Reading R﻿esponse Blog #19

Reading Response Blog #19

2/22/2015

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!

This Week's Prompt:

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

74 Comments

Alec

2/23/2015 08:01:32 am

Dear Class,
The power verbs I used were describe and explain. The book I chose was Ice Whale, by Jean Craighead George. One description is "The sea was red with blood." It means that the sea is red because of the blood. Now I will show you why the blood was there. The blood was from the whales. Why were there so many killed whales you may ask? Well, it's because of the Yankee whaling. It was the disaster of 1871 in the arctic. So, that was my two power verbs I chose.

From, Alec

Ms. Kimball

2/24/2015 01:12:01 pm

Dear Alec,

Wow. Sounds like a very interesting book! If you had to describe the disaster of 1871 that you mentioned, what would you say about it? I would like to know more about what happened and why.

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Alec

2/27/2015 12:29:55 am

If I had to describe the disaster of 1871, I would desribe it as the disaster of where the Yankee whalers almost made whales, seals, and many other arctic animals extinct. All you see in the sea is blood. I really feel bad for the animals. Those cruel Yankee whalers.

From, Alec

Olivia D.

2/27/2015 12:40:59 am

Dear Alec,

That seems like a great book. Nice job explaining, I really got the main idea. Would you recommend it?

Sincerely,
Olivia D.

Alec

2/27/2015 12:50:17 am

Dear Ms.Kimball,

I forgot 1 more thing. I'm sorry. This is what happened. Somebody named Toozak is a Yu'pik person. When he was minding his own business, some random Yankee whalers asked him, "Where are the whales?" Without thinking, he pointed toward the whales. Then he realized that the Yankee whalers had harpoons! He knew they want to kill the whales. What have I done?! Toozak thought. The whale spirits will be so mad at me!!! (That wasn't really what was in the book, but that was the kid of way he would react.) So the Yankee whalers kept on hunting whales for their blubber. They used it to make an oil. There is too much hunting the sea is red with blood. That was what heppened

From, Alec

Nathan

2/26/2015 11:47:10 pm

Dear Alec,

This seems like a very interesting topic. I've heard of people killing whales in 1871 but do not know a lot about it. After everyone realized it was wrong, were people punished?

Yours truly,
Nathan

Forrest

3/1/2015 11:54:51 am

Dear Alec,

I can't believe that people killed those animals and almost made them extinct. I know they needed meat and oil but it seemed that they were really greedy.

From,

Forrest

Talia

2/23/2015 08:06:30 am

Ms.Kimball,
I read the book Mrs.Frisby and the Rats of Nimh. I am going to analyze the rat's escape from Nimh. But, first I will explain what Nimh was. Nimh was a place where scientists were figuring out more about how brains worked . They did this by testing vaccines on rats and mice then trying to teach them how to read. Different rats got different vaccines, and so they learned at different paces, and in different ways.
Now I will analyze the rat's escape from Nimh. The rats learned to read and became smarter than humans in other ways too. They learned what the scientists were using them for, and didn't like it. They found a pipe and escaped through it. They got out of Nimh and went to a grocery store to live. They didn't like life there so they set off again. They found a mansion that nobody was living in. It was filled with food and books.They lived there for a while, reading books all day. They set off again soon, after winter ended. The rats found a abandoned bear hole near where Mrs. Frisby was living. It was underneath a rose bush so they were safe. This is still their home when the story takes place.
Talia

Ms. Kimball

2/25/2015 01:23:32 pm

Dear Talia,

What a great book! The concept of scientists making rats smarter always interested me. Your writing is very clear and easy to follow. Here's a couple of questions, anyway. NIMH stands for something, doesn't it? That might be a good detail to include when you explain what NIMH is. Also, you said that the rats escaped NIMH through a pipe. Was it really that easy?

Keep up the great work!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Talia

2/27/2015 12:38:03 am

Ms.Kimball,
Actually, the book does not tell you what NIMH stood for. Escaping NIMH through the pipe was not easy. It took a long time of studying the pipe to figure out how to get out. Lots of risks were involved. All exept 2 of the mice involved died. Everyone else could have died.
From Talia

Talia

3/5/2015 11:48:34 am

Ms.Kimball,
The book doesn't say what NIMH stands for.The escape from NIMH in the pipe was not easy. It took days for the rats and mice to figure out the escape plan.
Talia

Julia

2/23/2015 09:35:56 am

Dear Class,

I'm reading Flushed by Carl Hiaasen. First, I will summarize the story. Flushed is about a boy who's father went to jail for sinking a casino boat that was illegally flushing sewage waste into the ocean. The boy named Noah and his sister Abbey are trying to prove that the owner of the boat is indeed flushing sewage waste into the ocean. I predict that Noah will video tape the owner of the casino boat dumping the waste into the ocean, so he can prove his fathers claims.

Sincerely,
Julia

Ms. Kimball

2/24/2015 01:15:03 pm

Dear Julia,

What an interesting plot! I'm curious about the characters in the story. Who runs the casino boat and why would they try to hide something so terrible like flushing sewage into the ocean? Also, what are Noah and his sister like? I'm guess they must be pretty resourceful kids to try and save their father.

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Julia

2/27/2015 12:41:15 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,

The owner of the casino boat is named Dusty Muleman, and he only cares about making money. Noah seems like he cares a lot about his family, and probably feels that since his dad is in jail a lot, he needs to step up and take care of his little sister and mom.

Sincerely,

Julia

Sage P

2/25/2015 09:08:02 am

Dear Julia,
Great response! I really liked how you typed a great summary about the book, I could really understand the book that way. Who do you think Noah will show the video to if your prediction is correct?
From,
Sage P

Forrest

2/23/2015 10:01:12 am

Dear Class,

I am going to summarize and make a prediction about because of mr. terupt by Rob Buyea.

My brief summary about the book starts with a fifth grade class and their year together with a brand new teacher. Most of the story takes place at school. Experiences in the class and their friendships and the way they get along really brings the kids together. They do really cool projects, like a plant project, science experiments and a math project called dollar word. You see all the kids different perspectives. At the end of the book there is a big tragedy that changes everyone. I will stop there so I don't give it away.

Prediction
The book ends with a clue that the class will loop with their teacher. So I predict that they will have a great 6th grade year with Mr. Terupt. Their friendships will stay together. I feel as though there will be another big event but this time I think the kids will change Mr. Terupt in a way that no one would expect.

I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read the next one in the series.

From,

Forrest

Ms. Kimball

2/24/2015 01:21:04 pm

Dear Forrest,

Great prediction! I haven't read the second book, but that sounds like a fun twist to have the kids change Mr. Terupt. I agree that many of the students' experiences bring them together in the book, but did you also notice that there were many differences between the students that created problems? For example, Luke got fed up with Peter for his pranks and goofing off, since Luke liked school and always wanted to challenge himself. Luke eventually tries to get revenge on Peter during the snowball fight. Do you remember any conflicts in the story that you found interesting?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Forrest

3/1/2015 11:41:03 am

Dear Ms.Kimball,

Two of the conflicts I found interesting were with the girls. One was the conflict between Daniela’s family and Anna’s family. The other conflict was between Alexia and the girls. The reason I think Daniela and Anna’s parents don’t get along is because Anna’s mom is really young so Daniela's parents don't approve of their family. Daniela and Anna like hanging out. In the end, after the event with Mr. Terupt Daniella’s family was willing to make an effort with Anna’s family.
The conflict between Alexia and the girls starts with Alexia being really mean to Daniela especially, and the other girls. For example, Alexia calls Daniela names like fatty and other really mean words. One day when she was being really really mean Mr.Terupt talked to her and told her the truth about her behavior. At first she got really mad at this and was kind of quiet around all the kids. After the event with Mr. Terupt, both of these conflicts got better. Daniella’s family was willing to let the kids hang out and be friends, and Alexia became one of the nicest people.
I’m curious to see what will happen with the friendships in the next book.

Sincerely,
Forrest

Danny

2/23/2015 10:37:35 am

Danny 2/23/15

Blog 19
Dear Ms.Kimball,

I am reading The Lost Hero by, Rick Riordan. I chose to use support and trace for my power words.

I am tracing the steps that follow the path to understanding what mist is. I will support it with details from the book.

Mist is basically something to hide the creatures, monsters and other mystical beings from the rest of the world. For example, when Jason woke up, he had no idea what the heck was going on. Some kid, Leo, said he was his best friend. Some girl, Piper, said he was her girlfriend, but he wasn't. It was actually mist making Piper and Leo believe that they knew each other

Later, Annabel, asked Piper if she had any memory of him, but she couldn't remember anything. She also asked what was Jason's last name, but everything she ever knew about Jason was vague. When Jason asked the person in charge, (Coach Hedge) why he was there, he responded, "Yeah, I haven't seen you," even though his friends had been with him for a year.

Sincerely,
Danny

Sam

2/24/2015 09:43:40 am

Dear Danny,
I read the same book. All the places you used the words went with what you were saying. And matched the book

Sincerely,
Sam

Ms. Kimball

2/24/2015 01:24:47 pm

Dear Danny,

Tracing is always a lot of fun to do in a complex story like that! Mist sounds pretty mysterious. From your description, it sounds like mist affects humans in an unusual way in addition to hiding creatures, monsters and other mystical beings. How does it affect humans?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Danny

3/1/2015 09:09:24 am

Dear Ms.Kimball
If a human learned about mist, they would be freaking out. because there mother might be an ogre imagine coming home from school and your parent is a unicorn, that would be really weird.

Nathan

2/23/2015 12:41:24 pm

Dear Class,
I am going to compare and evaluate two characters from the book, Dumpling Days. The two characters are Lissy and Pacy, who are sisters. Lissy who is 14 years old, is the eldest, and Pacy, who is 10 years old, is the middle child in the family. Pacy mentions a lot that ever since Lissy became a teenager she never smiled and tried to act like a stereotypical teenager, however at times she is a very nice sister to Pacy. Pacy is clueless, and impatient, but very cheerful. Most of the time in the book, Pacy is happy and only occasionally grumpy. Pacy meets a girl called Audrey Chang. Audrey and Pacy form a rivalry. It is only when Pacy befriends a kind girl in her painting class that Pacy reflects on her own behavior, and realizes that being in a rivalry is bad, and she should have been making friends. Lissy is impatient too, but in comparison to Pacy, Lissy is very intelligent and is more street-wise. Pacy and Lissy have the same interests for example fashion and they do like each other. In conclusion, Lissy and Pacy are similar but also different. They have their flaws, but have their positives.
Yours truly, Nathan.

Ms. Kimball

2/24/2015 01:36:55 pm

Dear Nathan,

Clever combination of power verbs --compare and evaluate! You capture the struggle between a teenager and his/her younger sibling quite well. Growing up can be tough for both the younger and older sibling at those ages. I'm curious, you said Pacy forms a rivalry with a girl named Audrey. Why does that happen? Also, I think it's cool how you mention Pacy later reflects on her behavior and realizes she should be friendly to Audrey. How does the kind girl from Pacy's painting class help her realize this?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Nathan

2/26/2015 11:36:17 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball

Audrey forms a rivalry with Audrey because she acts like shes the best and always gets her way. Audrey to makes their painting class like a competition. The girl In the painting class shows Pacy that making friends is what she should have been doing. This happens because the girl is very nice and she never had time to socialize with her because the only person she was speaking to in class was Audrey.

Yours truly,
Nathan.

Marc

2/24/2015 07:05:14 am

Class,
first, I will summarize my book. Then, I will predict what I think will happen next.

I am currently reading The Testing, written by Joelle Charbonneau. The book, is based off of the world being destroyed of war, and certain people have to “regenerate” it. So, there is a girl named Cia who gets selected for The Testing, but it wasn't easy for her. The Testing is a test, and if you pass it you have to help rebuild the world. First, she has to work really hard in school, and still she might not even be chosen. Second, she had to have a certain personality to succeed in The Testing. Luckily for her she had all of those things, and she got chosen for The Testing. Since Cia got chosen for The Testing, she had to leave the day after, because the government wants to rebuild the world as soon as possible. Although, she really wanted to be chosen for The Testing, she was also really scared that she might never see her family ever again.

I think that Cia is going to go through a lot of trouble during The Testing because, if she did not, the story wouldn’t be as interesting. For example, I think some of her friendships are going to ripen into rivalries.

Sincerely,
Marc

Ms. Kimball

2/25/2015 01:30:34 pm

Dear Marc,

Wow. What a complex and intriguing story! I have so many questions (What kind of war? What kind of government is still running? Why did Cia get chosen for testing), but that's probably because the story is very complex. It would probably take you 5 blog posts just to explain it all! Post-apocalyptic novels easily draw readers in. I wonder why?

I love your last sentence, especially the phrase, "ripen into rivalries." What do you mean by that?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Marc

3/1/2015 08:34:30 am

Ms. Kimball,
When I say "ripen into rivalries" I mean that some of Cias friends are going to become rivals. Also, the war was a world war that pretty much destroyed the whole world, so now they have to choose people to get the world back to normal, and the people who help, are the ones who work with the government.

Sincerely,
Marc

Olivia D.

2/24/2015 08:41:55 am

Dear Class,

The book I am writing about is titled "Who could that be at this hour?" by Daniel Handler.
I will start off by giving a quick summary about the story. It is about a boy, who has no parents, and is training to become a detective. He is sent on a mission to retrieve a missing vase, but along the journey he finds out that the mystery is alot bigger then it seems. On his way he encounters some unsual character salong the way.

I will evaluate this story by telling the postive and the negative. I liked this story because there were alot of mysteries behind it. Also because it ended with alot of questions the author didn't answer, which made me even more interested. The reason I didn't like this story is because the beginning was boring so I had given it up for some time, but luckily I tried again and managed through the beginning. I think the author should have made the beginning pull you in even more.

Sincerely,
Olivia D.

Ms. Kimball

2/25/2015 01:34:30 pm

Dear Olivia,

I'm glad you stuck with the story, too. That's good advice to the author. I bet readers drop many books that they might have actually loved just because the beginnings didn't pull them in.

You said the author ended with questions left unanswered. What were some of them? Usually readers want their questions answered by the end of a book. Why did you enjoy not having your questions answered?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Olivia D.

2/27/2015 12:37:22 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,

The author left a lot of unanswered questions, for example, in the story we never even figured out if the vase was returned to the rightful owner, also the story didn't tell you if they ever caught the thief.
The reason I like this style of writing is because you get to imagine what happens at the ending. For example I had to picture what I thought could work in the story based on what had previously happened.

Sincerely,
Olivia D.

Sam

2/24/2015 09:22:45 am

Dear Class,
I am reading the sequel to the Maze Runner The Scorch Trials. Theres a lot to compare between the way the main character thomas acted in the first book, then he acted in the second book. For example in the first book the author describes Thomas a skinny tall boy with black hair. In the second book thomas is described a looked at a lot differently. people look up to him and learn not to just stop evaluating him but to respect him. Lot's more more to read.

Sincerely,
Sam

Ms. Kimball

2/25/2015 01:39:39 pm

Dear Sam,

It's a lot of fun to read books in a series so that you can see characters develop over the expanse of a complex plot. You said Thomas acted differently in the first book compared to the second book, but described how he looked. What are some things Thomas did, said, or thought in the second book that he wouldn't have done, said, or thought in the first book? For example, Thomas loved his alone time in the first book, always hiding in that forest in the glade. (I forgot what the forest is called). Is Thomas still somewhat solitary in the second book or is he more social and friendly?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Sam

2/26/2015 09:06:17 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
Thomas acts very different in the second book. For example Thomas no longer acts solitary, with the bravery and courage in the first book getting the gladers out of the maze, he has earned everybodys trust. Every now and then though people do start to doubt thomas and just wonder if he going mentally, crazy. Some of the sessions lately he’s been making in the book are questionable.

Sincerely,
Sam

Ms. Kimball

2/26/2015 12:44:59 pm

Dear Sam,

That's cool how Thomas gained everyone's trust by the second book. His new status as a leader must make him act differently, too. What are some of the things he does that are "questionable?" (I like your word choice there!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Julia

2/27/2015 12:45:42 am

Dear Sam,

I am also reading The Scorch Trials, and I agree with you that the way Thomas is described is different than the way he's described in the first book. Why do you think his character changes. What kind of character do you think he became?

Sincerely,
Julia

Danny

3/1/2015 09:15:28 am

Dear Sam,
In the first book everybody hated Thomas, do people still hate Thomas.

Layla

2/24/2015 11:07:04 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,

I am reading the book entitled: I lived on Butterfly Hill by Marjorie Agosin.

Now, I will summarize the book. The book is about a girl named Celeste, who lives in Valparaiso, Chile. In the beginning of the book, Chile's ruler is President Alarcon. Then, the president is murdered, and the murderer, a general, becomes Chile's new ruler. Chile falls into dictatorship, and bad things start to happen. Anyone who stands up for people, or helps the poor, or is an artist is considered "subversive". Even Celeste couldn't hang out in groups with more than two other people, or the dictator, and his workers, would think that the group was planning to overrule the dictator, or anything of the kind. Subversives were to be killed. People start disappearing, which actually means they are either being killed or people are fleeing the country in hiding.

For this matter, Celeste is forced to leave the country by herself. Celeste's grandmother and nanny decide to send her to Maine to live live with Celeste's Aunt Graciela. Celeste has to now fit into her new surroundings, and not just learn a new language, but learn about a totally different culture.

I am going to compare and contrast the characters Graciela and Celeste. One thing these characters have in common is how they believe in things that they want to happen. When Celeste first joins her new school in Maine, she sees another new student named Kim and believes that she is going to be friends with her.
Graciela fell in love with a man named Guillermo and she moved with him to Canada. She had been living in Chile at that time and she believed that she would live a happy life with him.

From,
Layla

Layla

2/25/2015 12:11:01 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball,
My deepest apologies. I only meant to tell about Graciela and Celeste's similarities. One more similarity these characters have is that when Celeste first came to live in Maine with her aunt Graciela, they were both lonely. Graciela was lonely because she lived alone and had no one to talk to or be with. Celeste was lonely because she had no friends at her new school. But then, Celeste and Graciela had each other to confide in. Also, both characters eventually made friends.

Additionally, I will talk about Celeste and Graciela's differences. Their differences are that Celeste takes action in her beliefs and what she thinks needs to be changed. Some evidence for this is that when Celeste comes back to Chile eventually, she wants to find her friends that have disappeared during the dictatorship. She demands to know where her friends are from her teachers and gets frustrated when adults don't give her the answers.

Sorry for any confusion,
Layla

Layla

2/26/2015 10:52:00 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
I have one thing to add on: Graciela in that way is the opposite of Celeste.
From,
Layla

Ms. Kimball

2/26/2015 12:42:08 pm

Wow, Layla!! What an extremely thoughtful, detailed, and well-written response! You really pushed your thinking deep and tried to describe the story and the characters clearly. Great job!

"I Lived on Butterfly Hill" sounds like an amazing story, filled with complex relationships and a dynamic plot. I'm guessing it is based on a true story or maybe it is a historical fiction. Did the events in Chile you described actually happen?

That's very interesting that Graciela and Celeste were both lonely. It sounds like Celeste was more active in doing something about that. Did the relationship between Graciela and the man fall apart and that's why she lives alone?

Keep up the great work, Layla!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Yubin

2/24/2015 01:29:27 pm

Dear Class,

The book I read is called “The Lion King” by Disney’s. In this book, the ghostly voice of Mufasa said to Simba, “You must take your place in the Circle of Life.” Let me explain what the Circle of Life is. It is nature’s way of taking life and giving it back to Earth. It represents the infinite nature of energy of life. It means that if something dies it gives new life to another.

Now, let me give an example to support my explanation of the Circle of Life. In the book, Mufasa told Simba to respect all the animals, “from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope.” And Simba asked, “But Dad, don’t we eat the antelope?” Then Mufasa answered, “Yes, Simba, but let me explain. When we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass. And so we are all connected in the great Circle of Life.”

Sincerely,

Yubin

Layla

2/25/2015 12:15:25 pm

Dear Yubin,

Great response! I like the way you incorporated the Power Verbs in it! How do you think about the circle of life?

From,
Layla

Yubin

2/26/2015 12:18:25 pm

Dear Layla,

Thanks a lot! I think the Circle of Life is a part of our daily lives. On the same day my great-grandmother passed away in Korea, my younger brother, Yuwon, was born in Virginia. I remember my dad called this a "Circle of Life".

Sincerely,
Yubin

Layla

3/1/2015 08:22:39 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
The events in the story are actually true. I think most of them are based on the author's experience as a child. Also, Graciela now lives alone because she broke up with Guillermo, her boyfriend.
From,
Layla

Ms. Kimball

2/26/2015 12:54:09 pm

Dear Yubin,

I agree with Layla. Great response! You wrote very clearly. I also like how you included quotes from the text. That made your explanation come to life for me and I could understand the story better.

The "Circle of Life" sounds like a wonderful thing. It really shows how we should respect all living things, even grass and bugs. I have a somewhat related connection. Since I was young, I used to be VERY afraid of spiders. If I saw one crawling in my house, I would beg my dad to kill it. One day, I realized that spiders eat insects that I'm not a huge fan of, such as flies. If I kill spiders, then bugs I don't like won't get eaten and will multiply. So now, if I see a spider crawling in my house, I name it and let it wander. Sometimes I'll catch it and release it outside. Do you think my experience relates to the "Circle of Life" at all?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Sage W.

2/27/2015 12:47:03 am

Dear Yubin,
I like how you explained the circle of life and how you said "Its natures way of taking life and giving it back to earth." Great job on your response, keep up the good work!

Sage P

2/25/2015 09:02:18 am

Dear class,

I am reading the book, The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Lee Stewart. The words I am going to chose are predict and explain. I am first going to explain what my book is about. The book first starts out when a lot of kids have to take tests to be able to go in the, very special society. As the book progresses, we learn different perspectives of the kids tests, and how they are all the same the same person shows up to each of the kids tests, only 4 kids got in the society. The kids start learning about these messages (you will have to read the book to find out more about these messages) and how they are changing peoples lives, and they could get worse. The messages are being sent by radio and tv, they could get worse and go into peoples brains forever! These kids were there to help stop the messages, and they are training and getting prepared to help save the world. I am now going to predict what is going to happen next in this crazy book. I think these kids will continue their journey with some crazy challenges along the way like, people who created the messages will try to stop them and the messages could get worse while they are on their journey.
From,
Sage P

Ms. Kimball

2/26/2015 12:57:12 pm

Dear Sage,

I have heard from a few people that "The Mysterious Benedict Society" has a pretty "crazy" plot. You did a nice job explaining it clearly without giving too much away. So who are the main characters? Are there any that you particularly like?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Sage P

3/3/2015 12:34:41 am

Dear Ms.Kimball,
The main characters in the story are Reynie, Constance, Sticky (His real name is George.), and Kate. My favorite character is, Constance because she is always very whinny, and a funny character in the story. I like her because she keeps the book alive and more in touch with reality.

Talia

2/27/2015 12:43:48 am

I just started The Mysterious Benedict Society! I really like it so far. Do you think that the 4 will be chosen to be senders?

Kaela

2/26/2015 07:48:31 am

Dear class

I am reading the book wonder (again). The words I am going to choose are compare and contrast. I will compare and contrast my life to his. First i am like him in one way because we both have been new kids at a school. Also, we both have disabilities. Another reason we are similar is we both have very nice princibles in our school. One reason we are different is August has different disabilities. Also, he has only gone to one school I have gone to two. Last but not least he has only one sister and I have two brothers also (one is a half brother.Thank you very much for reading.
Sincerely Kaela

Ms. Kimball

2/26/2015 01:38:51 pm

Dear Kaela,

Don't forget to capitalize titles (Wonder) and the word "I". Also, I'm assuming that you are comparing yourself to the main character, August. How do you think some of the similarities and differences you described about both you and August affect how you act? For example, you both have been new kids at school. You both have disabilities. Your siblings are different. How do those qualities make you who you are?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Kaela

3/3/2015 05:35:18 am

Sorry I forgot to put a capital letter in there oops. well I think that makes us who we are because they change our story his story is about who he is and mine is about who I am but unlike him I don't have my life writin by an author so I make my decision and he has an author who made his.Thank you for the comments bye.
Sincerely
Kaela

Sofia

2/26/2015 08:34:09 am

Class,
The two words I will choose are Summarize and Predict, and the book I am reading is Girl Online by Zoe Sugg (zoella on YouTube).
First, summarize. Penny is a shy girl who loves taking photos. She also started an anonymous blog, which she talks about high school drama, and other things in her life. Once, when she was taking a photo of a school play, she fell over on stage, revealing her unicorn underwear. Her supposed 'friend' decides to post a video of this online and it goes viral. Her family decides to go to New York, and Penny meets a boy named Noah, and falls in love. When she comes back home though, after weeks avoiding the internet, articles are everywhere saying a famous singer Noah Flynn is cheating on another famous artist with Girl Online, also known as Penny Porter. She only told one person about her blog though.. Her best friend Elliot. What about Noah? Did Elliot Leak information about Penny and her blog? Thats where I am right now. The next powerverb is predict. I think it would be too obvious if Elliot really exposed Penny and her blog, because Elliot has been acting strangely around Penny and has been ignoring her. I think Elliot took Penny's advice and told his parents he was gay, and since Elliots parents are highly against it, he was not allowed to talk to Penny, who suggested he tell them. This is my summary and prediction for Girl Online!
Sofia

Ms. Kimball

2/26/2015 01:15:28 pm

Dear Sofia,

Your book sounds like is has quite a socially dramatic plot! Poor Penny has a lot of stress in her life. When something "goes viral," that can either be a very good thing or a very bad thing. I'm assuming, in Penny's case, that a video of her falling and exposing her silly undies was catastrophic. How did she handle it besides ignoring the internet? Also, did Penny know that Noah was a famous singer when she met him, or was she surprised when she checked online?

Lastly, poor Elliot struggling with his parents' reaction to his identity. Has he reached out to his friend, Penny, despite his parents restriction or has he just completely snubbed her?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Sofia

2/27/2015 08:06:27 am

Ms.Kimball,
Penny had taken a week off school to go to New York with the family, so she had avoided hearing any rumors. When Penny met Noah, he was playing the guitar, but she didn't know she was famous until she came back from New York. Also, the friend that posted the video and her best friend Elliot are two separate people... Just to clear that up.
Sofia

Rheona

2/26/2015 09:28:19 am

Dear Class,
I will be summarizing and predicting about the book The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan.

My summary is only from the beginning to from the beginning and summarize until where i have left off.
. Carter and his father, Julius, go to London to visit Sadie(Carter’s sister). She had to live with her grandparents in London after their mother died. Julius takes them to the British Museum to study the Rosetta Stone. He actually has deeper thoughts and tries to summon Osiris, the Egyptian god of the Underworld. It goes wrong when all the other four major gods are brought out and Set, the Egyptian god of Evil, imprisons Julius in a sarcophagus and traps him under ground.
Carter and Sadie are taken to Brooklyn by their uncle, Amos. Amos decides to find Set after Carter has a dream about Set in Phoenix. In the library of the Brooklyn mansion they stay in that is filled with magic, they begin to discover signs that both sides of their family are descended from the famous pharaohs. Julius's side of the family was descended from Narmer, while their dead mother, Ruby, had a family originated from Ramesses. When Sadie and Carter reach New York, it is discussed how in Egyptians lived on the East side of the river because the sun rose in the east, and buried their dead in the west. Sadie had asked why they couldn't live in Manhattan. Amos replied that there are other gods and they should stay separate. They have no clue what to do or who to trust.
The mansion is attacked by Set's animals. Sadie's cat, Muffin, turns out be the cat goddess, Bast. She makes quick work of the Set's animals, but the three are forced to run. They go into Manhattan, which Amos said had other non-Egyptian gods. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bast attempts to transport them into the Duat – a magical realm right underneath the mortal realm, but the goddess of scorpions fights Bast and is almost defeated, Bast runs away to Duat.
In the museum, Carter and Sadie find Zia Rashid. She is in the First Nome (Egypt) of the House of Life, that had magicians trying to protect people and fight gods. Zia combats Serqet and bans her from her host by using the Seven Ribbons of Hathor spell, but it doesn't work.
Zia takes the two to the First Nome, where Chief Lector Iskandar – the House of Life leader – and Desjardins – the second-in-command – brought up the assumption that they were both hosts of gods. Sadie and Iskander have a talk and the old Chief Lector tells her about the hosts. They begin to realize their very important role in the plan of the Gods. They also realize they are hosts to the two gods Isis and Horus.
The next day, the two siblings begin their training. Zia teaches them the concept of casting hieroglyphs to use magic. Carter surprises Sadie and Zia by summoning a combat falcon avatar of the war god Horus. Their training is disrupted when a magician informs Zia that Iskander is dead and Desjardins is next in line to be guardian for the throne of Egypt. Recognizing that Desjardins would want to kill them (as hosts to Isis and Horus), Sadie creates a portal and she and Carter escape to Paris, but not before bringing sphinxes with them. Bast, who is fine, takes care of them and Carter and Sadie infiltrate Desjardins' house so they can take a Book Of Truth to try and defeat Set. Fruit bats attack them when they find the book, and magicians follow them when they run. Carter, Sadie, and Bast run to the Louvre and transport to the U.S. ending up at the Washington Monument.
In Washington, D.C they are chased by the Set animal, who Carter named Leroy. Carter stays back at the airport to fight it and manages to wound it with his combat avatar. He throws Leroy in his Duat locker - a short opening to the Duat - and manages to catch the airplane to Memphis, Tennessee, where the wisdom god, Thoth, is. They use tickets given to Sadie by Nut, the sky goddess, who also gives Sadie a letter to her husband Geb, the Earth god.
When they finish Thoth's test, they learn that they were supposed to go the Underworld/Land of the Dead. Because Sadie proved to Anubis, god of funerals, she is trustworthy, he gives the Feather of Truth to her. They then continue from New Orleans to Texas, where Carter fights Sobek, but is hopelessly outmatched and outclassed even with the combat avatar. Amos saves them but Bast and Sobek are expelled to the Duat. The only thing left of Bast is Muffin, the cat she inhabited.
They go to New Mexico, as Zia wanted Carter there and the earth god Geb told Sadie too. It turns out that Desjardins had known this and a fight occurs. Thanks to Zia's plan, they defeat Sekhmet, the lion goddess of battle, and drive onwards to Arizona. They spot the Red Pyramid, which is Set's main host. When they arrive, Amos faints, and Set reveals he was hosting Amos.
Carter merges completely with Horus and becomes the eye of the war god. He puts up a good fight but Set's strength grows when dawn approaches and the desert

Ms. Kimball

2/26/2015 01:34:06 pm

Dear Rheona,

WOW! What an extensive summary! I have to say, I noticed an improved and effective use of commas in your writing. Since "The Red Pyramid" has such a complex plot with so many characters, using those "modifying clauses" to add more information about characters and places is key. You did a great job there!

Although your summary wasn't quite, "The short version," I enjoyed reading it and learning more about the story. I can't believe how much traveling Carter and Sadie do in the story. The turning point of learning that Amos was a host for Set must have been shocking. Did you see that coming at all or were you surprised?

How challenging was it to write all of this and get all of those complex details down? I would love to know more about how you did it!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Rheona

2/27/2015 12:47:47 am

Hi Ms.Kimball,
Yah, my response was quite the work! I actually was looking at my previous work for the blogs when i was in India, and i realized that i wasn't doing my greatest for the responses. So this week i decided to write a GREAT blog post. It took me few days to perfect all of it! I had to keep flipping through the book to be sure I was right!
Sorry for the LONG post!
from,
RHEONA

Arim link

2/27/2015 12:43:23 am

Dear Rheona

WOW! What a long summary, I don't see the "short version" in here but wow. Did it come to a surprise to you when Set reveals he was keeping Amos host, or did you suspect he was the bad guy? Was Set really difficult to defeat and comes in the next book, or was he hard, got defeated, and did not come in the next book.

From Arim

Marc

3/1/2015 08:37:47 am

Rheona,
WOW! That was a great summary, and it really made me want to read The Red Pyramid. Even though, it wasn't really "the shoe version" I enjoyed reading your blog post. Great job!

From,
Marc

Amy

3/2/2015 11:49:26 pm

Dear Rheona,
Wow! I'm reading the same book and i deiced to start over because i left my book at my house on break. Does the story get more intriguing? It's not that interesting at the point where I'm at.

Sincerely,
Amy

Sage W.

2/26/2015 01:49:29 pm

Dear Class,

I just started reading the book Champion by Marie Lu. Today I'll contrast the fist book in this series to this one.
In the first one Day is the most wanted criminal in the Republic (A messed up country in part of the U.S. were those with less money are treated with no respect.) and is captured by June, who's in the republics military. June then realizes that Day is being accused of a crime he didn't commit. June is then on a mission to save Day from the Republic. I won't tell what happens but let me say its amazing! In Champion Day is one of the richest people in the Republic and is now the Republics savior. And Day is helping the country become a better place with the help of the new Elector. He also has his brother Eden back although the rest of his family is gone. The thing is the Colonies (Another part of the U.S.) think that the Republic speed a disease. Also the Elector wants to use Eden to find a cure for the disease. The thing is Day is very protective of his little brother so no one knows if he'll agree.
I think that Day will be very resistant to this because he lost Eden in the second book and he doesn't want to lose him again. But I also think the Elector really needs Eden and that maybe someone will have Eden help them without Day knowing. But I think Day will say no, if he ends up having a say in it at all, because he loves Eden to much.

Ms. Kimball

3/1/2015 10:38:31 am

Dear Sage,

I was confused by some of the details you shared. For example, who or what is an "Elector"? Also, what do you mean by, "the Republic speed a disease"? Also, what do you mean by, "Day is very protective of his little brother so no one knows if he'll agree"? I had to read multiple times to figure out that "Eden" is Day's little brother.

Try using those modifying clauses that we learned about in our comma group to make your explanations clearer. For example, you could say, "The Elector, the leader of the Republic, wants to use Eden, Day's little brother, to find a cure for the disease, which is spreading across the country." That helps your readers make sense of the story without having to read it themselves.

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Sage W.

3/3/2015 06:49:43 am

Dear Ms.Kimball,

I understand what you mean about how my post is confusing now that I reread it and I want to answer your question about the disease. You see during the war the Republic tried to spread a disease through the Colonies so they'd be weak. The thing is the disease worked right when the war ended so now the Republic is in trouble.

Arim link

2/26/2015 11:47:18 pm

Dear class

The book I'm reading is Otis Spofford. I'm going to contrast Stewy and Otis. Otis likes making trouble and stewy does't, Otis likes Otis, Stewy dislikes Otis, Otis does not have pets, stewy has a dog. Now I'm going to compare them. Otis is a boy and stewy is a boy, there in the same grade, And in the beginning of the book stewy liked Otis and Otis likes Otis. They are not friends anymore because in the beginning of the book, Otis did something and by that Stewy got hurt, Stewy told Otis to stop but he didn't. (Otis did not hit Stewy, don't worry).

From Arim

Ms. Kimball

3/1/2015 10:42:21 am

Dear Arim,

I'm a bit confused by some of the details you shared. For example, what do you mean by, "Otis likes Otis, Stewy dislikes Otis"?

Also, you wrote, "They are not friends anymore because in the beginning of the book, Otis did something and by that Stewy got hurt, Stewy told Otis to stop but he didn't. (Otis did not hit Stewy, don't worry)." What happened? Readers want to know more specifics.

Lastly, comparing two characters by saying they are both boys and that they are in the same grade doesn't really mean much. You could say that of half the people in our class. You need to dig deeper to compare and contrast their personality traits and their actions.

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Arim link

3/3/2015 11:01:07 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball

So by what I mean with Otis likes Otis, and Stewy dislikes Otis that Otis likes himself, and stewy does not like Otis that much. And for They are not friends anymore because in the beginning of the book, Otis did something and by that Stewy got hurt, Stewy told Otis to stop but he didn't. (Otis did not hit Stewy, don't worry). This is what happened. They were in a little dance, and in the middle their was a bull fighting a bullfighter. Otis and Stewy were the bull. The bull was suppose to lose but Otis kind of kept charging. The bull fighter hit them twice and Stewy said to stop it to Otis because he's getting hurt. Otis didn't and at the end the bull won but Stewy was not Otis's friend.

From Arim

Amy

2/27/2015 12:49:39 am

Dear class,
The power verbs i'm going to be using are, describing and explain. The book i'm reading is called, Capture the Flag. In this book three kids are at a museum and are sitting at a bench in the museum. While their parents are there because they are news reporters or they are there for the showcase of the American Flag. Meanwhile five men dressed in black go to the museum for an exclusive look at the American Flag. There was only four men on the list but five turn up. They bring the five men to the American Flag case then the leave. But one men, the one whose name was never on the list, was gone.
Sincerely,
Amy

Ms. Kimball

3/1/2015 10:53:33 am

Dear Amy,

Your book sounds interesting. What did you "describe" or "explain"? It sounded, instead, like you were summarizing what has happened in the story so far. Can you "describe" a scene in more detail? Could you also "explain" why the kids are sitting on a bench at a museum?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Amy

3/3/2015 11:11:05 pm

Dear Ms.Kimball,
The kids sitting on the bench at the museum are Anna Revere-Hobbs. She is at the museum because Anna’s mom is a TV news anchor back home, and nobody ever ignored her questions. Anna is a writer, she loves to interview people that were at important events or were just important. Anna’s father said he could get her an interview with, what he thought, the next to-be president. Anna didn't get her interview so, she sat down on the bench and wrote down notes on her laptop of what she’s seeing around her. Jose McGillian is at the museum because his mother was one of the textile scientists selected for the Star-Spangled Banner restoration project. Jose thought that he would get to spend time with his mother and father eating cake and goofing around. Jose hadn't seen his mother in three weeks. So he decided to sit down on the bench and read the harry potter book. The last kid sitting on the bench is named Henry Thorn. Henry Thorn is at the museum with his aunt. He is at the museum because his father went on his honeymoon. Henry wasn’t too happy that his dad was remarrying. Henry’s mother died of cancer three years ago. Henry was with his aunt, Lucinda. Henry got annoyed because all his aunt would say was “look Henry it’s the original bill of rights!” and “Look Henry the original Wright brothers plane!” Henry couldn’t take it anymore so he walked down and sat on the bench.
Sincerely,
Amy

Layla

2/27/2015 12:49:59 am

Dear Sage W.,
Great response! The book you're reading seems interesting! Do you like it? I really like how you you contrasted it to the other books in the series. I never thought of doing that with a book that is in a series!
From,
Layla

Mikey

3/3/2015 12:02:58 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
I will summarize and predict about my book, the Fourth Stall, by Chris Rylander.
My book is about a kid named mac who solves problems for money to go into the "game fund" because he and his friend are saving up to buy tickets to go to the world series. But somebody brings them a problem that shuts down their whole business for a long time. there is a bully named staples who hires kids to do stuff and make bets so he gets a ton of money. And there is a bully who works for him named the collector who if the kids don't do what staples says, then he finds them and takes all their money, their iPods, their bikes, everything. and it is up to Mac to stop him. that is all I have read so far. I think Mac and his friends will try to find, fight, and take staples down so they can be making more money for the world series game.
Sincerely,
Mikey

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Student Work
for
Ms. Kimball's Grade 5 At Underwood, 2014-2015

Relive the greatness of this unforgettable group of students, my fabulous fifth grade class from Underwood Elementary School in Newton.