See, Spiderman brings gum as the treat to explain persistence power. You don't give up when you're trying to tackle a tricky word, just like you don't give up when you're trying to blow a bubble.
Here comes the questionable part of the lesson. I open a piece of gum, and tell the kids I'm going to blow a bubble. I chew the gum once, and blow as hard as I can to make a bubble happen! Of course, I have not chewed the gum enough for it to become soft and pliable. Instead of blowing a bubble, the gum just shoots right out of my mouth onto the floor. Ew.
The kids laugh, I pretend to be heartbroken, and I throw the gum away.
I tell them this must be what Spiderman wanted us to learn. I have to keep chewing! I can't just give up! I must be persistent!
I open a second piece of gum. I chew it five times. (Again, not long enough.) It's got a few more teeth imprints on it, but again the wad of gum gets spat on the floor.
"You should chew it for a really long time," the kids all say.
I decide to chew it TEN times. I grab another piece, unwrap it, we count together, and when I blow... a chunk of gum still spits out. I'm devastated. I'm about to give up. I'll never blow a bubble, I tell them. "Don't give up! Be persistent! Keep chewing it! Until it's soft!"
"Alright," I say. On the fourth piece, I chew. I chew. I chew. And I chew. When it gets really soft, I begin to blow slowly. And you know what happens? I get a tiny bubble. It pops almost immediately, but that's okay. Because each time, I've shown progress.
And as kids continue to read, each time, they'll show progress. So... if you're not afraid of getting some spit and grossness on your carpet for a minute, I highly recommend this delivery. ;)
Don't forget, you can find a scanned copy of all the Spiderman letters I use in this unit by clicking HERE!
P.S. Look what I learned to do with a little PERSISTENCE POWER today!
The kids were super impressed.
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