Each week I like to preview the latest Time magazine, mostly because this class is fascinated by current events. This week the cover story is on Alzheimer's. We discussed what it is and I told the students that scientists are working on a test that would tell people if they are at risk for getting the disease. I was amazed at the depth of thought each student gave to this rather difficult subject. A student raised their hand and said they would not want to know if they were going to get it and another student said they would want to know. A very rich and deep discussion followed where students ended up writing a short, but detailed answer to the question of whether or not they would want to know and why. We shared our responses at the end.
While I was standing there listening to these fourth graders talk about this topic I couldn't help but notice how deeply they were thinking. Every student had their hand raised to share their viewpoint. I turned it into a writing activity because that adds another layer and skill. They jumped at the chance.
At the end of the discussion I asked them to go home and ask their mom or dad if they would want to know. So, be prepared for this question, or bring it up if your child forgets. Ask him/her what they thought. You will no doubt get an interesting answer. While this topic may seem a bit advanced, the thinking and reflection that went on during the brief 25-minute discussion was awesome. Purely awesome.
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