Coming up with an interesting and thoughtful blog prompt each week was always one of my favorite things to do, but it was also challenging. Everyone was reading something different. Prompts had to be general enough so that any text could be used, but also specific enough to make you think critically. I also wanted the prompts to be fun and interesting. I hope you enjoyed responding to the Reading Response Blog this year. I certainly enjoyed reading your responses!

This past week, some students in class came up with some very interesting blog prompts themselves. Thank you children! It was hard to choose just one, so I posted three for you to choose from.

Choose one of the following prompts related to character traits to respond to:

1. If you could chose a character from a book you are reading to be your best friend, who would you chose and why? 
   
2. What are some characteristics of a character that you want and what are some that you do not like about that character?
   
3. Do you think the plot of a story would change if the main character was someone else? Explain your thinking.

I can't wait to read your responses about characters!

We have been working very hard becoming fantastic readers this year. Not only have our reading skills improved, but we also have grown in our abilities to reflect and write about our reading. The Reading Response Blog has really helped!

Go back to the earliest Reading Response Blog posts (Here are links: #1, #2, and #3). Read your responses to the prompts.

How have you grown in your ability to reflect and write about your reading? Compare and contrast your responses at the beginning of the school year to now.


I can't wait to hear your reflections about your responses!

The weather is getting nicer and we're spending more time outdoors. I don't know about you, but I find it one of the best times of the year to get into a good book. There's nothing I love more than devouring a book amid the beautiful outdoors, whether it's by a pond, on the beach, or just overlooking my backyard.

I bet many of you are reading some great books. Some of you may also be in need of some book suggestions. Let's hear about your independent reading books and see what everyone is interested in right now.

Tell us about your independent reading book this week. Summarize the story so far. Make sure you are clear on who the main characters are, what the setting of the story is, and what the plot of the story is.

Try using modifying clauses in your summary to add more detail and clarify who is who and what is what. Modifying clauses, which are separated by commas, help your writing become clearer and more specific. Use them!

Happy Responding!

Visualizing is an important skill to have as a reader. When you visualize, you form a mental picture of what the words are describing. Visualizing is often a natural skill for people who have vivid imaginations and have seen a lot in their experiences. 

Great descriptions invite us to use our visualization skills. Authors use clever, striking words and phrases to enable readers to picture characters, settings, objects, and actions in their heads. Without great descriptions, we would struggle to see the "movie in our minds" as we read. Everything would be blurry instead of crystal clear.

From your current independent reading, choose one or more great descriptions that helps you visualize a character, a setting, an object, or actions. 

• Quote the text accurately. 
  
• Explain how the description(s) helped you visualize by focusing on the specific word choice of the author.
  
• Explain why it is important for a reader to be able to visualize this description in relation to the plot or purpose of the story.
  

I look forward to hearing about all of the visualizing you are doing in your reading!

I hope you had a fantastic April vacation.

There is no new Reading Response Blog this week! Instead, please do the following if you haven't already:

1. Reply to another student's post on Blog #26 about a resilient character.
2. Write back to Ms. Kimball's comment on your Blog #26 response.

If you have already done both tasks above, then you simply enjoy your independent reading this week!

We have been learning about what is means to be resilient. Someone who is resilient is able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. When you are resilient, you are tough and unable to be brought down by something. Both fictional stories and biographies often feature characters or real people who are resilient in some way or another.

To be resilient doesn't just mean you can survive alone on a deserted island with little food or fresh water. Resilience can be in the mind (psychological), of the body (physical), or in relationships (social). People often think of resilience as being strong and flexible.

Think about some recent stories that you have read in your independent reading. Choose a character from your reading that shows resilience. Explain how this character is resilient to one or more of the challenges he or she faces. Also, consider this: What does this character teach you about being strong and flexible?

I look forward to reading about resilient characters you have read about!

Image Credit: Resilient flower. http://www.entrepreneurradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/cover_42_en_US.jpg

Last week, most of you wrote about a book you feel everyone should read by fifth grade. Some student still haven't responded, unfortunately. Nevertheless, we have a great list of books for you to consider:

• Operation Redwood by S. Terrell French
  
• Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osborne
  
• Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, or Kane Chronicles series by Rick Riordan
  
• Warriors series by Erin Hunter
  
• Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Suess
  
• Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai (x2)
  
• Divergent by Veronica Roth
  
• The Cricket in Times Square by George Seldon
  
• Wonder by R.J. Palacio
  
• The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde
  
• Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea
  
• The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
  
• Rules by Cynthia Lord
  
• City of Orphans by AVI
  

Choose a book from this list that you HAVEN'T read yet and find a copy of it. Read the first few chapters or sections of the book. Would you agree that the book is a potential "must-read" book? Did the story pull you in? Do you think it's appropriate for someone ages 8-11? Tell us what you think!

You can reread last week's blog post comments (#24) to see who recommended the book and why.

I look forward to hearing what you think of the books on the list!

By fifth grade, you have read many books. Some were better than others. Some you'll remember long after you finish them. We all read at different levels and have different interests as readers. However, there are books out there that are so well-written and driven by such interesting characters and plots that every kid just HAS to read them. They may be classic books that kids have read for generations. They may be modern adventures that perfectly capture life at this age. They may be stories that move you in ways you never thought possible. 

If you had to pick ONE BOOK that you feel EVERY KID should HAVE TO READ by fifth grade, which book would you choose? Explain why you think this book is a "must read" for kids your age.

If you had trouble deciding between a couple of books, feel free to also share your "runners up" list.

I look forward to hearing which books make our class' "must read" list!

Image Credit: Kid reading drawing. March 29, 2015. http://www.theclassroomkit.com/images/read.

Great descriptions really make a story come to life! Great descriptions use precise details, figurative language, and/or interesting vocabulary to really enhance a reader's experience with the text. 

You can analyze descriptions in a number of ways. One way is to decide if the author means the description "literally" or "figuratively." 

Literal means that the author means exactly what he or she writes. For example, "A few cold drops of rain fell on the children's noses and their cheeks and their mouths. The sun faded behind a stir of mist. A wind blew cold around them. They turned and started to walk back toward the house, their hands at their sides, their smiles vanishing away." This is a great, precise description of the start of a rain storm. The author means exactly what he says.

Figurative means that words are used in a way that is different from the usual meaning. Figurative language creates a picture in your mind. For example, "The children pressed to each other like so many roses, so many weeds, intermixed, peering out for a look at the hidden sun."  The author does not mean that the children are actually roses or weeds. This description makes you think of roses and weeds crowded together, then relate that to a crowd of children trying to see the sun.

Look through your independent reading for a great description of a setting, a character, or an action. Quote the description accurately. Explain what the description means and tell if the author means the words literally or figuratively. Then tell why you admire the description so much.

Summarize the story so far in your independent reading. Focus on the main points and big ideas so that readers can get a sense of the overall story.

Try using "modifying clauses" in your summary. Modifying clauses, which are separated from the sentence by commas, add more detail about a person, place, or thing.

Another example of a modifying clause in action: Ms. Kimball, my fifth grade teacher, plays guitar.


I look forward to hearing about the stories that you all are reading!

Here is an amusing poem that is written as a conversation between a dog and a squirrel. I hope you like it!

Image from the Disney/Pixar movie, "Up."

Dog and Squirrel: Steps in a Flirtation

Choose ONE of the following prompts to respond to. Quote parts of the text that you can use as evidence to support your thinking.

1. How does the dog feel about the squirrel?
2. How does the squirrel feel about the dog?
3. How does each animal show confidence?
4. Explain the meaning of some of the descriptions the author uses.

I look forward to reading your analysis of the poem!

In our independent reading books, we often get to know characters who have both similar and different views than us. Sometimes it can be comforting to read a story in which the main character has the same values and beliefs as you, along with a similar personality. Other times it can be intriguing to read a story in which the main character has very different values and beliefs as you and acts very differently than how you would act in a given situation. 

Pick a character from your independent reading. Compare and contrast the character's values, beliefs, personality, and/or actions to your own if you were in a similar situation. 

Remember, go deeper than comparisons that simply state gender, family make-up, and appearances. Focus on important character traits rather than things out of a character's control. Be specific and give examples to support!

I look forward to hearing your comparisons and contrasts!


Image Credit: Elsa and Anna from Disney's "Frozen"

Welcome back from February break students! I missed you all very much.

I'm excited to hear all about the reading that you did over the break. I hope you all spent some time curled up or stretched out with a good book. To get back into the swing of school, let's use this week's blog to Power Think!

Choose 2-3 power verbs from the list above and use them to write about a book you've been reading or have read recently.

For example, if you choose to "describe" and "trace," you will need to choose something from your book to describe and something from your book to trace. "Describe" means to "tell about, paint a picture with words." "Trace" means to "list the steps, follow the path." 

I can't wait to read your powerful thoughts about your books!

Image credit: Girl reading in a basket. http://www.fun-learning-activities-for-children.com

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. day, we examined Dr. King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech, which he delivered on August 28, 1963 at the March on Washington. February is Black History Month, so let us continue our discussion of this remarkable event. I've copied some of the lines from Dr. King's speech below. Read them.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

If you would like to read the full speech, visit American Rhetoric.

Choose at least one of the sentences from MLK's speech above. Analyze (break apart, tell about the parts) what the sentence is about. Explain the meaning of Dr. King's message.

Then, tell why you think Dr. King chose those words and phrases to get his message across.

To get background information on the Civil Rights Movement so that your response is the best it could be, check out Britannica for Kids --The Civil Rights Movement.

To read more about Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech, check out Time For Kids --Honoring King's Dream.

Image from American Rhetoric: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

Dear Class,

Authors write for many different reasons. Many authors write humorous or exciting stories and articles to entertain readers. Other authors write news stories, articles, and other non-fiction to inform and educate readers. Sometimes authors write to share their experiences. Sometimes authors want to teach readers a lesson or get a message across. Other times authors want to persuade readers to think a certain way or perform an action. Most times authors try to do a combination of these things whenever they write.

Choose a text that you have read recently and state the title, author, and the genre of the text. It could be anything --a story, a news article, an instruction manual, an advertisement, an essay, an opinion piece, or other text.

Why do you think the author wrote the text? There may be more than one reason.
Explain why you think this and support your thinking with specific examples from the text. Make sure your examples clearly show us instances of the author trying to do what you think he or she is trying to do!

I look forward to hearing what you think about why authors write!

Picture Citation: Snoopy writing by Charles Schultz. http://www.jeffcalloway.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/the-writer2.jpeg