Elementary Ad-Busters April 1
This week’s New Yorker has a quirky article on how one teacher is teaching the art of scrutiny in the form of ad-busting to kindergartners in Park Slope. A little reminder for teachers everywhere to figure out a way to incorporate critical thinking against the grain, using the most pervasive blandishments. Does milk really do a body good if it’s full of hormones? A question an early burgeoning eight-year old might be interested in.
There’s a slew of resources out there to stir things up, so the most profane rises to the top for an opportunity to be skimmed away - okay, stew season is over. Well, you won’t find talk of soup on Super Size Me, but if your students haven’t seen it, you’re sure to get them talking (Netflix is a write off for teachers, isn’t it?). I’m sorry to say I have Charlotte’s Web in my queue - not because it isn’t an excellent commentary on cruelty to animals, but because I heard it sucks. Nevertheless, my students loved the book and movies make their toes wiggle.