Our 4th graders current unit of inquiry is How We Express Ourselves with the central idea being Beliefs can be inferred through the analysis of ideas. Our specials teachers are supporting this central idea by studying artists, authors, musicians, dancers, etc. that chose unique ways to express their beliefs.
I chose two picture books to read out loud to my students. The first was John, Paul, George, and Ben by Lane Smith. This is a picture book about how our founding fathers unorthodox way of expressing themselves as naughty children led to them beginning a revolution and a new nation. Of course, being a Lane Smith book, it is pretty silly. The second book was The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos by Deborah Heiligman. This is a biography of mathematician, Paul Erdos, who had trouble as a kid expressing himself until he found numbers.
It was really fun, and I wish I had more time to read aloud to all my students. I'm going to try to work on a way to fit that back into my schedule.