Monday, April 25, 2016
The Test
The Test
By David L. Harrison
It's not my fault
if I flunked the test.
This room's too cold
To do my best.
My foot's asleep,
I've lost my gum,
I've got a fever,
This pencil's dumb,
My collar's tight
There's pain in my head,
I couldn't hear
A thing you said,
My throat is sore,
I need a drink,
And . . .
What's that? You say I passed the test?
Well, if I do say so, I did my best.
The Test is from Somebody Catch My Homework available HERE.
By David L. Harrison
It's not my fault
if I flunked the test.
This room's too cold
To do my best.
My foot's asleep,
I've lost my gum,
I've got a fever,
This pencil's dumb,
My collar's tight
There's pain in my head,
I couldn't hear
A thing you said,
My throat is sore,
I need a drink,
And . . .
What's that? You say I passed the test?
Well, if I do say so, I did my best.
The Test is from Somebody Catch My Homework available HERE.
Labels:
David L. Harrison,
Poetry,
Reading Workshop
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Casey at the Bat
Casey at the Bat
by Ernest Thayer
by Ernest Thayer
The Outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play.
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play.
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.
A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, if only Casey could get but a whack at that -
We'd put up even money, now, with Casey at the bat.
Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, if only Casey could get but a whack at that -
We'd put up even money, now, with Casey at the bat.
But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake,
And the former was a lulu and the latter was a cake;
So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
For there seemed but little chance of Casey's getting to the bat.
And the former was a lulu and the latter was a cake;
So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
For there seemed but little chance of Casey's getting to the bat.
But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all,
And Blake, the much despis-ed, tore the cover off the ball;
And when the dust had lifted, and the men saw what had occurred,
There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.
And Blake, the much despis-ed, tore the cover off the ball;
And when the dust had lifted, and the men saw what had occurred,
There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.
Then from 5,000 throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;
It knocked upon the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,
For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.
It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;
It knocked upon the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,
For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.
There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place;
There was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile on Casey's face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.
There was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile on Casey's face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.
Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.
Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance gleamed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.
Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance gleamed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.
And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped-
"That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one," the umpire said.
And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped-
"That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one," the umpire said.
From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore.
"Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand;
And its likely they'd a-killed him had not Casey raised his hand.
Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore.
"Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand;
And its likely they'd a-killed him had not Casey raised his hand.
With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone;
He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;
He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew;
But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, "Strike two."
He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;
He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew;
But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, "Strike two."
"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered fraud;
But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.
But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.
The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate;
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville - mighty Casey has struck out.
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville - mighty Casey has struck out.
Labels:
Casey at the Bat,
Poetry,
Reading Workshop
Need a Rhyme
So what do you do when you need to rhyme? How about going to Rhymezone?
When you are writing a poem and you need a word bank to help you,
Rhymezone is a great resource. All you do is type in the word and it
gives you a bunch of choices. Don't forget though, a poem still has to
make sense and be meaningful.
Labels:
Poetry,
Reading Workshop,
Rhyme,
Rhymezone
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Angry
Angry
by Sara Holbrook
You can't hold me
angry, angry,
When I'm angry
angry, angry.
There's no comfort
in your touching when I'm mad.
If you talk to me, I'll fight you.
If you reach for me, I'll bite you,
'cause I'm angry,
'cause I'm angry,
'cause I'm mad.
Though at first it wasn't you,
I was mad, but not at you,
till you held me,
or you tried,
to push my mad aside.
I'm a raging storm inside.
You can't hold me
and you tried.
Now I'm angry 'cause you tried.
Now I'm angry with an anger
you can't hold and I can't hide,
angry, angry
angry, angry.
Can't control me,
angry, angry.
You can't hold me,
angry, angry.
So don't try.
The poem is from the book, I Never Said I Wasn't Difficult. You can buy it HERE.
Image from epicnewsezine.com.
by Sara Holbrook
You can't hold me
angry, angry,
When I'm angry
angry, angry.
There's no comfort
in your touching when I'm mad.
If you talk to me, I'll fight you.
If you reach for me, I'll bite you,
'cause I'm angry,
'cause I'm angry,
'cause I'm mad.
Though at first it wasn't you,
I was mad, but not at you,
till you held me,
or you tried,
to push my mad aside.
I'm a raging storm inside.
You can't hold me
and you tried.
Now I'm angry 'cause you tried.
Now I'm angry with an anger
you can't hold and I can't hide,
angry, angry
angry, angry.
Can't control me,
angry, angry.
You can't hold me,
angry, angry.
So don't try.
The poem is from the book, I Never Said I Wasn't Difficult. You can buy it HERE.
Image from epicnewsezine.com.
Labels:
Poetry,
Reading Workshop,
Sara Holbrook
Rewrite Your Poetry
Take a piece of advise from Lee Bennet Hopkins in his poem titled, Dear Poet. Take one of your drafts, Reading Workshop students, copy it twice, and write three versions.
Do you want
to write a poem?
Forget it . . .
until
you have
rewritten it.
Make your poem
stronger
by
not
writing a poem
but
rewriting it
and
rewriting it
and
rewriting it
until--
what you
have
is
a poem
like
no
other
poet
has
ever
written--
or
rewritten--
before!
Poem from Seeing the Blue Between compiled by Paul Janeczko.
Labels:
Poetry,
Reading Workshop,
revising,
Writing
Friday, April 15, 2016
Celebrate Poetry
In Reading Workshop we are celebrating National Poetry Month. Students are reading and writing poems. Many will be shared on their blogs. Today's poems are inspired by Donald Graves from his book, Baseball, Snakes, and Summer Squash. These poems tell of the trials of growing up.
Labels:
Donald Graves,
Free Verse Poems,
Poetry,
Reading Workshop
Thursday, April 14, 2016
These Amazing Kids
I have sat and watched sixth grade students take tests this week. All I can say is that I am amazed. The work ethic and effort I have witnessed is unbelievable. Students gave everything they had to do their best. As a teacher it is humbling to see such effort. I am so glad to have had the chance to spend the year in language arts with these students.
The MAP Test measures students' growth throughout the school year and the scores were through the roof. Students took the first MAP test in September. It projected a score that they should achieve by the end of the year. Over 92% of the Reading Workshop students exceeded the projected score and most were much higher than projected.
If I was in charge of schools, I would put an immediate end to testing. I know it serves a purpose, but there are better ways to evaluate students, teachers, and schools. Unfortunately, testing controls education today. I guess this points even more towards what a remarkable event I witnessed this week.
No one in schools likes testing, and especially not students. Considering this, the drive and determination I watched this week will be something I will remember always. And even more important, this strength of character will lead these students to unimagined successes down the road.
Great job Reading Workshop students!
Labels:
AIR Test,
Character,
Hard Work,
MAP Test,
Reading Workshop,
success,
test scores
Monday, April 11, 2016
Spoken Word Poetry
Ms. Woerner shared this video today in Reading Workshop. Taken from the famous basketball movie, Coach Carter, it has an excellent example of Spoken Poetry.
Timo Cruz:
Our deepest fear
is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear
is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
that most frightens us.
Your playing small
does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened
about shrinking
so that other people
won't feel insecure around you.
We were all meant to shine
as children do.
It's not just in some of us;
it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously
give other people permission
to do the same.
As we are liberated
from our own fear,
our presence automatically
liberates others.
Labels:
Coach Carter,
Poetry,
Reading Workshop,
Spoken Poetry,
Youtube
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Here's a Few Poem Titles
Weird Students
Mismatched Socks
Riding Vader (My Horse)
I Ate Too Much Chocolate
Cheesy Biscuits and Garlic Breath
Hard Workers
Eli is Not So Shy Any More
Just Plain Megan
Cafeteria Noise
Why Do You Make Me Have to be Mean?
The General aka Mrs. Hardin
Frank the Tank (Kaminsky)
Frank Gets Class
Rainy School Days
Zoom aka Carter
Zoom Thinks He's a Super Hero
The Last Class Was Boring
It Was All My Fault
I was Boring
We Were Still Asleep
Last Night I Had Bad Dreams
Why Does Tacey Work So Hard?
Distracting Class
Off Topic
Writing
World Hunt
I Hate to Lose
My Truck Got Washed Today
I Want to Cry
Not
720 Classes in a Year
My Heart's a Stereo
I Want to Be the Next American Idol
Everybody Now, Slide to the Left
Courage Enough to Write
My Diet Starts Next Monday
Grandma Has Gas
Talk Less, Write More
Afraid of Poetry
Dreams, Desire, Dedication, and Dish Washing
My Chucks Have Blue Shoestrings
Whining Instead of Working
Flo Rider (I Cry)
Music Makes Me Think
Are We Going to Sing Today and Other Questions Students Ask Every Day
Can I Go to the Bathroom?
How Many Topics Should I List?
Is This OK?
Allison Got Her Name on the Sign
Seriously, Aren't you a Little Sick of Cats Because I Am
Alexis, Allison, and Ashton
Earn a Brave Buck
A Little Less Cry and a Lot More Effort
My Sense of Humor is Underappreciated
Nose Pickers
Eddie's Hair
Take a Load Off Fannie
Morning Announcements
It's For not Fur
Red Card
You Can't Have My List
I Wonder What You Don't Know That I Don't Know
A Spot in Time and It's Not a Dalmation
Spaghetti Face
I Hate Sporks
Image from www.mycutegraphics.com
Mismatched Socks
Riding Vader (My Horse)
I Ate Too Much Chocolate
Cheesy Biscuits and Garlic Breath
Hard Workers
Eli is Not So Shy Any More
Just Plain Megan
Cafeteria Noise
Why Do You Make Me Have to be Mean?
The General aka Mrs. Hardin
Frank the Tank (Kaminsky)
Frank Gets Class
Rainy School Days
Zoom aka Carter
Zoom Thinks He's a Super Hero
The Last Class Was Boring
It Was All My Fault
I was Boring
We Were Still Asleep
Last Night I Had Bad Dreams
Why Does Tacey Work So Hard?
Distracting Class
Off Topic
Writing
World Hunt
I Hate to Lose
My Truck Got Washed Today
I Want to Cry
Not
720 Classes in a Year
My Heart's a Stereo
I Want to Be the Next American Idol
Everybody Now, Slide to the Left
Courage Enough to Write
My Diet Starts Next Monday
Grandma Has Gas
Talk Less, Write More
Afraid of Poetry
Dreams, Desire, Dedication, and Dish Washing
My Chucks Have Blue Shoestrings
Whining Instead of Working
Flo Rider (I Cry)
Music Makes Me Think
Are We Going to Sing Today and Other Questions Students Ask Every Day
Can I Go to the Bathroom?
How Many Topics Should I List?
Is This OK?
Allison Got Her Name on the Sign
Seriously, Aren't you a Little Sick of Cats Because I Am
Alexis, Allison, and Ashton
Earn a Brave Buck
A Little Less Cry and a Lot More Effort
My Sense of Humor is Underappreciated
Nose Pickers
Eddie's Hair
Take a Load Off Fannie
Morning Announcements
It's For not Fur
Red Card
You Can't Have My List
I Wonder What You Don't Know That I Don't Know
A Spot in Time and It's Not a Dalmation
Spaghetti Face
I Hate Sporks
Image from www.mycutegraphics.com
Labels:
Free Verse Poems,
Poetry,
Reading Workshop
Friday, April 1, 2016
Dentist and the Crocodile
Dentist and the Crocodile
by Roald Dahl
The crocodile, with cunning smile,
sat in the dentist's chair.
He said, "Right here and everywhere
my teeth require repair."
The dentist's face was turning white.
He quivered, quaked and shook.
He muttered, "I suppose I'm going t
o have to take a look."
"I want you," Crocodile declared,
"to do the back ones first.
The molars at the very back are easily the worst."
He opened wide his massive jaws. It was a fearsome sight––
At least three hundred pointed teeth, all sharp and shining white.
The dentist kept himself well clear. He stood two yards away.
He chose the longest probe he had to search out the decay.
"I said to do the back ones first!" the Crocodile called out.
"You're much too far away, dear sir, to see what you're about.
To do the back ones properly you've got to put your head
Deep down inside my great big mouth," the grinning Crocky said.
The poor old dentist wrung his hands and, weeping in despair,
He cried, "No no! I see them all extremely well from here!"
Just then, in burst a lady, in her hands a golden chain.
She cried, "Oh Croc, you naughty boy, you're playing tricks again!"
"Watch out!" the dentist shrieked and started climbing up the wall.
"He's after me! He's after you! He's going to eat us all!"
"Don't be a twit," the lady said, and flashed a gorgeous smile.
"He's harmless. He's my little pet, my lovely crocodile."
The book, Poetry Speaks to Children contains this poem and is available HERE.
by Roald Dahl
The crocodile, with cunning smile,
sat in the dentist's chair.
He said, "Right here and everywhere
my teeth require repair."
The dentist's face was turning white.
He quivered, quaked and shook.
He muttered, "I suppose I'm going t
o have to take a look."
"I want you," Crocodile declared,
"to do the back ones first.
The molars at the very back are easily the worst."
He opened wide his massive jaws. It was a fearsome sight––
At least three hundred pointed teeth, all sharp and shining white.
The dentist kept himself well clear. He stood two yards away.
He chose the longest probe he had to search out the decay.
"I said to do the back ones first!" the Crocodile called out.
"You're much too far away, dear sir, to see what you're about.
To do the back ones properly you've got to put your head
Deep down inside my great big mouth," the grinning Crocky said.
The poor old dentist wrung his hands and, weeping in despair,
He cried, "No no! I see them all extremely well from here!"
Just then, in burst a lady, in her hands a golden chain.
She cried, "Oh Croc, you naughty boy, you're playing tricks again!"
"Watch out!" the dentist shrieked and started climbing up the wall.
"He's after me! He's after you! He's going to eat us all!"
"Don't be a twit," the lady said, and flashed a gorgeous smile.
"He's harmless. He's my little pet, my lovely crocodile."
The book, Poetry Speaks to Children contains this poem and is available HERE.
Labels:
Poetry,
Reading Workshop,
Roald Dahl
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Monday, March 21, 2016
What Will You Use Your Success For?
This year in Reading Workshop we have talked a lot about being successful. Dr. Cornel West, speaking at Columbus State University asks about the next step--what will you use your success for?
Dr. West also says, you are going to have to muster the courage to examine who you are. Thoughts? Opinions?
Labels:
Courage,
Dr. Cornel West,
Reading Workshop,
success,
Youtube
Friday, March 18, 2016
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Monday, March 14, 2016
Kindness Project
Students, you and a partner have one week to make Salt Creek a better place. You can do any kind of project you wish. You must document/journal/diary the project. An act of kindness can be towards one person or many. It can be a one-time thing or ongoing.
Grades are based on two parts. The first half is based on your writing. The other half is based on your creativity and the ability to make the life of someone else better.
Labels:
Friendship,
Kindness,
Reading Workshop,
Writing
Friday, March 11, 2016
More Connections
We have been talking about Connections as Readers. Here are some more examples from Reading Workshop students.
Calla
Today in the book Rules by Cynthia Lord, Catherine went to Jason's birthday party where she didn't know anyone there. The only person that she knew was Jason. The way that I can relate to that part in the book is because one time I went to a party and the only person that I knew was the person hosting the party. It was pretty awkward only knowing that one person.
Rachel
The book I am reading is called Runaway by Wendelin Van Draanen. The connection I made today in my book is when Holly wants a dog. She goes to the pound to find her a dog but the pound won't let a kid have a dog unless a parent signs for it. After she left she though to herself "The pound is like a death row for dogs, only the dogs haven't done anything wrong!" That is kind of the same thing I thought when my mom, sister and I went to the pound to find a dog. The dogs look so sad when you go into a pound, I just wanted to take all of the dogs home.
Luke
I had a really serious connection with my book The Living. In The Living Shy's grandma died of a a thing called Romeros Disease. After that his cousin Miguel also got the sickness. When I was about seven or six my grandpa died of a heart attack. I was devastated just like Shy. Only a few weeks back my grandma had some of the symptoms of a heart attack and I really just panicked. But I know of all the pain Shy is having because having a dearth or near death experience hurts your heart.
Sydney Today when I was reading 'Warriors Forest Of Secrets', I read that when the war ended all of the cats were worn out and beat up. They all had to see the medicine cats to treat their wounds. They all had not to bad scars on them, but the battle hurt them. The cat that alarmed the clan was a cat called Brackenpaw, he was on a hunting mission with Fireheart (The main character) when Brackenpaw smelled the other clans! He went to tell Fireheart, and he was just in time too. He went to tell his clan that they were coming, they won the battle! Brackenpaw was named a warrior after his act of bravery... This is a connection to me because one time in the summer we were playing capture the flag! The war between the two teams were finally over. My team had won and everyone was tired and exhausted. Someone on the other team had got scratched on the elbow, so they had to get a bandaid. At the end, the person that got the flag was officially the 'king' of capture the flag.
Hailey
I am reading "The Honest Truth" by Dan Gemeinhart. While I was reading I made a connection. In this book the main character, Mark, is climbing a mountain, Mount Rainer, the tallest mountain in North America. While he is climbing the mountain his dog, Beau warns him about a crevasse. A crevasse is a really deep crack that can sometimes be on mountains, and Mount Rainer was full of them. This is a connection for me because I was walking in a field with my dog and there was a really deep hole in the ground that I didn't know about And he barked and he saved me.
JosieThe book that I am reading is Seekers Forest Of Wolves. The connection that I had with the book was a place. In the book it said that Lusa and Toklo were standing on top of the valley and they could see a path that went by a tree that had its roots sticking out of the ground that went right into the creek. I had a connection with this because at my aunt's house she has a path through the woods that leads to a tree like the one in my book. That is one of the many connections i have with my book.
Labels:
Connections,
Reading,
Reading Strategies,
Reading Workshop
A Different World
Living in a rural area in Southeast Ohio, this video from Verizon advertising a GalaxyS7 shows a much different world than where we live. Can you imagine yourself there?
See NYC like never before. 100,000+ photos in 1 day, captured on the #GalaxyS7 edge & shared on the better network.https://t.co/nYKeU4qeYe— Verizon (@verizon) March 11, 2016
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Students Are Connected
Here are some examples of connections students had as they were reading:
I
am reading a book called Zane And The Hurricane and I am on page 15 .
When I was reading page 14 they were talking about that a storm was not
going to keep going. They thought it was going to stop but it did not
stop all. That was like when hurricane Sandy hit Greater Antilles,
Eastern United States, Bermuda, Bahamas, and Eastern Canada. They
thought it was going to stop and it did not stop. It was a storm that
died down two days after.
A connection I had today was from the book "The Dog Who Danced" by Susan Wilson. The connection I got from reading this book was that it reminded me of another book I have read in the past. The other book is called "Umbrella Summer". The reason "The Dog Who Danced" reminds me of "Umbrella Summer" is because Ed and Alice's (The Dog Who Danced) daughter died and in "Umbrella Summer" the main characters brother died. The reason that made me think of this was that the characters in "The Dog Who Danced" and "Umbrella Summer" are both sad from the recent death of family members.
In
my book All Fall Down by Ally Carter it is about this girl named Grace.
Everybody thinks Grace is going crazy ever since her mom died three
years ago. People think this because Grace watched her mom die so she is
the only one who knows what really happened. Nobody believes her
though. I can make a connection with this because on Thursday night's I
help out with some little girls in dance class. There is one little girl
named Adele, she is three and her mom died last year. Ever since then
in class she'll get mad and go crazy over small things. That might be
normal for most three year olds, but that is not the way Adele used to
act.
I
just started Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Mr. and Mrs.
Dursley have a baby named Dudley. One gray Tuesday Dudley's mom had to
wrestle little screaming Dudley in to his high chair. My connection was
when my little sister Delaney was a baby she would always scream and cry
when I tried to put her in her high chair. Her screaming would always
drive me crazy.
Erin
A connection I made while reading City of Bones is that the main character, Clary Fray is mad at her mom because her mom told Clary that they were going on vacation for the rest of the summer, and that meant that Clary to put an end to her summer actives. Clary left the house and her mom kept on calling her . Clary felt guilty because she kept ignoring her moms calls. I can connect with this because I remember a time when I was about four or five and I was mad at my mom because she was making me clean my room up and I wasn't allowed to go out until it was clean. I jumped out of the bedroom window and claimed that I was running away, but my mom caught me and made me go back inside.
A connection I made while reading City of Bones is that the main character, Clary Fray is mad at her mom because her mom told Clary that they were going on vacation for the rest of the summer, and that meant that Clary to put an end to her summer actives. Clary left the house and her mom kept on calling her . Clary felt guilty because she kept ignoring her moms calls. I can connect with this because I remember a time when I was about four or five and I was mad at my mom because she was making me clean my room up and I wasn't allowed to go out until it was clean. I jumped out of the bedroom window and claimed that I was running away, but my mom caught me and made me go back inside.
The connection that I had made to the book "You Have Seven Messages," is that the main character Luna, loves to take photos. Luna likes to take photos like of her family and friends, just like I enjoy taking. She also likes to take photos of strange things in nature, which I love to take pictures of really unique and different flowers. So in the book, "You Have Seven Messages" by Stewart Lewis, I have only made one connection, but I am sure that I will find many more!
Today as I read the book "The Body in the Woods" by April Henry- I felt a real connection with one of the main characters. There are three main characters in this book, and they all have different personality's. The main character I am most like is Alexis. I think I have a real connection with her because she is scared and paranoid of the scary things in life. In this book Alexis is the one who found the body in the woods. When she found this body she froze and stared at this dead girl. She tried to bring herself to go toured the body but it was to hard. She started walking slowly, but so slowly it was like she was walking in place. She got close enough to the body she decided to blow her whistle as loud as she could to get her friends to where she was at. She wasn't fearless. She was just so scared she almost couldn't blow her whistle. When her friends came back she just stood there staring at the dead girl's half open eyes. Even after the cops came, she wanted to believe it wasn't real, that it was just a bad dream. She honestly didn't know how to react, and I don't blame her.
Alexis is just like me because I am sacred, I am paranoid, and I can't handle situations like that. If I was her I would do almost the exact same thing. I wouldn't know how to react so I would just panic and freak out. I would freeze like Alexis did, I wouldn't be able to talk, and I definitely wouldn't be able to breath. I would pretty much have an anxiety attack. Unlike her though I would scream, as loud as I could. Then I would blow my whistle. I might act fearless (which I am), but when it comes to spiders and situations like this... I honestly don't know how to react. The only thing I'm good at is scream. Which only makes the situation scarier.
I had a lot of connections while reading the book I Am Number Four, but the biggest connection was when the main character (Johnny) was going to a Halloween Festival with his dog dressed as a superhero and his Dad. They bought raffle tickets and Johnny went to a Haunted hayride with his friends. I connected to this scene because I remember on halloween we took our dog and dressed her as a superhero too. Also because right after halloween I went to this haunted house with most of my friends. I have so many connections in this book and that's just some of them.
I am reading Code Of Honor. Kamran Smith's brother is accused of being a terrorist. Kamran just got captured and is being held prisoner of the United States Government. Kamran is being held in a cell for weeks and has talking to people about his brother, Darius. Though one night he decided to escape. He had hit a guy with a lunch tray to get out. Kamran had to run hide and sneak around until he was almost outside. Then he had to shoot a fire extinguisher to cover him while he ran past some guards. Kamran kept running and ran into the guy he hit earlier. It ended up him and someone else were coming to get him out anyway. He did all that for nothing.
Right when I read that I could relate to it. One night I was staying up pretty late on a school night to get finished with my homework. I was rushing through everything and finally got finished with all of it. It ended up we had a snow-day the next day and I kind of did all of it for nothing, just like what Kamran did. I felt good when I got finished, but when I found out I could have done it the next day I was a little mad. I bet Kamran was too.
My
connection I had today was from the book Starters by Lissa Price. There
was a part in this book were Callie went to Prime, a hospital and she
saw Michael and he had a different face because he looked bad before, at
least that is my inference. But in my old book Wonder the main
character was Aggie. He had 27 surgeries since he was born and he looked
bad.
My book is the last book of the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson and it is called Never More. I made a connection in a part in the middle of a book and it was when the main character Max got mad and kicked over a candle. When she did that it set the whole tree house on fire so she had to get out and fly away. She continued to say sorry to Dylan (the guy that made the tree house) and he continued to say it was okay. I related to that because one time I broke something glass of my grandma's and felt really bad. She said it was fine and it wasn't my fault. I still felt really bad and kept blaming my self.
My book is Belly Up and one connection I had with it was when Teddy ran into the prehistoric period exhibit with all of the animatronic dinosaurs. They were scaring him when he walked by. This reminded me of the time I went to Universal Studios in Florida to ride a ride called Jurassic Park: The Ride. We got in this boat thing and at first it was slow but then the story plot changed. One of the dinosaurs escaped! Then the boat was flying, it was so fast and when we rode by, the dinosaurs jumped and scared everyone. And then we finally reached the dinosaur that escaped, we just kept on going, right between his legs and then slid down a waterslide! That was one connection that I had with my book.
Labels:
Connections,
Inner Voice,
Reading,
Reading Strategies,
Reading Workshop
Connections
Today's topic is Reading Connections. Effective readers constantly connect to the text as they read. Their
inner voice relates the text to their life, other books they have read,
and prior knowledge. Readers with higher levels of comprehension
consistently and constantly make connections between the meaning of the
words, and background knowledge.
For information you can see Reading Workshop Connections and More on Connections.
Labels:
Connections,
Inner Voice,
Reading Strategies,
Reading Workshop
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Friday, March 4, 2016
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Wisdom From the Dr.
Your assignment today, Reading Workshop students is to pick one life lesson from Dr. Seuss and write a blog post about it. Share your thoughts, ideas, and/or opinions. How does this life lesson apply to you? You might even be courageous and write in the style of Dr. Seuss.
As Dr. Seuss would say:
Whatever you write, whatever you do, let everyone know, the who is you.
As Dr. Seuss would say:
Whatever you write, whatever you do, let everyone know, the who is you.
Image from facebook.com/AFeelGoodWorld
Labels:
Dr. Seuss,
Reading Workshop,
Student Blogs,
Writing
Friday, February 26, 2016
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Monday, February 22, 2016
Monday, February 8, 2016
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Monday, January 25, 2016
The Roots Video
Labels:
Greek and Latin Roots,
Reading Workshop,
Stems,
Vocabulary
Friday, January 8, 2016
Student Choice Project
Reading Workshop students, you have your choice of genre for the next project. Please fill out the form below and submit. Once this form has been turned in, I will meet with you individually or in small groups to discuss your project.
Labels:
Google Docs,
Reading Workshop,
Writing
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Baby, Fix Your Sentences
Labels:
Fused Sentences,
Grammar,
Reading Workshop,
Run-on Sentences,
Youtube
Monday, January 4, 2016
Sunday, January 3, 2016
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