Shauna Letellier

Rest & Relief for Ragged Souls

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Solar System Song

By shauna 5 Comments

There’s something about little boys that just makes me
smile, no matter how ornery they are. Maybe it’s because I have three of my
own.
Whatever the reason, I find myself smiling again after a
week’s worth of fourth grade science.
In learning about the solar system there is just so much to
remember. For instance: Is Jupiter made of matter or gas? How many moons does
it have? Is the planet hot or cold? Well, to enhance our learning, a musical
genius wrote a little song and posted it on youtube.com.
Music and rhythm make learning facts a breeze. And since I
am a huge fan of learning through song, I played “The Solar System Song for
Kids” for my class.
You can listen to it here: “Solar System Song for Kids“
In a melodic tone that mimics a lullaby the artist sings these words: 
I am the Sun.
I’m a burning ball of fire. 
I’m very big indeed. 
Life on
Earth depends on me. 
I am the Sun.
How clever. I congratulated myself on the use of technology in the classroom.
As the song progressed down the line of planets I continued to
pat myself on the back for figuring out how to use the Smart board. But the
self-congratulatory back-patting was interrupted by a rustling of students and the startling lyrics…
I am Jupiter. 
I’m a gas giant.
A gas giant?
I glanced around our room. Two boys sat upright in their
chairs for the first time that day. They eyed each other as if to say, “Did I just hear what I thought I heard?”
They muffled their snickers with both hands just in time to hear the next
phrase: 
I have the biggest moon.
It almost put them over the top.
With shoulders shaking, one boy crammed his face into the
fold of his elbow to stifle his laughter. The other boy leaned expectantly toward the Smart board waiting for the next juicy lyric. While they regained control they made
eye contact with almost every other boy in the class as if to silently sing, “Do you hear what I hear?”
And just when they thought they’d heard it all, a big blue planet sang:
I
am Uranus. 
I’m an icy gas giant…
Oh my.
At that point, I feared I may laugh out loud myself. Their
faces were contorted with happy disbelief at the lyrics being touted as
learning. 
As the song ended they scanned my face for any trace of a sense of humor and begged to hear it again. In the interest of time, I declined.
And let me tell you, I don’t know what else they will
remember about the solar system, but I’m certain of this: there are at least
eleven fourth grade boys (as well as several girls) who will never forget that
Jupiter is not made of solid matter but is instead a “gas giant.”
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Filed Under: Silly Stuff, Teachers

Comments

  1. Mindy says

    September 6, 2012 at 2:06 pm

    Cracking up here!! That makes you a great sub teacher!

    Reply
    • shauna says

      September 7, 2012 at 10:12 pm

      Well, I think the jury is out on that…check back in 8 weeks with the regular teacher : )

      Reply
  2. Mary Scharnweber says

    September 6, 2012 at 10:52 pm

    Would be LOL if I wasn't at work!! I had to stifle my laughter like a 4th grade boy:)

    Reply
    • shauna says

      September 7, 2012 at 10:11 pm

      Way to show restraint, Mary : ) I was almost lol-ing in class at those boys : )

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Teacher or Student? says:
    February 9, 2016 at 9:52 pm

    […] in fourth grade is proving to be an emotional experience. One day I can hardly keep from laughing (see previous post). The next day I could almost cry…but not for the reasons you might think. According to the […]

    Reply

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HI THERE!

I’m Shauna, and I help worn-out Christians find permanent rest and relief by retelling gospel stories that highlight Jesus’ kindness toward ordinary people like us.

In my books and on this blog, I weave history, theology, and fictional detail into a fresh retelling of familiar Bible stories. I started writing them because I needed them. When I shared my stories, people said they made the Bible come to life.

If you could use some permanent rest and relief, download my free Bible story devotional.

 

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