Drop Everything And Read

This past April 12th would have been author Beverly Cleary's 105th birthday.  Beverly Cleary is the beloved author of many children's books including The Mouse and the Motorcycle and the Ramona series.  Beverly Cleary was a huge supporter of D.E.A.R. time (Drop Everything And Read).  To honor Beverly Cleary's memory we enjoyed D.E.A.R. time outside on Tuesday, April 13th.  Students brought in beach towels and read and relaxed outside.

Mapping the United States

On Friday, April 16th students learned a brief history of the United States from "Neal the Map Man."  Neal taught the students a bit of history as he drew a map of the United States from memory.  Students learned many U.S. facts.
Here are a few of the things they learned.

• Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the U.S.
• The largest living things on this planet are trees.
• Death Valley is the lowest point in the country at 282 feet below sea level.
• Iowa is the U.S. state that produces the most corn.
• The first U.S. mail system was the Pony Express which existed from 1860-1861.

At the end of the show Neal asked the students a number of questions and students were able to show what they learned using the clues that Neal had drawn on the map.  It was a fun, interactive learning experience for all!