At the conclusion of our unit we crowd into the kitchen (or sit in front of a borrowed hot plate at my former school) and they wait for the magic to begin.
As I toss the ice cubes into the pot and let it boil, I really sell it. "There it is! Its flying!" You can imagine the audible groans, looks of disbelief, and expressions of outright frustration in that moment! "Really? THAT'S it? You tricked us!" Alas, the conversation starts flowing and one or two students usually come to my defense. "It IS flying! It's water vapor!" They then explain to each other how I turned a solid to a liquid to a gas and they giggle. My feeble attempt at bringing them back to "my side" usually involves an explanation that now THEY can trick their parents. They have the upper hand!
Despite the disappointment, at the end of the year as we reminisce about what we've learned and our favorite days, someone ALWAYS mentions the flying ice cube. My favorite part: the explanation months later about how I successfully gave one ice cube a journey through three earthly states of matter.
As teachers, we are always looking for that, "wow" (there are too many buzz words to describe the wow to even begin to list them). In this case, and as I so often find, disappointment, mild frustration, and failure are such great teachers. Disappointment that the magical ice cube doesn't exist, frustration at the failure of a new science experiment, and the realization that they are actively creating their learning is incredibly powerful. They take charge. THEY do the critical thinking. THEY ask great questions. Better yet, THEY learn to seek out answers on their own. Perceived failure becomes a motivator.
What role do these strong emotions play in your classroom and how do you use them top facilitate learning and a love of knowledge?
Final note: To be fair, today I also did something I NEVER do and we enjoyed root beer floats with the other kindergarten class to celebrate those three glorious states of matter.
