Why do you suppose second graders are holding up two fingers?
No, it's not because they are in grade two.
No, it's not because they are in grade two.
Just as the other groups of students in k-2 below, these students hold up two fingers to copy what Nancy does in the story If I Were A Farmer: Nancy's Adventure when she teaches a newborn calf to drink out of a pail.
On November 24, 2010, my wife Nancy and I drive to Pinewood Elementary, Monticello. We leave at 6:00 AM and arrive plenty early to chat with a few old friends and to meet Mr. Olson, the principal. We set up in the media center and prepare to do a total of five shows: two for second graders, two for first graders, and one for kindergartners.
What makes this a bit easier than the previous day at Brooten, MN, is that these will all be the same show, altered slightly according to the age of the children. There is a part in the show where I explain that Nancy, the main character, teaches a newborn calf to drink out of a pail by dipping her two finger in the milk and having the calf suck her two fingers while she leads it to the pail.
Compare the reactions of the six groups as I ask them to hold up the two fingers Nancy dips into the milk (Note that the screen image does not show up very well because of the camera flash):
First group of second grade students.
Second group of second grade students.
We combined both first grade groups into one group because we were running late.
Morning kindergarten students.
Afternoon kindergarten students.
Since Pinewood has half-day kindergarten, we came back to the school
on November 30, 2010, to do a show especially for this group.
The kids also learned how farmers called their cows ("Come boss, come boss", not "Here cow") and that taking care of animals and helping your neighbors are important.
We had a good time and made lots of friends.
Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson
No comments:
Post a Comment