Finished with The Cay!

We finished today! Wow, what an ending. I could see in your faces, you thought Phillip would get rescued, then you thought he wouldn't, then you realized he would!

So, now that we are finished, what would you rate this book?

Write a book talk to recommend this book and post it here. Try to sell, sell, sell, as Henry says! ( Even if you do not rate it a 9 or 10, try to write a book talk that would sell the book anyway)

The Cay chapters 13 and 14

Wow, we had some good comments from our class discussion after reading chapter 13. Many of you commented on Phillips question at the end of the chapter "Timothy, are you still black?

I would love to hear from some of you further comments on this line. Why do you think it is significant?

How has Philip changed so far in the story? Has Timothy changed at all? If so, how? Be sure to give examples.

What has been your favorite chapter so far in the story? Why? If you were going to give that chapter a title, what would it be?

Book ideas-Kidsreads.com

Hi Room 2308 Readers!

I was just reading my monthly email from Kidsreads.com and thought you might enjoy reading bout some new book ideas. Some of the books are some that we have seen in class, but there are quite a few that I had not heard of that sound interesting to me.
The most interesting one is called THE BEST BAD LUCK I EVER HAD by Kristin Levine. Check out the following book recommendations and tell me what you think........

http://www.kidsreads.com/features/2009-reviewer-picks.asp

http://www.kidsreads.com/features/2010-ala.asp

http://www.booknutsreadingclub.com/thecay.html
The above is a link to a review of "The Cay" along with some links to sites that may give you more information on topics that come up while reading the book. Let me know if you find anything interesting.

In the last chapter we read, Phillip is very upset when Timothy leaves him alone to go fishing on the reef. Do you think Phillip's reaction to Timothy was justifiable? In other words, was he fair or unfair in reacting angrily to Timothy when he returned with the lobster? Why or why not?
What qualities would you want someone to have if you were shipwrecked on an island with them?

Characters in "The Cay"

We have met a few characters in "The Cay" so far. Phillip, his mom and dad, and Henrick van Boven. Pick one to tell me about.

How would you describe him or her.
What adjectives would you use?
Tell me what evidence from the book helps you to get a picture of this character in your mind.

January Book Orders!

Yahooo, new book order flyers went home today. The due date for orders this month is January 19. I have set up the online ordering again, you can connect here to do that and our username and password is "room 2308" and "simonds".
I have sent home a new "Teen Reader's Club" to expand the selections available for you.
However, if we order 200 dollars or more from the Arrow flyer, we can earn 5000 bonus points for our classroom library! Wow!!!! That ends up being just about 10.00 per student! We could add a lot of books to our library with those points! Anyway, enjoy checking out the new flyers!

The Cay

Hello Class!
Tomorrow we will be beginning our class novel study of "The Cay" by Theodore Taylor. Just as in "The Liberation of Gabriel King", there may be some references to historical facts, vocabulary or incidents that you do not have knowledge of. The book takes place in 1942 during World War II. What do you know about this war?
The story takes place on an island called Curacao. Do a little research and see if you can find where this island is. Tell me what you find out or know about where it is located.
Here are a few terms you will come across while reading the book. See if you know what any of them mean or if you can do a bit of research about them. Tell me what you know or find out.
U-boat
refinery
blackout curtains
pontoon bridge

Birches by Robert Frost

We have ended our term two poetry unit today, and I am blown away with your responses to the two poems you had to choose from. I loved reading about your feelings to the poem you choose, what you liked, why you liked it, what you noticed the author did in his or her writing, and questions and wonderings that occurred from reading the poem.
Robert Frost is one of my favorite poets. He lived in New Hampshire in the early 1900's. He lived on a 30 acre farm, and this is where most of his writing took place and his ideas came from. He knew he wanted to be a poet, and he gave himself 20 years to accomplish this task.
Below is one of his poems that I would like to share with you. Please let me know what you think, what you notice, what you wonder about after having read it........
Birches
When I see birches bend to left and right
Across the lines of straighter darker trees,
I like to think some boy's been swinging them.
But swinging doesn't bend them down to stay.
Ice-storms do that. Often you must have seen them
Loaded with ice a sunny winter morning
After a rain. They click upon themselves
As the breeze rises, and turn many-colored
As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel.
Soon the sun's warmth makes them shed crystal shells
Shattering and avalanching on the snow-crust--
Such heaps of broken glass to sweep away
You'd think the inner dome of heaven had fallen.
They are dragged to the withered bracken by the load,
And they seem not to break; though once they are bowed
So low for long, they never right themselves:
You may see their trunks arching in the woods
Years afterwards, trailing their leaves on the ground
Like girls on hands and knees that throw their hair
Before them over their heads to dry in the sun.
But I was going to say when Truth broke in
With all her matter-of-fact about the ice-storm
(Now am I free to be poetical?)
I should prefer to have some boy bend them
As he went out and in to fetch the cows--
Some boy too far from town to learn baseball,
Whose only play was what he found himself,
Summer or winter, and could play alone.
One by one he subdued his father's trees
By riding them down over and over again
Until he took the stiffness out of them,
And not one but hung limp, not one was left
For him to conquer. He learned all there was
To learn about not launching out too soon
And so not carrying the tree away
Clear to the ground. He always kept his poise
To the top branches, climbing carefully
With the same pains you use to fill a cup
Up to the brim, and even above the brim.
Then he flung outward, feet first, with a swish,
Kicking his way down through the air to the ground.
So was I once myself a swinger of birches.
And so I dream of going back to be.
It's when I'm weary of considerations,
And life is too much like a pathless wood
Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs
Broken across it, and one eye is weeping
From a twig's having lashed across it open.
I'd like to get away from earth awhile
And then come back to it and begin over.
May no fate willfully misunderstand me
And half grant what I wish and snatch me away
Not to return. Earth's the right place for love:
I don't know where it's likely to go better.
I'd like to go by climbing a birch tree,
And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk
Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,
But dipped its top and set me down again.
That would be good both going and coming back.
One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.

-Robert Frost

Tangerine by Edward Bloor

Can you imagine seeing the world from behind coke bottle glasses and trying to play soccer? Can you imagine moving to a new home where a sinkhole swallows your school? Well, the main character in "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor has to deal with these things and so much more in this sometimes funny, sometimes sad and shocking realistic fiction story.
Paul, the main character also has to put up with some strange happenings in his own family, especially from his all-star brother....who may not be so "all-star' after all. I really enjoyed reading about Paul, who tells the story from his first person perspective. He is a boy that I can imagine existing. Sometimes he seems so smart to me, and at other times I think he is not so smart in the choices he makes.
The format of the book is similar to some you may have read, like the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series or "The Dork Diaries". "Tangerine" is told in sections, and each entry is given with the date beginning it. However, it is not written in diary form and the story is much more serious than those other books. Another book that I think of as being similar is "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary Schmidt.
I rated this book a "10". I do not get surprised too often at the end of the books, but in "Tangerine" I was taken by surprise and did not anticipate the ending. If you like realistic fiction, mixed with a bit of humor and seriousness, with a surprise at the end, I highly recommend "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor.


Possible Discussion Points:

What did you like or not like about this book talk? Was there anything that made you want to read this book? If so, what and why?
Was there anything that made you decide you would not like this book? If so, what and why?
Did this book talk include all the 5 "S"'s? Was there anything that could be improved in this book talk? What and how?

Happy New Year!

Happy 2010! I hope this will be a year filled with reading for you! I heard from many of you that you received lots of books for Christmas.......books are my favorite presents! ( or a gift certificate to a book store :)

One of my favorite books I received was a book from Alex called "The Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable". I enjoyed looking through it over vacation and getting many ideas for my goats and sheep ( dogs too). It is a non-fiction book, and is organized in chapters by different animals. I skipped over some of the chapters and read the ones about the animals that I have right now. I am planning on going back and reading about the animals that I am planning on getting, like bees. I enjoy many non-fiction books that way, by reading the parts or information that interests me. This non-fiction book is easy for me to read, as it is written in an uncomplicated and clear way with information that is usable for me. Thanks Alex!
So,

1. Tell me about any books you got over the holidays. What are the titles and authors? Have you read any and are you enjoying them?

2. Tell me about what you read over the vacation.

3. On a scale of one to ten, ten equaling having read everyday and 0 being not having read at all, how would you rate your reading over vacation? If you read a lot, tell me why you did and what made it easy for you to do this. If you did not read a lot, tell me why you did not, and what made it difficult for you to read.

Remember, I am looking for posts of at least 5 sentences, and the more you explain your opinions and thoughts, the better. Make sure you edit for punctuation and spelling.......also check that your post makes sense. Imagine you are someone else reading it before you send it off. Be sure to sign your name as well.
Happy reading and posting!
Mrs. Simonds