I had a post written and ready to go…and then this happened in class today:

SIOP, SIOP, SIOP.  Think, think.  How can I make an introductory lesson on Puritans and Pilgrims (not the same, you know!) comprehensible to Grade 5 students AND not have them start asking questions about Thanksgiving and these hats (wait for their disbelief when I later tell them that Pocahontas doesn’t marry John Smith…thanks Disney):

I didn’t want to cart out the costumes … I figured my darlings would NOT be interested in this:

So instead, I went for the jugular.  Introduced the objectives and hit them with this, “tomorrow, columns 1 and 2 get three recess; columns 3 & 4 get none.”  What?!?!  Alert — pandemonium!

Students believed me (aren’t they sweet?) and then expressed feelings of anger, frustration, and disbelief (columns 3&4) and happiness, joy, and disbelief (columns 1&2).

Bam – I hit them up with King Henry the 8th, the Church of England, and Separatists being told that they could not start their own churches…enter Pilgrims!  Ta da – you DO get your regular recesses tomorrow.

The students’ understanding of the Puritans’ feelings and need to move to solve a problem was profound.  With a quick ticket out at the end of the lesson, most students commented on the recess technique as helping them to understand — cha ching — Comprehensible Input!

With a ticket out, comes the following:

Figures I just finished lessons on backing up opinions with evidence and editorials (gee thanks government standards)!

Gotta love it!

What are you doing this week that makes content more comprehensible?