February 7

Sometimes I'm a genius
The lesson in science today was about convection. I had to explain (to 12-year olds) what the hell happened when heat was transferred in liquid. I remember learning about it in college and having an awesome understanding of it, but there was no way I thought that my sixth graders could wrap their heads around the concept.

I underestimated them. Again.

In the lesson, I was going to use a few student volunteers to show how the water molecules heat up in the process of convection. I had so many friggin students volunteering, I thought I'd just make THEM come up with a skit in small groups. They had to be the water and they had to show me what convection was. (Just in case you're wondering, if we're talking about boiling water, the flame heats the pot. The water near the flame heats and starts to rise, pushing the cooler water down, which then heats and rises until all the water is boiling. It's a cycle of hot water rising, cool water sinking and heating, etc.)

Genius moment, because THESE are a few of what I got:

In this one, they get the idea of convection...

In this one, they kinda get the idea, but there are a few funny moments here. 1) When the kid in the purple forgets what he is playing and then takes a small bow after he figures it out. 2) When the kid says, "Oh my gosh, we're gradually getting warmer!" He's definitely one of my funnier kids. And I completely appreciate that.