Dino Days

Dinosaurs, if there's no default American holiday, are an awesome ESL lesson plan. Because the frightful lizards are inherently fun, kids (almost) forget that they are using English if you can get them on a dino-track.

Rather than attempt Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. with some of the little folk this week, I stuck with dinos.

My personal dinosaur knowledge has receded significantly since second grade, and I can now do little more than recite triceratops, stegosaurus, velociraptor, pterodactyl, brontosaurus and of course a different King, Mr. Tyrannosaurus Rex, but that's all it takes to get kids going. Some classes practiced the simple present tense and the present continuous tense, but others got the green light to explore their own dino-tale in a story telling adventure.

The best comes from Bagi, the pi-memorizing ninth grader who is the assistant to the vice president of the Green Club.

Picture 1, a well-drawn triceratops next to a cheesy T-Rex.

The dinosaurs fighted.

Picture 2, another skillfully-drawn triceratops, laying on its side, next to another poor T-Rex.

The T-Rex killed the Triceratops.

Picture 3, a mis-formed T-Rex, now with an extended jaw like an alligator, ripping flesh from the carcass.

The T-Rex eated the meat of the Triceratops.

Picture 4. A ridiculously poorly-drawn t-rex, squatting.

The T-Rex dropped dino doo-doo. (Some phrases were pre-introduced by the teacher...)

Picture 5. A small, scribbled t-rex and a giant flaming ball.

The meteor comed.

Picture 6. Two hastily drawn dinosaur carcasses laying next to each other.

The mass-extinction of the dinosaurs happened.

Ah, the poetry of a ninth-grader summarizing 250 million years of pre-human history. But perhaps next week we'll work on the simple past tense.

Off to pack for ski trip in Austria. Ding ding ding. I'm prepared, now that Heves has received another two inches of beautiful snow.

But the real thanks must go to Gitta, who has sewn four (of five) buttons on my second-hand European-to-the-Tee Swedish-made leather coat, and has given me a scarf and a pair of gloves. Nothing like winter clothing and friendship to warm the body and soul during a cold, dark winter.

Bring it on, winter and the Alps, I am Wisconsin-born and bred and can handle this blustery non-sense you throw at me!