Thinking Outside of the Word Wall

I have a new student who loves to say "Precisely" anytime he can fit it in. And whenever another student makes a comment about something taking place in the room, he says, "Obviously." The joy he gets from speaking these two words is, well, obvious. This student rarely smiles, but the moment one of these words is available for his use, he cannot stop from breaking into a wide grin.

I have commented on his vocabulary use in front of the rest of the class, which has caused the beginnings of a verbal revolution. Instead of, "Oooohhh....I'm telling," I hear "I see something suspicious." Instead of, "Man, I have to take a shit," I hear, "I need to defecate." And these two are only examples from eighth period today.

I feel the need to run with this newfound interest in words. I think I might introduce some of my favorite words tomorrow, maybe starting with those related to music. (Please say them out loud to get the full effect.) Staccato. Vibrato. Allegro. Crescendo!

I love the idea of requesting that our classroom volume be pianissimo, or that we let our volume diminuendo. Of course, this doesn't fit into my prescribed curriculum, but maybe I can get away with it if I clearly label the literacy and music standards I am meeting. Anything to inspire a little fun!