A Little Encouragement

It Feels Right

Charades has become a popular activity during vocabulary instruction. Essentially, I give them a new word, they infer the meaning and then they must act out that word.

My students love any opportunity to act...well, ridiculous.

Today, each table group (of which there are five) was assigned the word "atmosphere" to act out. The actors were also given the power to award table points to the students in the audience that correctly guessed what atmosphere they were acting out.

Atmosphere: excited.
Student example: dancing around, arms flailing wildly as if they were in a mosh pit (which I doubt they have ever heard of)

Every table group but one guessed correctly. The incorrect group decided to contest their obvious wrongness. A loud fight ensued. I struggled to regain calm.

Finally I shouted, "If you guys don't stop fighting I will take away your ability to give out table points!"

Silence.

I continued, "I mean, come on, when do I ever give you guys a chance like this? You have the power to give out points," and then, on a whim I added, "How does it feel?"

My students pondered my proclamation in relative silence.

Then, from one of my quietest students, came a firm and very serious response. "It feels right."

"What did you say?" I asked, in awe of his profound and yet hilarious statement.

He repeated, quieter, less sure, "It feels right."

All I could do was laugh.

Teacher of the Month: March