In Ellen's Room

• As we study about native Americans, the kindergartners look at books in class, point out and name forest animals, and talk over what the animals in the picture are doing. The older students actually listen to, read and discuss the text.


• Today the book was Brother Eagle, Sister Sky, by Susan Jeffers.


• Many of the words in this book were spoken to the United States government by Chief Seattle, a famous native American leader near the end of the Indian Wars.


• Chief Seattle was a brave and noble leader.


• One of his most poetic lines was "You must keep...a place where one can go to taste the wind that is sweetened by the meadow flowers."


• I asked, "Did you ever go outside and open your mouth and taste the wind?" Alex said she did once. "But it tasted kind of weird. And then a bug flew into my mouth and got in my throat."


• The first through third graders are reading about space.


• One space story is imaginary, about space people who visit a family.


• Another space story tells about a planetarium people can visit.


• There is a planetarium at OMSI, in Portland, which is very kid-friendly. They have a good website, too: http://www.omsi.edu/kids


• The magic word for today is Chief.