This week the fourth-graders are working on an opinion essay about "Dear Mr. Winston," a story from our Reading book. Mr. Winston is a librarian who is scared stiff of snakes, even those featured in library books favored by a young girl who brings a real snake into the library one day. Mr. Winston is traumatized and winds up in the hospital. The girl's parents make her write an apology letter to Mr. Winston, but her remorse is questionable. Our fourth-graders are now asked to decide if they sympathize with Mr. Winston and feel sorry for him, or if they find him a rather silly character. In this essay they must give reasons for either opinion. Stay tuned for upcoming Writing examples.

For the record, the answer to the Science test question, "In which state of matter is ice?" is not 'Alaska!'
The correct answer is 'solid.'