Saturday, September 29, 2007

Second graders on streaking

So I'm teaching second graders about storms, and our latest page we did said, "Lightning streaks across the sky." "Streak is what?" they wanted to know.

So I defined it as, "when something goes so quickly it makes a line."

"So if a wolf streaks across the forest, what color line does it make?"

"A grey line," said Laura.

"And if a taxi streaks across the road?"

"A yellow line," said Angelo.

But what conversation about streaking would be complete without definition #2.

"But streaking can also mean something else," I said. "It means when crazy person takes off all their clothes and goes running down the street."

Peals of laughter, and the hands shoot up. Oh the can of worms that definition #2 opened up.

Now, every time the kids have to make a sentence, they love to incorporate their new word:

"Please make a sentence with the word 'brother.'"

"My brother streaks when he goes to buy the food."

"Please make a sentence with the word 'pink.'"

"When a person streaks, he makes a pink line."

"Please make a sentence with the word 'lightning.'"

Lightning doesn't wear pants, so it's ok if it streaks."

What have I done?

3 comments:

EH said...

You've unleashed monsters that not only work for good--
They work for AWESOME.

Kara said...

by jove, she blogs! sneaky, sneaky. naturally you'd get E's stamp of approval on sharing streaking with the world.

one day there may just be someone from a crop of new teachers who gets stuck with your former students and tells her friends about some crazy foreigner who taught her students the word streak. you'll be the stuff of legends.

DJ said...

This reminds me of the time when I was in college, and a friend of mine from Romania learned the phrase "peeping Tom" - which sounds especially funny w/ a thick Romanian accent.