Just My Luck: Learning About Superstitions

guest postal service by Joann Wasik from The Gateway.org

It's mid-Oct, which means that little ghosts and goblins everywhere are gearing up for a fun, sugar-fueled nighttime of play tricks-or-treating on Halloween. The kids' growing excitement is palpable, and teachers oft tap into their students' interest by offering Halloween-related crafts and projects. Students of all ages respond well to ghost stories and Gothic fiction lessons, with many heart and high schoolhouse classes delving into spooky classics such equally Mary Shelley'south Frankenstein or Washington Irving's The Fable of Sleepy Hollow. Still looking for something unlike? How almost exploring the "how" and "why" backside superstitions?

The give-and-take "superstition" carries a rather negative connotation, as it refers to a belief that is non based on reason, but is, in fact, irrational. Yet, superstitions are deeply rooted in human history, and persist in the 21st century. Your students tin can likely cite a litany of mutual superstitions: Break a mirror? 7 years' bad luck! Black cats are unlucky, and don't even think virtually opening an umbrella indoors. While the number 13 is considered unlucky in western cultures, many Asian cultures avoid the number four whenever possible, equally its pronunciation can be the same every bit for the discussion "death". While most people probably don't actually believe in such superstitions, bear witness of superstitions' influence still pervades our lives on a daily basis. Most hotels, office, and flat buildings still don't have a 13th floor; the 14th floor immediately follows the twelfth floor. Despite medical evidence to the reverse, some parents are withal convinced that pond immediately afterwards eating volition induce cramps. We still knock on wood to go on our proficient luck flowing, hunt for four-leaf clovers, await a groundhog'southward shadow to forecast the end of winter, and make wishes on fallen eyelashes. Esteemed medical journals, too, have examined the office of superstition in daily life: A 1993 British study, for instance, found a definite correlation between Fri the 13th and increased traffic accidents, where doctors saw a 52% increase in hospitalizations due to traffic accidents on Friday the 13th versus other Fridays. The doctors' recommendations? Stay home on Friday the 13th.

This week I've highlighted three resources on superstitions from the Gateway's collection. I'll also be featuring many more lessons, resources, and activities throughout the week on our Twitter and Facebook pages – many of them for ELL students equally well. Please read my colleague Peggy's companion cavalcade (linked beneath) for additional resources and teaching ideas that take reward of the chilling flavor.

List of Superstitions Lesson Plan
Subjects: Writing, Social studies
Class: 3-5
Why practice we believe in the prognostication powers of a groundhog to tell us if when wintertime will terminate? This lesson plan asks students to option from a list of superstitions, consider where the superstition came from, and then confirm their hypothesis with research. I similar that this lesson asks students to try to track downwardly the origins of diverse superstitions every bit well as brand educated guesses every bit to why such superstitions were created in the kickoff identify. Bully lesson for honing those critical thinking skills! This lesson is offered by Flocabulary, an online learning platform that delivers educational hip-hop songs and videos to K-12 students.

Superstitions and Quondam Wives Tales Lesson Plan
Subjects: Science, Linguistic communication Arts, ESL
Course: 7-ix
In this lesson, students work in small groups to develop a hypothesis and conduct the steps of the scientific method past identifying and examining superstitions and old wives' tales. I like how this lesson takes a scientific approach to explore a subject that is based largely on folklore and unsubstantiated beliefs – a good exercise in viewing a subject from unlike viewpoints. This lesson, written past a teacher, is bachelor through Seach-Document.com.

The Part of Superstition in The Adventures of Blueberry Finn
Subjects: English language Language Arts
Grade: nine-12
How does superstition have a bearing on the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? Tin students utilize the novel to investigate their own superstitions? I like how this lesson non simply exercises students' literary analysis skills, but also has them make connections between Huck's behavior and fears and their own. This lesson was produced past Linda Dursteler at Weber Academy.

Peggy's companion cavalcade:

Resource mentioned in this post:

clevelandstine1951.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.weareteachers.com/just-my-luck-learning-about-superstitions/

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