The default this year, this last week of school before the holidays is showing holiday films, or Disney animated movies. But, this year our district has forbidden them. Students are to stay on academic topic. This upset many of course. This is the week to relax normally, and just eat snacks and let students get their fill of holiday cheer.
But, I have found time to show science videos- Pushing the Limits, Myth Busters, even Bill Nye- all of which I don't normally find time to share with them. But this week, with finals throwing our schedule into disarray- this is the perfect time to show them. We do not see every class every day, so only some kids get to see them but- it is a great way to open up meaningful conversations.
It is a great way to show them how science is important. We are watching a lot of clips of each and afterwards we are discussing what we saw and how it ties into our curriculum. They are really enjoying the down time - no assignments and some extra time to study. So why not shift from holiday to academic? Why not change things up a bit?
This week has been far more meaningful for me because I have gotten to witness a lot more relevant conversations and it doesn't feel like wasted time- it feels like purposeful down time and there is nothing wrong with that.
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