The teachers, parents and guests who accompany them are amazed at the depth and scope of the students' insight and understanding. A writing workshop is in progress in a 4th-grade classroom. Students are working independently, revising ideas from their writers' notebooks. The teacher weaves among them. She asks for volunteers to share their writing.
Many hands shoot up.
A student reads while the class listens with focused attention. The teacher leads a discussion, making connections between this writing and other literature the class has read. The conversation is sophisticated. The mood is relaxed. The class groans when the bell rings.