Fun with Whatever
This is a quick tip, but a good one. One day, as a joke, I sarcastically used the term “Fun with Long Division” to describe the rather dry lesson we were about to do for the next hour. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. Now, my students and I refer to many lessons as “Fun with [whatever.]” The more mundane the lesson, the more fun the title. “Fun with Apostrophes” was a real winner.
The weird thing is that this really does make the lesson more fun. There are several reasons:
- We work a little harder to make the lesson live up to its ambitious yet ironic title.
- Seeing the word “fun” on the board tricks our subconscious minds into having just a little fun.
- Misery loves company, and if we all acknowledge that apostrophes aren’t the most exciting thing EVER! then we bond as we help each other make it through the lesson.