Pages
Popular Posts
-
Lately I have been so busy and school is not back in yet. I mean it's not as if I am not used to being busy but today I got a wake up ca...
-
Turning forty-one has been fabulous and amusing! I have finally learned to relax and not worry so much about some of the trivial things. Unf...
-
Back in December (2013) a 34-year-old South African was in the spotlight for allegedly faking sign language during the memorial for leader,...
-
Geeeeeeeeeez! I don't know if I should laugh or cry... or beat him down!!! Our little four-year-old had been doing quite well at daycare...
-
This New Year's Eve the family went to church for Family Communion. Our two little ones are lucky- they don't have to sit in church...
-
Today was the first official day of kindergarten for our baby! I didn't cry but as I walked a few steps in front of him, smiling as he ...
-
Okay, our son will start fifth grade in August. The Genesis of this blog was when he was three and his sister was five. They were so funny. ...
-
It's unfortunate but we are going to have to make some adjustments to prayer requests and praying with our seven and nine-year-old. Last...
-
So our oldest will be finishing her last year of middle school this year and our youngest will be starting middle school. Big transition fr...
-
WARNING! THIS BLOG IS NOT- IN ANY WAY CELEBRATING OUR SON'S ACTIONS. I told a friend recently that I should write a book and title it Di...
Sunday, December 06, 2015
Vocabulary Lessons
Earlier this year one of my students, who has been in the country less than a year, innocently asked, "What is A Deez Nuts?" Three things were clear: I need to teach the proper use of the articles A and An, subject-verb agreement and obviously, he is paying attention and socializing- language acquisition is moving along! As the other students snickered, I calmly wiped the Caramel Brulee latte I projected onto my desk.
Students haven't always been so innocent when they ask about words. Like when they can barely ask you about a word because they are choking back the laughter. Nonetheless, I guess I should just assume they really don't know and stay calm.
Well, that didn't happen recently. I went from zero to ten real quick!
It was the last period of the day. I just finished helping a student with an assignment for another class. Students began packing up.
"What's a hooker?"
Everything stopped. In my mind anyway.
How dare she attempt to be amusing in front of the others! They weren't laughing but still.
"Why did you ask me about that word? Where did you see that word?" I asked her.
Before she could answer I continued with the interrogation. "Why would you WANT to know about a hooker!"
She tried to play confused and innocent. But I knew better!
By this time, the other students were curious. Getting in a little closer to us.
"I don't understand why you would ask about that word! Just out of the blue?" I asked, not really expecting her to answer. "I mean it's not like you see a word like that around this classroom do you?" I scoffed.
She pointed to one of my blue pocket charts near the board.
There it was.
"I said HUNKER," she clearly and softly told me.
Hunker was one of the week's vocabulary words for eighth graders.
Students waited for me to respond.
"So what is a hooker?" one of the other students asked. Of course they wanted to know now after my conclusion jumping.
Too cool to be embarrassed I replied, "Oh my Gosh! Look! It's obvious what hunker means- I've got a perfect visual right beside it! Don't you all see the person squatting- hunkering!"
Announcements and bell never late but today it would be.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)

No comments:
Post a Comment