Excuses

Health connection
This lesson is part of a larger Health unit in which we have been studying communicable diseases and other medical conditions using BrainPop and KidsHealth.org.

The students read Shel Silverstein's poem "Sick" from "Where the Sidewalk Ends". In this poem, little Peggy Ann McKay has a series of medical conditions that will not allow her to attend school. When she is reminded that it is Saturday, she has an instant recovery and is able to go out to play.

Language Art connection
Students write a poem entitled "Excuses" using the same meter as "Sick" (two lines, eight syllables each, having the accent on syllables 2, 4, 6, and 8).

We start with the opening lines:

Ms. ______'s class says, "There's no way",
"That we can take the test today."

And end with the closing lines:

What, what's that you say,
You say the test is not today,
Good bye we're going out to play.

In between the opening and closing stanzas, students add their individual poems describing the disease or medical condition (health connection) which prohibits them from test taking. Students have researched their disease and the symptoms that accompany it.

Technology connection
Students take photos of each other using a digital camera. With photo editing software, each student gives himself or herself the appropriate symptoms of the condition in question. In addition, a beginning and ending class picture is taken. In the beginning picture students are obviously ill, in the ending photo students are well and happy.

We turn the poem into a slide show. Each student's poem is a separate slide. The digital photo of each student (altered to display symptoms) is inserted into his or her slide. Students narrate their poem into the slide show as well.

As few examples that students have generated:

My arm is broken, it's absurd,
To think that I could write one word.
(Student added a cast to her arm in the edited photo).

My limbs are falling off of me,
Oh my! I must have leprosy
(This student turned sideways with one hand extended to have his picture made. He took additional photos of his arm and leg. He cropped the additional photos and placed the other arm and foot into his extended hand).

Although my A.D.D. is mild,
It sometimes makes me act quite wild.
(Student added foaming at the mouth and devil horns to his photo).

I have a cold; it makes my nose,
Keep dripping like a garden hose.
(No explanation needed on this photo)

It's hard to breath, I have the flu,
I think I might be turning blue.
(Student added a blue cast to her face)

Students worked on this health project in the media center using the school's mobile computer lab. Upon completion, we cut the slide show onto a CD and presented it to the classroom teacher. The classroom teachers enjoyed the show but none of the students got out of taking a test!