the classroom discussions i live for

I was with my deaf ed bunch one afternoon, and we were reading a Big Book called "I Swam with a Seal". In the book, a little girl goes to play with various animals and the animals wonder why she doesn't look like them.

Let me try to recreate a particularly interesting page that started an incident that had me laughing all the way home. (Note: blah blah blah = I don't remember the words)

"I bothered a beaver,
who was building a dam,
blah blah blah,
and away he swam.

Where is your strong tail,
you funny beaver?"

I know what you're all thinking: "Uh oh, some kid noticed the "dam" in the sentence and misunderstood!" Nope! Here's what happened:
I finished reading the page, and my second grader stops the class and says "Wait, wait, wait". He is looking pretty confused. Then he asked: "Beaver have tail?"

At least, that's what I thought he said, so I said: "Yes, beavers have tails!" I even pointed at the picture for emphasis.

He looked alarmed, and then said: "What? Justin Bieber have a TAIL?!?"

And then I giggled. A lot. Because "Beiber" and "beaver" sound very similar. So I wrote some things down on the board and drew some stick figures just to make sure that he didn't go home thinking his favorite superstar had a tail!

9 comments:

BNM said...

hahaha i love the things kids say well some the conversation i had with a 4th grader was funny but horrible

Rachel said...

You gotta love a lipreading oopsie!

Anonymous said...

Man, whats with deaf and beaver (don't worry, I am one of the deaf) Another blog says a deaf person thought a beaver built the man- made dam (when it is obvious from the picture it man made) . She had to show her the difference between a manmade dam and beaver made dam

Randy et Jan said...

Too funny!

Anonymous said...

btw, I don't think he would go home and think Justin Bieber have a tail (it's obvious he knows his superstar). I think he will go home thinking that YOU think Bieber have a tail and you are a nutty teacher LOL.

But there are so many nonsense poems out so when something seem obvious, I often wonder if it have a double meaning. So I stay quiet and don't express my opinion as I don't understand majority of them. Do you teach kids idioms and expression daily? It make reading a lot more pleasurable as books contain mostly of them (deaf people can be very behind in idioms and expression.. and will read over them if they can't understand it)

JoAnna said...

well, he IS from canada. and they have a lot of beavers there!!!

Bethany said...

I'd have just let him think it. One less Bieber fan in the world might not be a bad thing.

Sherri said...

Oh man! So funny....and good that you can remember these things later! I'd need a video tape to remember the funnies!

Charlotte said...

Too funny. Wouldn't be surprised if he were hiding a tail somewhere in that hair-do of his.

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