Why is a book written about him?

The week or so has been filled with a sense of wonder in the Media Center. The second grade team and I have been working together to combine their social studies, writing, and reading standards for this quarter under one umbrella- and it's been amazing to watch. We've moved from the "What do we know about" to the "What do we want to know about" to "How can we find that?".

I never realized how great a loud library can be. Don't get me wrong- I'm not talking of the wild running willy-nilly nonsense that  happens on the playground. I'm not talking about the sounds of the shelf markers being rubbed together as if swords. I am talking about the noise that comes with reading- together.

It's fun to hear the students "wonder" about their people:

• What did he do for fun? 
• Where did he go to school? 
• Why was a book written about him anyway? 

Today: a new phenomenon-students so caught up in the moment of learning- a teacher so engaged with her class- all focused and working in groups on research....that they were late to lunch! They dropped their resources and went- then came back right after lunch to continue the journey of learning. 

Sigh. That's all the reminder I needed at the end of this day- of why I do what I do. For that group of students- today was filled with the wonder of learning.