Ms. Jen ([info]msjen) wrote,
@ 2009-04-01 20:07:00
Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend  Next Entry
Current mood: busy
Entry tags:curriculum development

Small curriculum editing amusements
I just came across this unfortunately-worded sentence in one of our chemistry lessons:

"Tell students to cut the atoms apart with scissors."

Uh...okay. Duck and cover, kids!

(What the author actually meant was "Tell students to cut apart the circles of paper that represent atoms." But hey, that's less fun.)




ETA: I found another one. A truly challenging task: "Ask students to find the atoms in baking soda. Confirm that they have the correct atoms by asking them to hold up sodium, hydrogen, carbon, and three oxygens."

I doubt anyone will ever notice this (in fact, it probably goes into my ongoing list of items designated "If Any Teacher Ever Notices This, I Will Personally Give Them Five Bucks"), so maybe I'll leave the kids to their atom splitting and call it a night.




(10 comments) - (Post a new comment)


[info]jetspeaks
2009-04-02 03:11 am UTC (link)
Man, if it were that easy, we could all have nuclear power!

And the world would be a messier place...

(Reply to this)


[info]flipping_hades
2009-04-02 03:13 am UTC (link)
All this time we could have been splitting atoms with SCISSORS?!? Oh the fun I've missed...

(Reply to this) (Thread)


[info]jetspeaks
2009-04-02 03:18 am UTC (link)
I KNOW. :D

Maybe you need special "safety" scissors to contain the energy?

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]msjen
2009-04-02 03:31 am UTC (link)
That explains why safety scissors don't work. They need to be applied to very small pieces of matter only.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]jetspeaks
2009-04-02 03:57 am UTC (link)
So they *are* working, we just can't see the results in the visible spectrum? That's... scary.

(Reply to this) (Parent)


[info]bostonista
2009-04-02 03:25 am UTC (link)
Does nuclear fusion involve rubber cement? It should.

(Reply to this) (Thread)


[info]jetspeaks
2009-04-02 03:31 am UTC (link)
Sounds like you'd only need paste. Or sticky tape.

(Reply to this) (Parent)


[info]ousel
2009-04-02 04:42 am UTC (link)
Why isn't my class taught this way?! snerk

(Reply to this) (Thread)


[info]jetspeaks
2009-04-02 05:58 am UTC (link)
I will mail you some atoms to split. You have to supply your own safety scissors though.

(Reply to this) (Parent)


[info]incorpore
2009-04-02 09:59 am UTC (link)
"Teacher, I can haz plz electron microscopez for compleatz this project?"

(Reply to this)


(10 comments) - (Post a new comment)

Create an Account
Forgot your login or password?
Login w/ OpenID
English • Español • Deutsch • Русский…