random classroom tidbits

Haven't written in a little while so I'll break things up so vicki and bryan don't complain that my posts are too long.

I have a set of twin boys and twin girls in my 5th grade classes. class 3 and class 4 each have one boy twin and one girl twin. I just figured out who they are. After 2 months. Yeah, maybe most asians look the same.

A while ago while 4th grade was learning about bats, I was showing pictures of bats flying at night and birds flying in the daytime, and asking the kids which they were. During review, I showed the daytime photo, and a couple kids said, "They are birds." How many people will understand this? I think only 2.

4th grade again. Learning about butterflies and moths a couple weeks ago, as preparation for learning about insects in 5th grade, they memorize that they both have a head, thorax, and an abdomen. While teaching them, I showed the analogous parts of our body...head on top, thorax in the middle, and abdomen on the lower part. This week, Simon, who used to be named Gary but changed it on me one day, raised his hand and said, "Ms. Jen, Ms. Jen, she wants go doctor...she abdomen...her abdomen...umm...her abdomen 'owwww'.." Hahaha. How cute! I later taught them that that was correct, but it is better to say "her stomach hurts" or "she has a stomach ache." But I secretly think "her abdomen...owwww" sounds better. hah.