We speculated about the origin of the planets in the light of their
relative sizes and orbits along the solar plane. I sketched a rough
diagram on the blackboard. The students reeled off the planets' names,
and recalled what they knew about this or that planetary satellite. One
youngster wanted to be certain that the class was aware that Pluto's orbit
was unusual in that it cut across the solar plane inside Neptune's orbit
and back out into interstellar space. They knew a lot about the solar
system and were proud and pleased to share their knowledge. It was a
'high tech' discussion.
The last item on my agenda was to read several single-page stories, each
closing with a dilemma confronting the lead character. The author's
answers to the puzzles were included in the text, but before disclosing it I
invited the class to suggest their own. They didn't hesitate, and
supported their ideas with logic.
As in our previous sessions which, for some students, were as far back
as preschool, they felt that they were exchanging views with an elderly
adult who had arrived from outside, who wrote stories as well as being a
storyteller, and someone who was grandpa to a fellow student.
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