. Hall, July 24, 2004