As an unexpected positive of my time in 5th grade science is that when the students aren't working on the mapping project (which is what I am really there to see), they are doing a "seed challenge" where they each plant tiny seeds in soil-filled film canisters. Little do the students know, these seeds are super-infused with some kinda growth hormone so they grow fast. Each day the students return to class they measure the progress their plant has made and make other observations. This has provided great place-oriented observations that I did not anticipate.
The unexpected negative came when the students had to add support sicks to the soil because the leaves of their plants were getting too heavy for the stems. One little boy accidentally ripped a leaf off of his plant. The negative was that he had a total meltdown, crying over the loss of his plant. Not even the whole plant. Just one leaf. He was SO sad. I tried to comfort him, and told him to make a memorial to the leaf in his journal, but this had little affect. He was simply devastated at having killed his plant. Or so I thought. Turns out this kid has meltdowns all the time as a result of any perceived failure on his part.
And that's why it's important to talk about your observations with teachers who know the kids. The little boy cared no more about his plant than when he cut his paper wrong, or couldn't find his book.
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