1. Mixing cornstarch and water to make a liquid and wait no a solid... to teach matter. Yes the desks were powdery white was was the floor. Yes students didn't stay in their respective "centers" and yeah it was loud. But it was fun and they learned!
2. Donut fractions. Donuts are banned in schools now, but after students didn't grasp that 1/2 = 2/4, offering 1/2, 2/4, or 2/2 of a donut, those kids learned!
3. Poetry slam - allowing students to compose poetry and not nitpicking for poems like "my cat is fat he wears a hat" and claiming that is inferior over "raindrops pitter patter like tears of a fatherless child. Each student presented a poem, we had a "American Idol" style voting panel, coffee and tea, cookies, a presentation 3 leg stool, and the whole cafe feel... it rocked.
4. Pretending to choose a career, major, car, home, etc to see how expensive life can be, and trying to budget for it. Sure it wasn't as standards based as some may like, but I had some of my "worst" at risk students actually whine and complain when the bell rang, they were having so much fun. And GASP they were allowed to use their "banned" cell phones as calculators.... against all school rules!
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