For kids, school assignments can often feel disconnected from the real world. Math story problems that ask how many pancakes could fit on a roof, for example, or essay questions about things they're just not interested in. For teachers, finding ways to engage students in learning in a meaningful way can be a challenge, but one teacher's approach to teaching writing shows how a little creativity and community-mindedness can create a win-win assignment for everyone.Amy McKinney, a teacher in Pennsylvania, was teaching her third graders about persuasive writing. But rather than have them formulate an argument for an imagined audience, McKinney partnered with a local animal shelter to give her students an authentic audience to write for—and a super compelling reason to persuade them."Our class teamed up with an animal shelter to help their pets get adopted!" McKinney wrote on Instagram. "We were sent a short description and a photo of each pet. My students each chose one pet to write about and sent our essays to the shelter to display and post to their social media channels." See on Instagram “My students’ engagement was tremendous!" she added. "They knew the work they were doing would make a huge difference in a pet’s life, so what normally takes us a couple of weeks to do, we completed in just days.”Knowing that something you're doing could have a real-world impact is a strong incentive, no matter what your age, but considering how much kids usually love animals, it's no surprise the kids were into it. Animal shelters are always looking for ways to get furever homes for the animals in their care, so this assignment was truly purrfect. The first-person (or first-animal) descriptions the kids came up with were cute and clever. Imagine seeing write-ups like these ones and trying to say no to the cute furry faces they go with :Hi, my name is Peaches & all I want is a family. ADOPT ME PLEASE. I’m very sweet. I like to be petted. I have a unique color. I have built in highlights. Please can I have a family to love? The months here feel like forever. Obviously, I’m the best one of all. Adopt me, please! I love other dogs! I’m Pete and I enjoy other dogs. To begin with, if you have another dog I’d be great. Second of all, I am only 20 pounds at 5 years old. I’m not a big dog so. You could probably lift me up. Lastly, I’m kind of shy but I’ll warm up. All I need is a little baby talk and some petting. Please adopt me. All I want is a family. Can’t you just help me?Have you ever seen a dog as cute as me? HI, I’m Judd! I would love to be a part of your family. I’m super cute, I’m goofy, and love people. I would love to go with an energetic family and I’m wonderful. I was born on 5/25/2018. I’ve been in the shelter for about a year and I would love to go home with you. I want to go on adventures with a family! I love spending time with humans and I love running around. That is why you should adopt me. I’ll be waiting for you to come to get me!Hi! My name is Julia. Have you ever seen such a cute cat as me? I would love to be in your family. First, I love head scratches. If you bring me home we could cuddle. Next, I am very sweet. I will come up to you to receive love. Last, I am energetic. I love running around. As you can see, I am a really great cat to have!Don’t worry I’m not bad luck even though I am black! My name is Ursula. Please adopt me! First, I like to snuggle. I am nice don’t worry I won’t scratch! Second, I like head scratches. While we snuggle you can scratch my head. Most importantly, I am really small. When you need something you can’t reach, I’ll get it! Now you know you can adopt me. Have you ever seen such adorable eyes and fur? My name is Bandit. I’ve been here too long. First would love a home to snuggle. If you bring me home we will cuddle. Next, I don’t enjoy being in the shelter. I don’t like being in a small cage. Last I am shy but enjoy being petted. I love getting scratched on the head. Obviously, I’m the best one!The kids even drew pictures to go along with their persuasive descriptions, which made them all the more adorable.Lots of teachers in the comments said they planned to contact animal shelters in their area and do something similar with their students. Here's to teachers thinking outside the box—and outside the classroom—to help their students apply their learning to the real world.You can follow Amy McKinney on her Instagram page, The Unique Classroom.

People give advice on all kinds of things whether you asked for it or not. Sometimes the advice you receive is solid, well thought out helpful advice that comes from years of experience. Other times the advice makes little sense or was simply unsolicited and unhelpful. Then there's the kind that seems nonsensical but you try it anyway because you've reached a level of desperation you'd rather not share and much to your surprise, it works.But wouldn't it be fabulous if you didn't have to reach the brink of desperation to know if some of ridiculous sounding advice actually worked? There are certainly going to be instances where it doesn't matter how well other people proclaim a thing works, not everyone will want to try it. But there are times when the advice feels so outlandish or cliché that you have to share it with others when it works as promised. There's a plethora of seemingly ridiculous advice out there that actually does work...or at least some people swear it does. Here are 10 pieces of weird advice that may make you scratch your head but supposedly work. Sleepy Go To Sleep GIF by Simian Reflux Giphy 1. Did you try turning it off and back on again?It doesn't matter if it's your smart TV or your toddler, there's nothing quite as effective as turning the thing off and on. Feeling a little grumpy, take a nap. It's the human equivalent to unplugging something and plugging it back in or turning it off and on. Someone shares the time tested tip saying, "turn it off and on again. There is a reason that this works in a lot of cases, it's not just bullsh*t advice."2. Using household items to solve problems worksYou probably remember hearing as a kid using peanut better or an ice cube gets gum out of someone's hair. There are all sorts of little tricks to solve everyday problems with things you already have handy, like if your kid puts a bunch of oil in their hair–pretend they're a baby duck and whip out the Dawn dish soap. But there's more, one person explains, "Ketchup cleans brass. Melting a crayon into rusted threads gets the bolt out easily," before someone else chimes in, "and pepsi cleans everything, so long as you don't leave it in so long it melts." Cheese Pam GIF Giphy 3. "Say cheese"There's a reason customer service people sound so cheerful and it's not always because they love their job. The customer service representatives that make you feel like they're having a great day when you're calling about an error in your billing, they may just be hiding a secret–it's not cheese. Someone relays, "Smile when talking on the phone to someone. It can actually make you sound more friendly and approachable. The person you are speaking to should sense this and may respond to you better."People confirm the validity of this advice with one saying, "Tried this in a couple of Interview phone calls and I can attest to it, IT WORKS," while someone else writes "If affects your own mood too and will often genuinely make you feel chirpier." "Smile, even when you don’t feel like it. It sounds so fake, right? But the weird thing is, even forcing yourself to smile can actually trick your brain into feeling a little happier or more positive. It’s not a cure for everything, but it can definitely help shift your mood, even if it’s just for a moment," another chimes in. Pretty sure there's a song about it by Nat King Cole, too so there must be something to this smiling thing. Ice Fridge GIF by Millions Giphy 4. Keys go in the refrigeratorYes, keys go in the refrigerator not on the key hook...well that's if you don't want to forget your lunch according to one advice giver, "put your keys in the fridge with your leftovers when you're heading out. Haven't forgotten my lunch at home since starting this weird habit five years ago." Now that's a nifty little trick that your stomach may thank you for later. 5. You don't have to hang upside down to cure hiccupsA couple of the most common cures to hiccups is to hold your breath or hang upside down but there may be an easier more interesting way. While people have sworn by placing a piece of paper on your head as a cure for the annoying body glitch, someone shares a hack that works every time saying, "Got the hiccups? Drink water from the opposite side of the glass. Lean forward and drink upside down. Looks absolutely ridiculous but has worked for me every single time since my college roommate taught me this trick." Another person backs them up, "Can confirm. I’ve been doing this for years! Always take a lungs filling deep breath and hold it before looking ridiculous." Uhhh No GIF by Brittany Broski Giphy 6. "Make them tell you no"There are many instances where people talk themselves out of something they desire because they're embarrassed or feel under qualified but one person offers solid advice, "'Make them tell you no.' It's great when you're not sure if you should apply for a job, go for a promotion or a raise, or do something you're afraid of. Don't be so worried about getting told no or failing, you'll surprise yourself."7. Minding your business keeps you youngAdvice so good it pops up multiple times in multiple places. If someone isn't being harmed then minding your business is free and does wonders for your life expectancy according to one person's grandfather, "My grandad lived to be 95. I asked him what the secret to a long happy life was. He told me to mind my own business." Sick Season 4 GIF by Friends Giphy 8. Unexpected invisible hairballs may be on the riseSometimes it's not years of wisdom that bring about odd advice that works wonders, advice from the mouth of a babe has an extraordinary success rate. "From my 7 year old daughter…I still laugh about it today. If you’re ever in an awkward situation with someone or need to just go away- you could always pretend to choke on something. I don’t know where this came from but it’s funny AND it works. You just run away to get a glass of water," someone adds. 9. Look out the corner of your eye Our eyes are pretty amazing, especially when they work like they're supposed to but did you know about this advice for finding things in dim lighting? According to a commenter answering a prompt on weird advice, they claim our eyeballs have a secret superpower, "If looking for something in a low light environment, try to use your peripheral vision. I read about it in an old WWII manual about aerial combat at night. It has something to do with how eyes work. It has helped me many times over the years. For finding stuff in a darkened room, or outside in a field at night, not aerial combat."Someone recalls the scientific reason this trick works, writing "if I remember what I learnt from school correctly, it's because rod cells, which are responsible for black-and-white vision and work fine in dim light, are more abundant in the periphery of retina compared to that in the centre." Brushing Season 3 GIF by Nanalan' Giphy 10. Just start somethingThere's a saying that "anything worth doing is worth doing badly." Meaning that if you're choosing between doing nothing and doing a poor job at something due to lack of energy, depression or absence of time, it's best to do something than nothing at all. Someone shared a similar piece of advice that they received from elderly southern relatives, "Somethin’ ain’t nothin’— taking 5 minutes to workout, clean, work on a big project, etc. is better than 0 minutes. We often think we’ve got to do 2 hours of rigorous work or it doesn’t accomplish anything."Just get started and if you've never heard of these random bits of life advice give some of them a try if you'd like to see how they work out. If you have your own weird but effective advice, drop it in the comments to share with others.

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