Norwood Avenue School

Cranston, Rhode Island

April 6, 2004: Tunia arrived in the second grade classroom at Norwood Avenue School today. She met the boys and girls in Room 2 and made many new friends. Her long trip from Australia made her very tired, but she is happy to be in Room 2 and is looking forward to an exciting visit.

April 7, 2004: Tunia had an exciting day today with the boys and girls in Room 2. In the morning, Tunia went on a field trip with them. They took a school bus to Roger Williams Park where they visited the Museum of Natural History and Planetarium. They saw a play called "Stargazers". Then the lights went out and it seemed like the middle of the night. Everyone could see the stars and the constellations in the planetarium. They saw Cassiopeia, The Big Dipper, and many other things of the night sky. Tunia and her friends were back at school in time for lunch.

Tunia gets ready to see the stars at the planetarium.

Tunia is sitting on the equipment that projects the stars onto the planetarium ceiling.

Tunia also had a surprise from a student who brought in tiny furniture and things for her to use while she visits. Tunia's friend brought in a bed, a couch, a sink, a toilet, and a mailbox. How lucky Tunia is to have a friend like that!

Tunia looks very comfortable with the furniture that she used during her visit to Miss Cafferty's class.

Tunia is all covered up and ready to go to sleep. Traveling can be very tiring!

Later in the day, Tunia watched lessons and activities. Tunia was very quiet as she listened while some of the students had a chance to read to Miss Cafferty, their teacher. The boys and girls worked on two-digit subtraction with regrouping, and they played a math game called "Around the World". All the students and Tunia were good listeners as Miss Cafferty read When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant. What a busy day it was!

Tunia loves watching her smart friends do fun things like math and reading!

April 12 - 16, 2004: Tunia was in Rhode Island, her home state, during Norwood Avenue School's spring vacation. She is usually away from home when spring arrives so it was a great treat for Tunia to look for signs of spring at home. Here are some photos of the early spring plants she saw.

Tunia is enjoying the woodland plant called Brunnera. It likes the shade. Look at its heart-shaped leaves.

Look at the Daffodil Tunia found! The Daffodil has long spiky leaves.

This plant that Tunia found is called Dicentra, or Bleeding Heart. It grows in the shade.

This is a Hyacinth. It smells wonderful! It has spiky leaves.

Tunia enjoyed seeing the Forsythia at home. She usually misses its blooms when she is traveling. When the yellow blossoms fade and fall, the leaves will appear. Isn't that the opposite of how most plants grow?

The little white flowers of the Pachysandra are sometimes missed when people don't look closely at their surroundings. Tunia always looks closely!

This Quince has some buds that have not yet opened. Will they open before Tunia goes to Canada?

Here are some links with more information from Tunia about leaves:

http://members.cox.net/tunias_travels/Leaves.htm

http://members.cox.net/tunias_travels/Patterns.htm

http://members.cox.net/tunias_travels/Veins.htm

April 23, 2004: Tunia had great fun during this past week: It was Reading Week at Norwood Avenue School. Miss Cafferty from Room 2 went to read to the third graders, and their teacher, Mr. DiOrio, stopped into Room 2 to read to Tunia and her friends. He read one of Tomie dePaola's Strega Nona books.

Room 2 also enjoyed reading with their book buddies from the fifth grade. Tunia listened as the fifth graders read to the second graders and the second graders read to the fifth graders. What good readers they all are!

Tropical Day was a real treat. The students dressed in tropical clothes and pretended they were reading on a warm tropical beach. They spread their beach towels out and let their imaginations take them away as they read.

Then at the end of the week, everyone in the school dressed as their favorite character from a book. Tunia recognized many characters from books she loves. What a great Reading Week Room 2 had. Tunia thinks every week should be Reading Week!

April 26, 2004: Tunia is amazed at how generous her friends in Room 2 have been. One of them brought in a dollhouse and some others brought in furniture and household items to put into the house. They are making Tunia so comfortable that it will be hard for her to leave.

Click on the flower to return to Tunia's main page.

Click on the arrow to go to Tunia's next school in Canada.