The arts and brain development

I found this article in the Baltimore Sun, courtesy of NCTE, that described studies looking at the connection between arts instruction and brain function. Highly interesting, though not surprising.

Having fun with nonfiction

First graders are enjoying their study of nonfiction, culminating in writing their own book on a topic of their choice. We played with the idea of fiction and nonfiction in the library today. We read Naked Mole Rat by Jody Sullivan Rake and identified many nonfiction features we have studied. Then, we switched gears a bit and read Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems. Lots of laughs! Finally, we read Animals should definitely not wear clothing by Judi Barrett, and we wondered which animal we might use in our own illustrations of Ms. Barrett's theory.