Narrator: Henry, Jessie, and Ronald were walking to school. They were discussing global warming and if people were causing it or if it was just a freak of nature. Jessie had a very strong point of view she would not stop talking about.
Jessie: (with attitude) I think the earth is naturally warming. People couldn’t have done anything. How do you think we got out of an Ice age hundreds of years ago?
Henry: I agree. But someone else doesn’t think so!
Ronald: (adjust glasses) Hey now! I never said I didn’t-
Henry: Not you, dipstick! I’m talking about Mrs. Grover. She thinks people cause everything. She also says we could die tomorrow because of global warming! I hate social studies because of her! (show a disgusted face)
Narrator: The three friends continue to walk to school. They remain silent as they enter Mr. Ryan’s class.
Mr. Ryan: Hi class, how are you today?
Class (audience): Good.
Mr. Ryan: Good. Today we are discussing different types of sentences. The four different kinds are….
Class (audience): Imperative, Interrogative, Declarative, Exclamatory.
Narrator: Jessie and Henry half listen as the think of the next class with Mrs. Grover. They think it’s the worse class of the day. Worse then math even! After 52 minutes in complete boredom but a good daydream, they meet up with Ronald.
Ronald: (adjust glasses) How’s it going? (look beat)
Jessie: You look awful! What did Ms. Ling do to you guys this time?
Ronald: (adjust glasses) Well, she had us run around the classroom and do pushups if we did something wrong. It was horrible!
Narrator: Ronald looks at them. Meanwhile, Jessie and Henry start walking to Mrs. Grover’s class. The bell rings as soon as they walk through the door.
Mrs. Grover: Good morning, class! Today, I have to announce a very fun project coming up!
Narrator: Henry gets a really bad feeling about the project and turns to Ronald and Jessie. He sees they are looking uneasy, too. Then, Jessie raises her hand.
Jessie: What is the subject of the project?
Mrs. Grover: Global warming, of course! You guys can work in groups of two or three people and you get to create a PowerPoint, video, or skit to show what you think is causing global warming and how to fix it. It will be great!
Narrator: The next day in Mrs. Grover’s class, Ronald, Jessie, and Henry pair up. They discuss what they were going to do. None of them believed in humans were causing global warming, but their grade depended on it.
Henry: Well, Mrs. Grover did say it was our opinion. So, let’s make it our opinion.
Jessie: (look unsure) Well, we might get docked points because we don’t believe global warming is because of people. But do you think we should give it a shot.
Narrator: They looked at each other then finally decided they would go ahead and make a project on what they believed. For, the next two weeks, they worked and worked. They made sure everything was the way they wanted it and how they would present it.
Ronald: (adjust glasses) Well, looks like we got it all down good. Do you think Mrs. Grover will like it?
Henry: Why are you always adjusting your glasses?
Ronald: Well, (take off glasses) if you haven’t noticed, I have the smallest nose in the 7th grade. So, it’s not really a joke. I have to do it. (Jessie laughs)
Jessie: That’s really….(gasp for breath) funny! ( gasp for breath)
Narrator: Henry cracks a smile then quickly hides it as he sees Ronald’s scowl towards Jessie. As they clean up and put their laptop away, Mrs. Grover claps her hands.
Mrs. Grover: Remember class, that tomorrow you will be presenting your projects to the entire school! If you aren’t prepared come tomorrow morning and work on your project.
Narrator: Jessie, Henry, and Ronald walk quickly out the door. While walking to their classes, they don’t say a word. They are very nervous for tomorrow. (Jessie, Henry, and Ronald: look nervous)
Narrator: The next day they walk slowly to their classes, dreading the presentation they have to give. They were glad to give their opinion, but they weren’t sure if they would lose points because of what they believed. They walked slowly to the auditorium, where they would give their presentation.
Jessie: I’m really nervous! What if we forget what to say? And what will Mrs. Grover say? (pretend to bite nails)
Ronald: (adjust glasses) What if my glasses fall off my nose and break?
Narrator: Henry cracks a smile but keeps walking. As they arrive to the auditorium, they take their place in the order which they will present their project. They were dead last.
Mrs. Grover: Ok, then. Let’s begin. Johnny and Kim, you’re up.
Narrator: Ronald, Jessie, and Henry watched report after report. They grew very nervous. The presentations given were very good. Wondering and watching, they didn’t even here their names being called. When they finally heard their names, they walked slowly up on stage. Then Jessie began to speak.
Jessie: Um, good morning. Uh…..Henry, Ronald, and I did a project on something a little different. We believe there is a different reason that we have global warming. So to begin our presentation, Henry here will explain what we have discovered and put in perspective. (gesture to Henry)
Henry: Um, well we believe global warming is not caused by people. As you can see, ( point to presentation board) Earth’s temperatures have been climbing for years.
Ronald: So people ask yourself this: Why do you think Earth’s temperatures are rising? Many of you will say because of people and the whole in the ozone layer. But think about this: How did we come out of an Ice Age? (look at Jessie)
Jessie: He has a very good point. People didn’t exist at the time of the Ice Age. And you have to have heat to melt ice. So people couldn’t have caused global warming back then.
Ronald: That doesn’t mean people are causing it now. We just might be speeding up the process. So basically-
Mrs. Grover: So if you don’t believe people are causing global warming, what is? (look inquiringly at Henry, Ronald, and Jessie)
Henry: Well, as we told you, Earth’s temperature has been warming up for thousands of years. What is causing this is what scientists are still piecing together. But they believe the circumference of the sun has been expanding since the beginning of time.
Jessie: Meaning the sun is growing bigger and bigger every minute. And about one billion years from now it will have expanded all the way out to Uranus, burning the Earth completely. Then, our sun will explode, ending any life left to live.
Mrs. Grover: (look confused) So, what does that have to do with an Ice Age?
Jessie: As you know, it has to be below 32 degrees Fahrenheit to freeze anything. So, the sun was much smaller thousands of years ago. The sun would have been to far away to melt the ice. But as the sun expanded, it came closer to the earth and melted the ice covering the earth.
Narrator: The audience made no applause. It was utter silence as Henry, Ronald, and Jessie rapped up their presentation. Mrs. Grover was the first to applaud. She was totally stunned at the amazing knowledge these students possessed. It was the best presentation she had ever seen.
Mrs. Grover: That was amazing! Where did you learn such things?
Ronald: (adjust glasses) Well, we did our research.
Henry: We had some background knowledge, too, along with our own beliefs.
Mrs. Grover: It was inspiring! You have totally changed my point of view of global warming. Thank you.
Narrator: For the next two weeks, Mrs. Grover changed the teachings of global warming the best she could. Even the principal changed her view of global warming. Jessie, Ronald, and Henry became very popular. They enjoyed Mrs. Grover’s class now more than ever.
Ronald: (adjust glasses) I’m so glad we did our project on our perspective.
Henry: Me, too. It would have been miserable if we had to do something against our ideas. You didn’t adjust your glasses at all during the presentation, either. (giggle)
Ronald: (look annoyed) Ha ha, very funny.
Henry: Well-
Jessie: Oh stop already! You two fight like little girls fighting over an ice-cream cone.
Ronald and Henry: Sorry.
Jessie: Thank you. Now what do you want for lunch?
Narrator: They all looked at the choices. All of the meals looked like mush, so they got pizza. Jessie, Henry, and Ronald all sat together and chatted about random things. Meanwhile, Mrs. Grover was talking to the fifth graders about how Ronald, Henry, and Jessie gave a great presentation. Also, she taught them about the points made in their presentation. She adored the presentation forever more. So the three friends now walk the halls as they used to, people occasionally stopping to see watch them and talk them and how their presentation changed an entire teaching unit and the teacher herself. They also never forgot how Ronald never once fixed his glasses. (Ronald fix glasses) Well, that may have been the only time he never fixed his glasses!