I write this post from inside the safety of my house on this beautiful day. Inside? Yes. I was puttering outside from 8am until 2pm, the lawns are mowed, the pool is clean, the weeding is, well almost done. I was going along at a good clip until the garter snake slithered across my bare foot and I just about jumped out of my skin.
No, it's not the snake keeping me away from the weeding. Thursday night I sprained my ankle in a lacrosse game in the second quarter and not having many subs, I was obliged to keep playing, you know, for the team. Well after Sammy the snake made me jump I had to land and rolled my ankle again. I decided enough is enough, got some ice for the ankle, aloe for the skin and something cold to drink and wanted to discuss the story my class will be reading this fall.
I don't have a copy of it and I don't recall the details but has anybody read "All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury?
If you haven't the basic plot is a girl moves to Venus where it rains everyday (sound familiar).
In fact, the Sun comes out once every 7 years and only for a day. None of the other students she goes to school with have seen the Sun because they were all born on Venus and this girl enjoys telling stories about playing outside and it angers the other student. On the big day, they lock the girl in a closet and are so excited by the Sun, they forget about her.
Not exactly an uplifting plot but I am always trying to find stories that I can relate to real life. My goal is to have the kids think about how frustrating it was from the end of May through June and the beginning of July because of the rain. Maybe tie a "The beginning of my Summer Vacation...." and have them list what they wanted to do and what they ended up doing instead because of the rain.
Then have them think back 7 years; if they are 15, when they were 8, and have them imagine that stretch from May to July stretched out for 7 years. What would they do with that one day?
Then read the book and ask them if they want to change what they would do for that one day.
What would you do for that one day?
For myself. It would probably include a boat, a beach, some fishing gear and viewing the sunset over the ocean, so we are looking at the west coast..... or Australia..... Gotta think big
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I would scrub the mold off my body and dry out.
ReplyDeleteI would stare at the sun for 5 minutes and go blind.
I would lie, totally exposed, out in the sun and, not knowing about sunscreen, would fry to a crisp and end up in the ER with blisters the size of dinner plates.
I would sacrifice a small, furry creature from Alpha Centauri to the evil god in the sky.
I would hide, cowering, in a bunker 300 feet underground.
Hey - are you related to the Ipswich (MA) Haskells? Great old N.E. name. Glad SOMEBODY read my graphic novelette!
Matthew...
ReplyDeleteI actually haven't read that story, but the premise is great. I might borrow your idea to use with my class b/c it's a perfect segue from the summer break into the fall semester. Will this be the first semester you're using it with your kids? Or, have you used it before?
And, being a west-coaster until three years ago, I cannot recommend the sun, sea and fishing enough! Australia, smastralia :) Good luck with the gardening - we could use one of you around our house :)
Gina C.
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ReplyDeleteWow, that is a very intense question. I started answering your blog but then stopped. I needed time to think about what I would do that one day. I would definitely need to prepare ahead of time to make sure I was in location where I could MOST appreciate my surroundings. It would definitely involve the Ocean and I would definitely want to be with my nephews. I was recently in Cape Cod and I spent the entire week watching my nephews in the water skim boarding, surfing, looking for crabs, and playing Wabobo. For those of you who don't know Wabobo is a ball that bounces on the water! Anyway, that week I feel like I developed an entirely different appreciation for children. It was amazing to picture myself being that young and innocent and not having a care in the world.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't know what to do if I didn't have those days often. If I couldn't experience seeing those moments