Today we were tying science into our novel study of Tuck Everlasting by learning about osmosis. I had planned for them to connect osmosis back to the toad that the protagonist is so fond of. They did. But then they kept going. They applied the idea of osmosis with statements like ...
"I believe the fence [around Winnie's house] is symbolic of the membrane. When she left her yard, it was like the water going through the membrane. It changed her."
and
"I think that osmosis can be a metaphor for her life, because she expanded and changed when she met the Tucks. Kind of like how our gummy bears expanded and changed."
Another student tied it to the novel Peter Pan:
"Peter is trying to find a way to keep Wendy, but she's gone back. Like we can't keep the water from moving into the gummy bear."
"The nursery window is like the membrane. Once it was open, the children flew out."
Wow. Wow. Wow.