Thursday, January 24, 2013

My Concept Circle (or Not a Spelling Test)


I don't know what it means, I thought you did.  Well let's take a look-see:


Okay, it's an assignment for a seven-year-old so we'll just follow along.  "Write a word and make a picture in each section that goes with the focus word.  In the middle, write the word ______."

What the hell?  Write what word in the middle, I mean it's blank...  Is the word in the middle, the word that goes unspoken, the "focus word?"    What is the concept circle really about and why is the focus word in an oval?  Shouldn't it be "the concept circle around the focus word oval."

I am so glad I am not in primary school these days.  I mean really, this worksheet is very vague.  Lets assume the focus word (jeeze) is depend.  Apparently we define it, making it focus words, plural, in an oval.  "Count on, trust in" - well, that's good.

Now, I can only assume, because I do not understand the assignment, that we circle the focus word(s) with concepts about the word...  oooohkay. 

We'll start there upper left quadrant with "anblans" which I can only assume is ambulance, but, screw spelling tests, we are working on a concept circle, whatevs...  Alright, it is an ambulance, obviously one from an episode of M*A*S*H, that Red Cross is a real giveaway.  Yes, we can depend on rickety, nineteen-fifties medical transports.

Next we have "bandad" which I always assumed was a dad active in the orchestra boosters, however, here it seems to have something to do with blood-spewing elbows and, uh, poop? scabs, yes, right then.  Oh... band-aid well there ya have it.

Next is "Comepuooter," (seriously, a spelling test would have been much more useful here, I have to say, than this twattle).  I am a little baffled by how a computer fits in conceptually with the focus word, depend.  I think 'computer' and 'depend' are antithetical.  Perhaps, because I did not get the full instructions, in this quadrant, we use an opposite like word.

And finally, "pain."  What?  You can depend on pain?  What, are the teaching existentialism and concept circles in some sort of Sartre based curriculum?  Well, at fifty-something, that is true enough, and, if you take a serious look around at the flaws in society, homelessness, childhood hunger and our deplorable infant mortality rate here in the U.S. I guess... wait, those blue pills aren't Vicodins, it's, oh, well, that's awkward.  It's "rain."  Well yes, we do depend on rain, how lovely.

(Good Lord in Heaven, do not google "concept circles" or you will be more thoroughly confused than you already are.)

I still don't get it.  All I can assume is that they are preparing our youth for the eventuality of being confronted with one of those stupid memes that use interlocking circles to compare toddlers to fraternity boys and Ted Nugent.  I never get those either.  I hope there is a spelling test tomorrow.


I suppose it's fairly obvious that I have lost it here.  The boys have been home all week with the cold/flu, fevers and lots of coughing, acheyness and general lethargy and pissiness.  So I didn't have enough time to do that important piece on "Mr. Mom is Dead" (no not Micheal Keaton, the archaic notion that dads are bumbling idiots) like all the other cool dad bloggers are doing.  Oh, well - maybe some other time... or not.  'Or not' mostly because Zach Rosenberg at 8BitDad did it better than I ever could of in his post "Mr. Mom Ain't Dead (he's just busy with the kids)."


From Marci's "...things you don't expect to hear from the backseat..."

N: "I hurt everywhere."


I think the cold/flu season is stalking Nicky



Been there, little buddy, been there...


10 comments:

  1. I think the circle is supposed to be a thing to help visual learners. It's important for teachers to use a variety of methods, because everyone learns in different ways. Some kids are auditory learners, and then some kids are tactile learners, like the boy who grabs the little girl's butt.

    Love,
    Janie

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  2. I think it is something for visual learners, too, but it seems the teacher should have either given the kids the concept word or given better directions for what it was (like, choose a word from the book you are reading which challenges you and write it in the center of the concept circle.)

    I knew exactly what your son had written. Are you sure that's rain and not pain? The concept I see in his circle is that if you use a computer in the rain, you will need band-aids and an ambulance. I hope that's where the teacher was going with it!

    Lisa

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    1. The teacher would probably say she repeated the directions a hundred times and only one kid listened. And sometimes that's actually true, but my kids came home with an awful lot of stuff I didn't understand. I'm so glad I don't help with homework anymore.

      Love again,
      Janie

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    2. So true about the homework, school was so much more, well, schoolly, when I was a kid. Thanks for stopping by.

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  3. Hey, thanks for the shout-out! The best time to write a piece about Mr. Mom is six months down the line, when no one expects it!

    So, back in MY day, there weren't really concepts for kids in school. Teacher would say "draw a picture of what you did on your summer vacation" and we'd do that. Direct links to reality. Kids get weird (clearly) when you ask them to come up with a concept and then support it with images. And yes, a spelling test tomorrow, hopefully.

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    1. Yes, Zach, we are definitely in need of some spelling tests. N can't spell for shit. But, I think the mistakes are so cute. My favorite ever is "owsum" for awesome. Thanks for stopping by.

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  4. I"m with Janie and suspect instructions were given and missed here. There are three words in the circle (oval) instead of one. Which makes me wonder. I do feel that spelling might be more important here than concept circles. Please tell me there are eventually spelling tests.

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  5. My first thought was that it said "counter terrorism" in the oval underneath "depend." Interesting what they teach in schools these days...

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    1. Counter terrorism, table terrorism, even desk terrorism. They cover it all these days. Nice to hear from you, Neal, thanks for stopping by.

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  6. Bill, I totally get what you are saying. Some of these homework assignments are real head scratchers. When I went for my masters in education they would talk about using graphic organizers as a way to organize thought. It clearly does not give the right directions for the assignment and is too open ended. You're not crazy. I don't get it either and I have my Masters in Curriculum! Thanks for the awesome feedback on today's post. I really appreciate it. I love reading your posts too.

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