LIZ'S CLASS NOTES

The Senior Learners are settling into the new year quite well. We've played games, individualized our binders, set expectations for ourselves, our teachers, our classmates, and classroom, and began our ap- prenticeships. This year, the Senior Learners are apprenticing with L & W Cafe, The Southfork Natural History Museum and Nature Trail, The Children's Museum of the East End, The Watermill Center, The Veterinary Clinic of the East End, Arf, Complements Boutique, and The Shinnecock Oyster Hatchery.

We ventured into the local East End to visit the Bridgehampton Library to borrow our independent reading books, and visited the wonderful Southfork Museum of Natural History and Nature Trail.

The kids are completely immersed in our read-aloud, The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into Consciousness by Sy Montgomery. They are learning that creative non-fiction can be as absorbing and surprising as fiction. Montgomery's story of her relationship with octopuses raises questions for the kids, like "How do you know what an animal with a different mind thinks? Can you ever know? Can we apply what we know about ourselves to other animals? There are many philosophical questions to grapple with and lots of vocabulary to learn while enjoying this terrific book.