My Book Talk

I chose the book Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins because it is an action packed adventure. It takes scene in Panem around the east side of America. Katniss is a 16 year old girl who lives in district 12 and loves to hunt. The Hunger Games is a battle made by the capitol, and tributes from all the districts fight to the finish in the arena just for the capitols entertainment! Katniss just wants her family and friends to live. She finds that her partner is a boy named Peeta the bakers son. In the Hunger Games Katniss finds the true reason she lives.

Writing Workshop 4.15.11- Using Clauses to Spice Up Our Writing

Today in our Language Arts writing workshop, we focused on our understanding goal "How does using a mixture of dependent and independent clauses strengthen my sentence structure?" We looked at a piece of writing with very simplistic sentence structure and word choice as a group and discussed ways it could be "spiced up." Then, using Google Docs, we worked in groups and incorporated dependent clauses and figurative language to strengthen the writing.  Wow- look at the difference!!

Version with simplistic sentence structure:

I woke up this morning with a terrible headache. My mom knocked on my door. She said, “Honey, it’s time to wake up!”  I rolled over. I threw off the covers. I got out of bed. I walked to my bathroom.  I turned on the shower. The water felt freezing cold. So I turned on some warm water. I got out of the shower. I got dressed. My headache felt a little better. I grabbed my backpack from my desk. I walked down the stairs. I smelled bacon. I knew my mom must be cooking us a good breakfast. I felt excited and ready for the day.

 4D group's "spiced up" version:

I woke up that morning earlier than usual with a terrible headache. My mom banged on my door, and She said, “Honey, it’s time to wake up!”  I rolled over like a barrel falling down a hill. As I flung the covers off my body, I sluggishly got out of bed. I trudged to my bathroom and turned on the shower. The water felt like it was coming from a glacier, so I turned on the steaming hot water. I got out of the shower, and I got dressed. My headache felt somewhat better, so I grabbed my backpack from my desk. I dawdled down the stairs towards the kitchen and smelled some fresh, hot, bacon with a side of pancakes as I neared the kitchen. I knew my mom must be cooking us a 5-star breakfast, and I felt pumped and ready for an astonishing day.


4C group's "spiced up" version:

First I woke up this morning with a terrible headache as bad as a heart attack, and my mom knocked on my door softly. She said, “Honey, it’s time to wake up!” After that I rolled over while I quickly threw off the covers. Finally I rolled out of bed like a rolly poly. When I wobbled to my bathroom, I turned on the soothing shower. The water felt freezing cold like the soft snow, so I turned on some warm water. Then I happily jumped out of the shower, and I went to go get dressed. My headache felt a tiny bit better. I quickly snatched my backpack from my desk and walked down the stairs like I was on fire. When I sniffed the delicious bacon, I knew my mom must be cooking us an awesome breakfast. I felt excited and ready for the day long awesome day!

What Does Collaboration Look Like?

We talked today about collaboration and what it looks like. After we watched the video below, we each found an example of the way the soccer team demonstrated collaboration skills and made a connection to   the ways we collaborate in Literature Circles.

A few examples:
Houston- "Thy showed collaboration when they helped build the soccer (football) pitch. We do something similar to that in Lit. Circles when we help each other with parts that someone doesn't understand and tell our friends our markings. We also build a relationship just like they built their pitch."

Louis- "Those kids wanted to play soccer, but they realized there wasn't enough space in their village. So they worked together and built a floating soccer field, just like we have to work together in Lit. Circles."

Will M.- "They showed how to pass the ball like how you take turns and share things. It showed me how to listen to others and to share."

Writing Workshop: Getting Rid of Nothing Adverbs

Today in our writing workshop we focused on replacing "nothing" adverbs and verbs (adverbs and verbs that don't add anything to the description) with stronger and more powerful adverb/verb pairs.  We used our writing folders and thesaurus as resources, and our sentences definitely improved!  Here are some examples:

Boring sentence:

At the dog show, the judges looked carefully at every dog.

Improved sentences:

At the dog show, the judges squinted aggressively at every dog.

At the dog show, the judges attentively inspected every dog.

Boring sentence:

The German shepherd walked very slowly around the ring.

Improved sentences:

The German shepherd coasted extremly sluggishly around the ring.  

The bulky German Shepherd swiftly trotted around the ring.

Boring sentence:

The dalmatian jumped easily onto the chair.

Improved sentences:

The dalmatian pounced lackadaisicly onto the chair.

The dalmation bounded effortlessly onto the chair.

Boring sentence:

After waking up, the golden retriever was hungry and quickly ate his food.

Improved sentences:

After waking up, the golden retriever was hungry and viciously munched on his food.

After violently waking up, the golden retriever was starving and quickly chomped on his food.

After waking up, the golden retriever was hungry and instantaneously demolished his food.

Boring sentence:

Sitting on a girl’s lap, the Chihuahua slept very soundly.

Improved sentences:

Sitting on a girl’s lap the chihuahua slumbered extremely soundly.

Sitting on a girl’s lap, the Chihuahua catnapped very nicely.

What Does a 3 Look Like?

We recently completed a CSI (Color, Symbol, Image) on one of the main characters from James and the Giant Peach.  Here are several examples to help you see what a 3 looks like:

Caedmon: “I chose the symbol of an umbrella because James protects all of the bugs. He would rather help others before putting himself under it.”

Reed:

“I chose the color grey because it represents gloomy. The way it represents gloomy is that thunderstorms are grey ad gloomy. James is gloomy because of the way his aunts treat him.”

“I chose the symbol of a cross because it represents hope. The way it represents hope is that Jesus gave us hope. James has hope for fun when he finds the bugs and the peach.”

“I chose the image of a man climbing a cliff because it represents adventure. It represents adventure because it is an adventure to climb. James feels adventure because he finally has friends and hope of more friends.”

Ethan:

“I chose the image of lightning because he (James) is aggressive like when he called the Silkworm a fat-lazy-brute.” (*add—why is lightning aggressive?)

Ev:

“I chose the color yellow because yellow is the color of the sun and the sun is bright. James is bright because he makes up the idea with the seagulls.”

Ryan:
"I chose the symbol of a biohazard because Centipede is grouchy and full of poison. It shows that when he gets splattered with paint and yells at everyone."

Ty's Book Talk

My book talk was on Hatchet. It's about Brain Robeson a boy whose parents are divorced and is going to visit his dad for the summer. He is the only passenger on the plane but when the the pilot has a heart attack and the plane crashes Brain will have to find a way to survive. The only thing he has for survial is his hatchet and he his camp skills he has learned. Now he must wait for help or must die alone in the wilderness.

25 Things About Thomas as a Reader

1. I have to read it quiet.

2. I can’t read in the car because everyone talks and the radio is always on.

3. My favorite series is the Percy Jackson series.

4. I am not a fastest reader, but I am a fast reader.

5. My favorite book is the Lost Hero.

6. My reading level is in the fours.

7. My favorite author is Rick Riordan.

8. I can read in slow music.

9. I can’t read lying on my stomach.

10. I like books with lots of action.

11. I read in bed when I’m tired so I can fall asleep.

12. My favorite book in the Percy Jackson Series is The Last Olympian.

13. Reading is one of my favorite things to do.

14. I got 98.1 AR points in second grade.

15. The longest book I have ever read is 553 pages.

16. If I get a chance to read I read a lot.

17. I also like books with adventure.

18. My favorite setting in a book is New York.

19. I can’t hear a peep when I hear or else I might stop reading.

20. One of my favorite things about reading is you can get a better grade, and all the books aren’t the same.

21. I can’t read two books at the same time.

22. I like books that have lots of humor!

23. I like nonfiction books!

24. I like books that are about sports.

25. I can’t read more than 20 pages a day because I don’t have time.