This week's pictures

Here are the first graders.

They are still working on their special project: a prequel to one of the books we read in class. This project was supposed to have finished ages ago, but it has begun to merge into a project about how to use powerpoint.

Here in this picture, the second graders are attempting to draw a mongoose.

We just finished reading Rikki-Tikki-Tavi by Rudyard Kipling, and I wanted to know if they'd done a little research to see what a mongoose was (or alternately, if they had been listening in class).

Here are some of the results.

Here, the second graders are having a class discussion about "When I Heard the Learned Astronomer" by Walt Whitman.

Our discussion topic was: does studying something in detail increase or decrease our appreciation of the aesthetic value of art, literature, music, etc.

Here are the third grade students preparing their arguments for a debate

Here, our third grade class is having a debate based on "The Flying Machine" by Ray Bradbury.

We debated many topics, such as the arms race, national security, totalitarianism, and specifically whether or not the emperor in Bradbury's story was right or wrong to order the execution of a man who had created a flying machine that the emperor was afraid might fall into the hands of his enemies.

Here the third grade is preparing for their final project.

They will make a public service announcement, from 30 to 90 seconds long, on a topic of their choice. Right now they are discussing what their topics will be. We have three groups, each making a different PSA. One group enjoys saying "Let's do drugs."

Here the third graders are having a class discussion about "I Have Been One Acquainted with the Night" by Robert Frost.

Here the third graders are going over some discussion questions in reading class.

My high school first graders thought this was amusing:

Here the high school first graders are reading a book before class ... a highly suspicious book they found in the library. Well, at least they're reading in English, right?