Tuesday, February 20, 2024

What is the first word you spoke aloud?

 I take attendance by having students answer a question (previously).

What is the first word you spoke aloud?

  • MAMA / mom (very popular)
  • Dad (also popular)
  • Yeah / no / yes / Hi (makes sense)
  • goat
  • duck
  • cow
  • ball
  • apple
Kudos to the student whose first word was "0" (the number).

Bizarre side-eye to the following students who wrote:
  • student A: "[student B's name]"
  • student B: "I love [student C's name]"
  • student C: "yeah"

This post's theme word is umbriferous (adj), "casting a shadow." Luckily a child's first word is not an umbriferous portent of their entire life!

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

What is the sound of one hand clapping?

 I take attendance by having the students answer a question (previously 2016, 2017, 2019).

What is the sound of one hand clapping? Students mostly picked some popular onomatopoeias (or no): 

  • clap (10)
  • snap (6)
  • no sound (3)
Then a lot of singletons:

  • faint clap (1)
  • snup (1)
  • plap (1)
  • tap (1)
  • *pop* (1)
  • plup (1)
  • plap (1)
  • hit (1)
  • not possible (1)
  • finger snap (1)

Two people were present in class but chose, as a way of expressing themselves, to checkmark next to their name on the sign-in sheet but leave the space for answering the question blank.


This post's theme word is gowpen (n), "two hands cupped together." Give me one gowpen of thoughtful questions, please.