I really take pleasure in hearing and watching my students read poetry, give speeches, presentations, and book reports. They usually do a fantastic job, and some of them can’t wait to get up front. Maybe it is because a few of them want to be teachers themselves. Rather than skip these assignments which some teachers feel are "optional", we look forward to and relish them, enjoying the break from the norm.
This year my fourth and fifth graders gave demonstration speeches. We learned how to draw a three-dimensional object, how to make blueberry muffins, how to bake tostadas, and how to make a catapult from a mouse trap. Although we couldn’t eat our drawings, it was fun to draw during English class, and the muffins and tostadas were delicious.