My fourth graders are so very good to me! During the winter of 2011, to help me prepare for my sabbatical year in South Africa, they worked hard researching the country, its people and its animals. They found lots of fascinating information, some of which they used to create a PowerPoint slide show.

They read books and information on the Internet. They scanned nonfiction text looking for answers to specific questions, and they read chunks of material with care to determine what was the most interesting and important. They collaborated with a partner as they analyzed and synthesized. (In other words, they fulfilled the requirements for the fourth grade nonfiction language arts unit, but don't tell them that!)

In addition to helping me, their hard work caught the attention of Ms. Sono, consul of the South African Consulate in New York City. She, and others at the consulate, are living in the United States to share information about South Africa with Americans, and help South Africans learn about the United States. See the next page for information about her visit to our classroom.