Kangaroos in Trees?!?

Maybe you are as surprsised as we were to find out that there are some kangaroos that actually live in trees!  

These kangaroos are quite different from the ground kangaroos that everyone typically thinks of, but they're still related, just like a Chihuahua is related to a St. Bernard!

Three fourth graders read to find out what adaptations these tree kangaroos have that makes it possible for them to live in trees.  Watch their presentation to learn a little bit about these interesting animals.

If you want to learn more, check out this site!

Knucklehead Review

Here's a book talk for Jon Scieszka's Knucklehead, created by Chris L. in sixth grade.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Looking for great book ideas?  Search #IMWAYR on social media to see what people around the world are reading today!

I'm reading Rules by Cynthia Lord.  It's another book that's been on my shelves for ages, and I just never got around to it.  I just started last night, but I'm hooked and can't wait until I get some more reading time later.  

Her new book, A Handful of Stars, is coming out in May and I've heard lots of good things about it.  I am really looking forward to adding that to my reading pile!

What are you reading this Monday? I'd love to know! Leave a comment! Two South School students who leave a comment by Friday will win a free book!

True Facts About Octopuses!

Octopuses are seriously incredible creatures!

These two fourth graders evaluated all the facts they learned while reading Octopus: Escape Artist of the Sea and chose what they thought were the most interesting facts to share.

If you want to learn more about them, check out this animal fact guide!

Coming soon...

These two fourth graders tell you some amazing facts they learned about octopuses.  
Apparently "octopuses" is an acceptable plural now, I learned it as octopi.

What We're Reading

This week, we've got lots of interesting nonfiction going on!  

One group of fourth graders is reading a fascinating nonfiction text called The Truth About Bats.  The text is broken up into 5 myths about bats and then explains whether they are true or not, giving scientific evidence.  For example:

Bats are blind.  True or false?

Bat's don't have great eyesight, but they're definitely not blind.  They actually use echolocation, just like dolphins!  That's what lets them hunt for food so easily at night.

A group of fifth graders is reading a really interesting procedural text about how shadow puppets are made.  It even has instructions for how to make your own.  I never knew that Chinese shadow puppets were so intricately designed and decorated.  The book said that each shadow puppet has 11 moving parts!  

There are lots of amazing shadow puppet videos on youtube, if you want to see these puppets in action!  Here is one example:

This one shows how to set up a screen at home and how to make the puppets move.  You can see what the puppeteer is doing behind the screen and how it looks from the front at the same time.

Book Talk: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger