there are teachers out there who pass along incorrect information. Yet again my favorite teacher (seriously, the LORD is testing me and I'm really trying not to fail) shared some of her wisdom with the class and I was again stuck interpreting it.
True Story: The school where I work is in the midst of reviewing for our standardized state testing, which means that EVERY class has abandoned all lessons in favor of taking practice tests and using review workbooks geared specifically for the state test (formerly the OPT, now the OAT). As some of you may recall, I interpret in an eighth grade social studies class. Currently this class has four adults in it, which is a rarity: the general education social studies teacher, the intervention specialist (who also happens to be the HI teacher who I have made mention of before), a student teacher from the local university, and myself. On Monday, I was interpreting a lecture the student teacher was giving, reviewing the ancient civilizations, i.e. Sumeria, Babylonia, Egypt. The student teacher was in the middle of making the point that all of these ancient civilizations developed near rivers, when the HI teacher piped up and asked the class why these civilizations developed near rivers. Well, the class agreed that it was because people needed fresh water for their crops, drinking, etc., and rivers also provided a means of transportation and sustenance. So, one student raised his hand and asked the HI teacher why, if rivers are fresh water and the oceans salt water, the oceans' water didn't infiltrate river water, thus making all water a brackish mixture. ("Brackish," that's a word that I was familiar with, but didn't quite know the definition of before I went on my educational spring break and visited the Naples Zoo, where I learned that "brackish" means a mixture of salt and fresh water, such as is found at the mouth of rivers that empty into the ocean. Hmph. Who knew that one could learn something while on vacation? My time in Florida was not a total waste).
*Prepare yourself now for the answer.*
*Are you ready? Because I certainly was not.*
The HI teacher's answer? "Rocks. There are rocks at the mouths of the rivers that prevent the ocean water from contaminating the fresh water. The rocks form a barrier, like a wall, that keeps the salty water separate from the river's water."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
You mean that it's not because the rivers run downstream and empty into the ocean? Curious.
I thought the manatees at the mouths of the rivers drink all the salt water.
Tsk, Mike, it's not manatees, but mermaids that drink all the salt water. I thought everyone knew that.
True story: I saw "The Little Mermaid" once.
Post a Comment