Friday, December 11, 2009

March on Washington

On Monday we watched a film on the March on Washington. We talked about all the positive things that came from this day of peaceful protest. Malcolm X had a different opinion of the March on Washington, He describes the march as a picnic, or a circus. What is your opinion of the March on Washington? Was it an affective event during the civil rights movement? Why was Malcolm X so critical of this event?

Finished:The Liberation of Gabriel King by K.L. Going



During the summer, Gabe takes several risks that seem to him to be quite dangerous. Make a list of all Gabe's adventures that you can remember and rank them in order from the most dangerous to the least dangerous. Then, in your opinion, tell me if any of Gabe's fears are appropriate.



During the summer of 1976, Gabe experiences success and failure, thrill and disappointments. How is this summer a turning point in the lives of both Gabe and Frita? When they are older, what do you think each will most remember about this exciting summer?

Read-a-louds........what makes a good one?


Hello Room of Readers!

Well, you have finished "The Liberation of Gabriel King". As this is the first time I have used this a a class read-a-loud, would you share your thoughts with me?
I'd like to know:

What would you rate this book as a read-a-loud on a scale of 1 to 10? Why?

Do you have a favorite book that has been a class read-a-loud from the past few years in school? Why is it your favorite?

What qualities should a book have to be a good read-a-loud?

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Central Tensions





Hi Class!
I have been reading Mr. Geranis' class reading blog and following one of their conversations about central tensions. In class we have talked a bit about that, especially when we were developing our own characters and plots for our fiction stories in writing.
Have you ever thought about what types of tensions there can be? Here are 4 types that we may come across in our reading:

Character versus character
: This is a conflict between two characters ( or more). In The Liberation of Gabriel King, Gabe has a conflict with Duke Evans throughout the book. Duke will not stop bullying Gabe, and Gabe does not know what to do about it. Frita has a conflict with Mr. Evans. Mr. Evans is rude and calls her names because of her skin color.

Character versus self : This is when a character is struggling with him or her self. It could have to do with fears, or needs and wants. In LOGK, Gabe struggles with his huge list of fears. He tries to dominate his fears and constantly worries about being a coward.

Character versus society: This is when a character does not fit in, and is struggling with a group of people and norms. For example, in LOGK, Frita and Gabe are friends, and this causes conflict for them as much of the society ( in this case, the town) does not believe that they should be friends. Terrence is struggling with society and the unfair behavior and treatment that occurs from one group of people to another.

Character versus nature: I can not think of an example from LOGK, but this is a tension in which the main character has conflict with nature. This is most often found in survival and adventure stories. Hatchet by Gary Paulson is a classic example of a boy struggling to survive, alone in wilderness. (This is a great book if you have not read it!!)

Sometimes you may only find one or two of these types of tensions in books, at other times you may come across more. If you want to read more on central tensions, you can go to "Bloggin with your Noggin".

So, my questions to you are the following:

Do you prefer any of these types of tensions?

What types do you most often find in the books you have been reading?

What type or types do you have in your current book? ( give an example or explain the tension from your story)

"X"

In class today we had a great discussion about Malcolm X and his fight for equality during the 1960's. Did you agree with the "black power" movement as an alternative for African-Americans that did not believe Martin Luther King Jr's, non-violent movement was affective? If you were alive during the civil rights movement how would you have helped gain equality of all citizens in the United States, would you have helped at all?

- Mr. Elwell

Monday, December 7, 2009

"I Have a Dream..."

Today we heard Blowin' in the Wind by Bob Dylan and a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. During our class discussion a lot of students mentioned that they were "moved" by some of the words in these texts. What line moved you the most, did any line relate to a memory you have had in your life?

- Mr. Elwell

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Insight

Frita has told Gabe that he needs some courage, some perseverance and now she told him he needs some insight. Frita then announces to Terrence that Gabe is afraid of him.

Discussion points:

How has Terrence's attitude toward Gabe changed during the story so far? What do you think has caused it to change?

Has Gabe's feeling toward Terrence changed?

If you were going to give Gabe advice on how to deal with Terrence, or how to try to see things from Terrence's point of view, what would you tell him?

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Courage and Perseverance

In today's reading, Frita told Gabe that he needs more perseverance. What do you think she meant by that? If you do not know what that word means, how can you find out? Make sure you do before answering this question.

Do you think Frita is a good friend to Gabe? Why or why not? Give me some examples from the book.

Frita and Gabe are working on their courage by facing their fears. Do you have something you are working on that you are trying to conquer or make better?

Monday, November 30, 2009

Audiobooks- Hear Any Good Books Lately?







This morning as I was driving Jeremy to school, I listened to an interview with Neil Gaiman, the author of "Coraline", "The Graveyard Book" and many other stories. Mr. Gaiman was talking about audiobooks, and how much he loved being able to record himself reading his own books for people to listen to.
In the interview, a few other authors and actors are also interviewed. The interview caused us to have an interesting family discussion in the car and it made me think of you all as you are such strong readers and have gotten so good at sharing your thoughts. I am anxious for you to listen to the podcast and share your thoughts with me about audiobooks.

Neil Gaiman interview on NPR

Here are a few discussion points to help you get started after you listen.

Have you ever listened to an audiobook or stories on tape? If not, what about someone reading aloud to you?
Do you prefer to read to yourself or listen to a story? How does the experience change if you are listening and not reading the text?
Do you think reading a text and listening to the same story can be the same experience?
Is reading a book and listening to it the same thing?
How can listening versus reading a book be helpful?
Are you considering listening to any books in the near future? If you are, what ones?




Thursday, November 19, 2009

LOGK- Signs and Portents


A portent is a sign of something that is about to happen. Authors often use foreshadowing in books to give the read a sign of what is going to happen. Shakespeare often used foreshadowing in his stories. In "Romeo and Juliet", both characters talk about death.......and they end up dying!
In "Where The Wild Things Are" , the author uses pictures to foreshadow events. There is a picture of a wild thing on Max's wall, and a stuffed wild thing hanging from the clothesline.


In today's chapter of "The Liberation of Gabriel King", Gabe has a dream and wonders if it is a portent or sign of something to come.

Discussion Points:
A. What is an example of foreshadowing that you have noticed in the book you are reading right now, or in a book you have recently read. Did you realize is might be foreshadowing an event or did you realize it later?

B. Have you ever had a dream that made you wonder about something about to happen? Describe it and explain why it made you wonder.

C. Gabe's dream involved many things that he is scared of....spiders.......Duke and his father.....what other parts of Gabe's dream come from his fears and events that have happened so far?

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

LOGK-Historical Questions

Hi Room 2308 Readers!!
In our read-a-loud, The Liberation of Gabriel King, we are hearing about many things that happened in 1976. We have heard a bit about segregation in the south, Watergate, and many other historical topics. I am creating this post as a place for you to ask about and discuss any topics that come up that you do not understand or want to ask questions about.
Happy Blogging.........

Perspective

Hi Guys!
Today we talked a bit more about perspective. We talked about first person, in which the story is being told by one person's point of view, a person that is in the story. You tend to read a lot of "I did....." "We went"...etc.
Third person is when a story is told by a narrator that is not part of the story.
Some stories that we have read together told in first person are:
Schooled ( each chapter told by a different character's point of view, but all first person)
and
The Liberation of Gabriel King.
Some stories that we have read together told in third person are:
Where the Wild Things Are
and
Chrysanthemum.

Mr. Geranis talks about two different types of third person on his reading blog, Limited and Omniscient. Go on and read about the difference if you are interested.
Discussion Points:
a. What type of perspective does the author of the book you are currently reading use?
b. What type of perspective, First or Third, do you prefer?
c. Why?
d. What might be the advantages or disadvantages of using either First or Third person perspective?

Monday, November 16, 2009

Fear and Terrance-L.O.G.K.

Terrance appears on Gabe's list of fears.Why do you think Gabe is so afraid of Frita's big brother Terrance?

Have you ever been afraid of someone? Why were you afraid of them?

L.O.G.K chapters 7 and 8-Frita's Plan


Frita has hatched her plan......and Gabe is not happy about it.
What are your thoughts on Frita's plan? Do you think it will work? Why or why not?

While reading this part of the book, I thought about my own fears. I started to make a list in my head. I am scared of falling from high places. I am scared of fast cars and driving on the highway. I am scared of my kids getting hurt. When I was a kid, I was scared of walking up my driveway in the dark. However, I use to make myself walk up the driveway anyway. Now I am not that scared, although if I think about being scared........I end up getting a bit scared.
What kinds of things are you scared of? Is it easy for you to make a list? Do you have more than 18 fears like Gabe?
Do you think facing your fears can help you get over them? Have you ever faced a fear? What happened?

Thursday, November 12, 2009

L.O.G.K. -chapters 2-4

Hello Readers!
I am so enjoying reading this book with you! Thank you Candace for suggesting it as our next read-a-loud! I am posting some discussion points for you below from our reading of chapters 2 to 4. You do not have to answer all questions, these are just to get you thinking to help you post. You can also read your classmate's posts to get you thinking as well. If you agree or disagree with someone, remember to be polite, and to back up your thoughts with examples and explanations. Happy blogging...........


In chapters 3 and 4 we read about a lot of uncomfortable events. There seem to be quite a few bullies in Gabe and Frita's town! There also seem to be a lot of people that pretend not to see what is happening.
1. What do you think is worse, bullying behavior or ignoring behavior? Why?

Frita stands up for Gabe and tries to help the situation with the 6th grade boys. Gabe feels she has made the situation worse.
2. Do you think she made it worse? What do you think she could have done differently, or do you think she did the right thing?

In chapter 4 Gabe is in an uncomfortable position. He wants to tell his mother what happened, but he does not want the situation worse.
3. What would you do if you were Gabe?

4. Allie mentioned during our class discussion that this book reminds her a bit of Winn-Dixie. Do you make any other connections so far with this book, either with other books, movies, or stories from your own life?

Monday, November 9, 2009

The Liberation of Gabriel King by K.L. Going

We started our new read-a-loud today, a realistic fiction book called
" The Liberation of Gabriel King" by K.L.Going. http://images.amazon.com/images/P/039923991X.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg
In the first chapter the author really sets up the story by giving you much information on the setting as well. She also introduces you to the two main characters, Gabe and his best friend Frita. My discussion questions for you are the following:

1.Which character interests you the most after just one chapter and why?
2. Tell me what you learned about the setting and why or how you think this setting might be important to the story?

Friday, October 16, 2009

Schooled Chapter 13

In chapter 13 we meet Sophie's Dad. Share with us your "impressions" from this chapter. Be sure to explain why the chapter made the way it made you feel. Share with us any connections you may have had, as well as any wonderings.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Schooled

In chapter 12, Cap talks about television and the show"Trigonometry and Tears". In class we talked about television a bit, and how much we all watch or don't watch.
There is a lot of talk about how much television kids watch nowadays and how it can effect them.
My questions for you today are these;
1. Do you think, in general, kids watch too much television nowadays? Explain your answer.

2. Television may have some good effects and also some bad according to many people. Tell me how you think television can benefit kids and how it may not benefit kids.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Anything But Normal chapters 8 and 9 discussion

Today we began a good conversation about intelligence and what it is. Jason was considered a "genius" when he was 4 because he could spell any word that he had seen once. Later on, he was considered "behind" all of his peers in school when he got older.
Question 1: What do you think happened to change Jason's status? What is intelligence? Is it something that changes or always stays the same?


Another thing that happened in the book was that Jason lost his temper and knocked over a pottery wheel. When the teacher left the room, the other kids threw clay around the room. Later on, the adults assumed that Jason had done it, and none of the kids spoke up and said that he did not.
Question 2: Have you ever been blamed for something you did not do? What did you do about it? How is that different from what Jason did?

I look forward to reading your responses!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Anything But Normal chapter 7 discussion

In chapter 7, Jason once again says that his mom is sad. He said that if they lived in Phoenixbird's story, where every thing is perfect, than his mom would not be so sad. Remember, this story is told from Jason's point of view.

Question 1: Do you think his impressions of his mom are accurate? Do you think she is sad? Explain why or why not and give at least two examples of evidence from the book that backs up what you think.

Question 2: If this story were written from Jason's dad's point of view, what do you think he would say about his wife? Why do you think that?

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Anything But Normal

Hi Guys!
Long time, no post :)
We are on chapter 5 of our new read aloud, "Anything But Typical" by Nora Raleigh Baskin. It is about a boy named Jason Blake, an autistic 12 year old. The story is told from his point of view, and he tries to tell it so that "neurotypicals", anyone who is not autistic, can understand. We have had some great discussions so far.
My question for you today is this:

In chapter 3 Jason tells us that his dad says that "There is no such thing as luck, good or bad. Life is what you make of it". Tell me if you agree with Jason's dad or if you disagree. Please explain yourself and give reasons for your answer.
Feel free to read your classmates responses as well and comment on what they have to say, as always, respectful like you are in our class discussions!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Character Changes






In the beginning of the year we read "Rules" by Cynthia Lord together. In this story, the main character Catherine struggles with responsibility and has conflict with her situation...and her self....in dealing with her little brother who has autism.
As we go through the story, Catherine struggles with her concept of herself, wanting her own life and balancing that with wanting and needing to take care of her little brother. At the end of the story, she has grown more confident in herself and her choices of friends. An example of this is her friendship with Jason. She hides this friendship and even sometimes turns away from the relationship at times. At the end, she realizes that Jason is an important part of her life, no matter his disability, and sticks up for that friendship. She puts aside her worries about what others think. She also realizes that her brother is ok, even if he is not taken care of by herself every second of the day.
We talked during our class discussions often about how she was changing, what she was struggling with, and at the end how she overcame many of her fears and problems. Many of her struggles were her character versus herself, although some were her character versus the situation.
Discussion point for today:
1. How have you seen your main character struggle so far in your story? What is his or her main conflict or need? Are there more than one, and if so, do they connect in some way?
2. How have you seen your character grow or change? (give examples from the book to support your claims)

Monday, February 9, 2009

Theme Discussion

Hello Students!
Together we came up with some good themes that really fit "Krindlekrax". If you remember, we decided that "Friendship" was one "big idea" that really went throughout the whole story. One of the examples that you came up with was that fact that Ruskin and Corky's friendship plays an important part in the story and helps Ruskin to grow and change as a character. Elvis and Ruskin's friendship, or loss of friendship, also plays an important part of the story. Friendship also played a role in Ruskin's father Winston taking the baby crocodile in the first place, he was searching for friendship and acceptance from the others at the pub.
The other theme, or "big idea' that we came up with was "bravery" or "courage". Ruskin showed a lot of courage throughout the story, and his courage is what allowed him to fulfill his dreams at the end of the story. Corky's courage played a part in setting an example for Ruskin. Winston's lack of courage set another example, a negative one, for Ruskin.
In your groups today you did a great job of brainstorming possible themes, or "big ideas" that went throughout your stories that you have been reading. My question for you today is the following:
1. What is one theme that you think plays an important role throughout your group's story? There probably are more than one, but just pick one to concentrate on.
2. Give at least two examples where events in the story demonstrate the importance of the theme. Be sure to explain your thinking fully.
Remember, not everyone has read your book, so be sure to write your post so that everyone will understand your thinking. Reread your post for spelling etc. before sending it off. You may also comment on one of your classmates posts.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Main Character Sketch-House of Many Ways

Charmain Baker lives in High Norland, England. She has red thin hair, pale skin, and reading glasses that make her green eyes look huge. Her mother makes Charmain dress respectable, even though she does not like it. She is average height and is really skinny.

Charmain is intelligent and lazy. She strongly dislikes anyone better than her, especially Peter, her Great-uncle’s apprentice. Out of being intelligent and lazy, she also is a huge daydreamer, she loves to read. In the beginning of the book, Charmain discovers that in hard situations, she has luck and magic on her side.

On the outside, Charmain dislikes Peter, but on the inside she admires him. Charmain is trying to show him that she can be responsible and patient,but its hard to keep up with him. When Charmain gets a job at the royal library, the King sees her as a responsible, polite young lady.

Charmain wants to show people that she is more than she looks. By entering herself into an adventure, she will try to help the king and his friends find the elfgift.

During the book, Charmain tries to prove herself responsible. By overcoming obstacles, she finds that she can do anything she wants to as long as she has faith in herself.

By Elle, Logan and Hayley

Main Character Sketch-Charlie's Raven

In the beginning of the story Charlie is climbing a tree then he thinks of an indian folk tale that people think ravens can cure people. Then Charlie comes across a raven nest. Charlie grabs a baby raven and names it Blue Sky. Charlie runs home because he is scared of getting attacked by ravens. Then Charlie tells his granddad “I found a raven”.

Charlie is a child that has blond hair and tan skin. Charlie likes ravens. When Charlie saw a second raven on his roof, Blue Sky went to see the raven because they knew each other. Then Charlie set up a day care. In chapter five Blue Sky left for a while then he came back all by himself and Charlie guessed that Blue Sky left some doodles.

The behaviors of Charlie are: he is confident in himself and he never seems to get upset . His feelings are happy, confident, and he has happy feelings for Blue Sky. His feelings towards other characters are happy and very sad about his granddad because he has had a heart attack. How Charlie feels about Blue Sky is happy, good and grateful about him but not so much about Pinecone, Blue Sky’s sister .

Charlie’s needs are for Mr.Spinder not to kill the ravens . Charlie really needs food for the ravens so they will live. Charlie wants Pinecone to come down from the roof .

We think he will change by getting Pinecone off the roof. He will change by making Mr.Spinder not kill the ravens. He has accomplished getting food for the ravens.

By Rachel, Dean and Katie

Main Character Sketch-Black Duck

Rueben has dark brown hair,with brown eyes,and wears a t-shirt and khaki pants with beat-up work shoes and he always wears a worn-out baseball cap. He has tan skin from digging up the lobster pots on the beach.
Rueben is brave and he is good at investigating. When Jeddy and Rueben were heading toward Tom’s house, two guys with machine guns came and searched the house for a wallet. After they were gone Rueben and Jeddy went in. They found Tom sitting with his dog on the porch and his dog was dead.
He feels the thirst to prove himself when the police say he didn’t find a body. Marina (Jeddy’s sister) is always willing to keep Rueben for dinner but Jeddy’s dad does not always agree with Marina. Jeddy is his best friend and Rueben can tell him almost anything.
Rueben wants to get to the bottom of the story so that maybe his dad will believe him about the dead body. He wants a good job ,not at the family general store. He searches the dead man’s pockets because he needs to know who the man is.
We think that the book is foreshadowing that Jeddy is going to get into a fight with Rueben and Jeddy is going to leave town. Rueben might be left without a friend except for Tom.

by Callie, Justin, Marina, Emilie and Colby

Main Character Sketch-There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom

Bradley Chalkers is the main character in the book “There is a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom.” He looks like the oldest and toughest kid in the 5th grade. The book says that Bradley looks like a good spitter.

His strengths are that he bullies people including the teacher,he lies to everybody,and accuses people of lying. His weaknesses are that he doesn’t have many friends. He likes to bully people and lies to people. He dislikes when Jeff says “hi” back to the girls who like him.

Other's feelings toward him are they say he’s scary, they think he is ugly, a bully and very weird. His dad thinks that when he is older he will be a criminal in jail. His feelings to other people are that he thinks that people that stand up to him are mean and liars.

He wants people to hate him. He also wants Jeff to not say hi to the girls that say hi to him. He needs to do his homework more often. He also needs to see the counselor. He also wants to beat up the girls who say “hi” to Jeff.

We think if Jeff gets new friends, Bradley will go to the counselor and she will talk to him and make him think that it is okay that Jeff has new friends. We think that he will accomplish being nice to everybody including his parents near the end of the book.

By Jordan, Josh, and Jack

Main Character Sketch-Tiger Rising

By Emma, Jess, & Mason
Robert Horton is an average boy who’s mom died when he was eight years old from cancer. He has brown hair,brown eyes,and a nasty rash on his legs. He wears a blue t-shirt and brown shorts.
Rob likes animals, especially tigers. He hates school and the two school bullies,Norton and Billy Threemonger who bully him every day. He hates talking about his mother since she died. Also his dad doesn’t let him talk about it either.
Rob feels happy when he is around Sistine and his Father. His behavior towards the principal is not very friendly since his principal thinks he has a disease other students can catch. He also doesn’t like Billy and Norton Threemonger.
Rob doesn’t want to go to school everyday, Instead he wants to stay home and help out the maid, Willie May and feed Beuchamp’s tiger in the cage. Sistine wants to let the tiger go, but Rob won’t let her.
We think Rob and Sistine will let the tiger go in the end. He will respect Sistine and his father more. Then he will change by getting more positive and happy about what he has.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Cooperative Reading Groups

Right now we have 5 reading discussion groups going in room 2308. Students were able to choose books they were interested in and then arranged in cooperative groups to work together to read, enjoy and discuss their books. The students are reading the following books:

"Tiger Rising" by Kate DiCamillo
"There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom" by Luis Sachar
"Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech
"Black Duck" by Janet Taylor Lisle
"House of Many Ways" Diana Wynne Jones
House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones