Reading Response Blog #2

9/21/2014

Welcome to Post #2 of our Reading Response Blog!

Reply to my post and answer the prompt below by Friday, September 26th.
Reply to another student's post by Sunday, September 28th.

To comment on my post, click on the post heading, then scroll to the bottom until you see the section that says, "Leave a Reply." To comment on another student's post, click the "Reply" button directly below that student's post.

Remember, read the Guidelines for Commenting to make sure your comment is the best it can be!

This Week's Prompt:

Describe a character in a book you have been reading.
Pick 2-3 qualities about this character to describe, and support your description with evidence from the text.

See my post below as an example. I recommend typing it out in a separate document, saving, then pasting your response in the comment section, like I did.

Happy Responding!!

56 Comments

Ms. Kimball

9/21/2014 09:50:45 am

Dear Class,

The book I am reading is called, "Because of Mr. Terupt." One of the characters in the book that I find interesting is the teacher himself, Mr. Terupt. Although we only learn about Mr. Terupt through the perspectives of the students in his class, I find him to be caring, clever, and strong-minded.

I feel that Mr. Terupt is caring because of how he handles problems with students in his class. He is never harsh or mean. Instead, he treats students with respect. For example, he made a compromise with a student who freaked out over a science experiment when she thought her plant was going to die. Mr. Terupt let her have his plant. This type of flexibility and understanding he has with all of his students shows how much he cares about them.

Mr. Terupt is also very clever, especially when it comes to dealing with troublemakers in class. For example, when Peter, the class clown who treats school like a game, came back from horsing around in the bathroom, Mr. Terupt knew what he was up to --even knew what kind of kid Peter was before spending any time with him-- and called Peter out in a way that actually made Peter respect him for it.

Lastly, Mr. Terupt is a very strong-minded character, even though we never get into his mind. One way Mr. Terupt showed readers that he was strong-minded was when students overheard him yelling at the fire department inspectors. He refused to take down student work that he felt deserved to be displayed. Also, Mr. Terupt stood up to a student, Alexia, when he realized she had gone too far in causing girl trouble in the class. He took her outside of the classroom and had a stern talk with her, telling her to quit being a mean girl. Mr. Terupt will do whatever it takes to stand up for his beliefs, making him a very strong-minded character.

"Because of Mr. Terupt" is a great book because of the caring, clever, strong-minded teacher, Mr. Terupt. With his admirable qualities, he stands out as a teacher most students would be thrilled to have and most teachers would love to be like!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

kaela

9/21/2014 10:52:04 am

I loved how you closely read every detail. really captured how mr.turupet is a very clever teacher.It is a really amazing description.
by kaela

Alec

9/21/2014 01:23:57 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball,
The character I am going to write about is Annabeth from The Titans Curse. I think she is willing to do anything. Evidence of that is that she made a sacrafice in order to help her friends. She jumped on a monster and fell in a giant hole thing, like a ravine. Since she made the sacrafice so early in the book, I can't write more about her. I also haven't reached the part where she comes back in the story. Or, she will never come back. Ohh.... I wonder...

Sincerely,
Alec

Ms. Kimball

9/21/2014 02:38:14 pm

Dear Alec,

Annabeth sounds like such a selfless and brave character, too! I am always amazed by people who are willing to take risks for those they care about! I wonder, was Annabeth always like this or did her decision surprise you? I hope it pays off for Percy and friends!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Sam

9/24/2014 09:27:36 am

Dear Alec,
I really liked your blog post. I thought it was cool how you really described the scene when Annabeth jumped into the hole/crevice/thing. I can't wait to read your next blog and find out what happened to Annabeth.

Sincerely,
Sam

Oliviay.

9/22/2014 09:05:18 am

Dear Ms.Kimball,

My character that I am going to write about is Jack he is risk taker for example, he went back in the muesum and sneaked in the muesuem without anybody seeing only his friend Ruthie who went with him to the muesuem.

Sincerly,
OliviaY.

Ms. Kimball

9/22/2014 02:49:03 pm

Dear Olivia,

Sneaking into a museum is definitely the job of a risk-taker! I'm curious to hear how Jack handles Ruthie shrinking. Since you say he's a risk-taker, I wonder if he wants to shrink himself too! Have you noticed any other qualities that Jack has?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Alec

9/24/2014 08:35:14 am

Dear Olivia Y.,

My character is very similar to yours. Both of our characters love taking risks and doing whats best for them. Nice response, I really enjoy it. Keep up the good work!

Sincerely,
Alec

Ms. Kimball

9/28/2014 12:26:42 pm

Dear Alec,

Great observation!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Forrest

9/22/2014 10:54:13 am

Dear Ms.Kimball,

My book is called WARRIORS into the wild. The character that I am using is Fire Paw. He is a warrior in training for the thunder clan. He is very good at sencing things because he can smell the enemy cats even when they aren’t in sight. I think that he is fair because he wants peace because he wonders why the clans fight and why they don’t just share there fighting grounds. I think he is really willing because I’m not sure that he wants to be in the clan but he is helping them out because they don’t have a lot of warriors.

Your student,

Forrest

Ms. Kimball

9/22/2014 02:55:16 pm

Greetings Forrest,

Fire Paw sounds like a very likeable character. I always favored characters that have keen senses and are willing to help others even if it is inconvenient. I wish I could be more like Fire Paw!

Good job supporting your ideas with evidence!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Julia

9/24/2014 01:26:12 pm

Dear Forrest,

I read that book too and I agree with you about Firepaw. I really liked his character and I wonder if you like it too? Also if you were in his place would you act the same way he does?

Sincerely,
Julia

Ms. Kimball

9/28/2014 12:27:23 pm

Great probing questions Julia!

Forrest

9/28/2014 02:11:21 pm

Dear Julia,

Yes, Firepaw is my favorite character so far. I like him because he is so adventurous to leave home and go into the wild. He is finding his tough side but he still protected Yellowfang. I also like the way they picked Firepaw's name.

Thanks for responding, Forrest

Arim link

9/30/2014 10:25:18 am

Dear Forrest,

Why are the cat's fighting, I mean, I thought when I saw the book that the cat's were fighting the humans not other cat's

From your friend Arim

Julia

9/22/2014 12:08:11 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball,

I am writing about a character from the warrior series named Tigerclaw. Tigerclaw is not the main character but a very interesting one. Tigerclaw is sly, power hungry, sneaky and evil. Tigerclaw is not a good cat. He betrays his clan and kills other cats for power. All Tigerclaw wants, is to become leader and rule the forest. He is willing to do anything to get what he wants. Tigerclaw makes very carefully thought out plans to try and get rid of his leader, but the main character Fireheart always gets in the way.

Sincerely,
Julia

Ms. Kimball

9/22/2014 03:06:05 pm

Dear Julia,

What an interesting contrast to Forrest's post about Fire Paw! Tigerclaw and Fire Paw sound like opposite characters. Sly and sneaky characters always make excellent baddies. Every good novel needs them, otherwise the goodies would have nothing to do! It sounds like Tigerclaw is also a bit selfish or self-centered. I guess you have to be if you are power-hungry. I wonder why Tigerclaw developed all of those troublesome qualities.

Thanks for sharing!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Marc

9/25/2014 12:37:31 am

Dear Julia
How did he get the name Tigerclaw?

Julia

9/25/2014 03:39:49 am

Dear Marc,

I'm pretty sure he got the Claw part of his name when he became a warrior, and the Tiger part just when he was born.

Sincerely,
Julia

Forrest

9/28/2014 02:14:43 pm

Dear Julia,

I am getting pretty far in the book and I am noticing that Tigerclaw is getting fiercer. I can't wait to find out how he changes through the book. You did a good job describing him. I can't wait to hear more about him.

Your friend, Forrest

Layla

9/23/2014 03:09:22 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
I'm reading Hattie Big Sky. The character I choose is Perilee. Perilee is Hattie's aunt. She is very generous and kind. She does a lot for Hattie and a lot of other people.
Perilee gives Hattie food even though she has to support herself, her husband, her three kids, and she is also is having another baby.
From, Layla

Ms. Kimball

9/25/2014 02:15:20 am

Dear Layla,

From what I remember of your book summary, Hattie moved out with her aunt and uncle to a little shack in Montana and her uncle is dying. Knowing her husband is dying sounds pretty hard on Hattie's aunt! I wonder how she is taking it.

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Sofia

9/26/2014 09:42:43 am

Dear Layla,
I really loved how you explained Perilee! Instead of just saying she was generous and kind, you gave great examples of her being kind! I wonder how she can manage all that work!

kaela

9/23/2014 06:08:25 am

I am reading Volcano of fire by Geronimo Stilton. Geronimo Stilton (who is also the main character.) is a scardy cat. (Or should I say mouse because he's a mouse.) He goes on adventures only for a friend or because his friends of family drag him along on these things. He is the editor of rodents geset the most famous news paper on mouse island. He also loves his job and books he REALLY loves books. That is just a bout all a bout Geronimo Stilton.

sincerely
Kaela

Ms. Kimball

9/25/2014 02:20:33 am

Greetings Kaela,

Geronimo sounds like an interesting character. You said he unwillingly goes on adventures and is a scaredy cat. Does he ever change his mind and enjoy the adventures? Does he write about them in the newspaper? That would be a clever use of his job privileges!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Sam

9/23/2014 08:55:36 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
A character from the book I am reading (The Name Of This Book Is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch) is named Owen. Owen is a spy from a secret society called the teries society. I think Owen is interesting. An example of this is that owen can take on any accent or language he wants in the world. I think Owen is keen. An example of this is Owen can pretend he's a person he's not and go across enemy lines to uncover secret information. The reason I picked Owen for this assignment is I thought he was a cool, keen, and interesting character.

sincerely,
Sam

Ms. Kimball

9/25/2014 02:26:05 am

Aloha Sam,

Great job analyzing Owen. I agree --I also thought he was a cool, keen (great word!) and interesting character. In addition, I thought he was very mysterious. Readers never know where he learned all of his language and spy skills. Plus, he surprises readers in the end by revealing his capabilities and intelligence. He totally fooled me throughout the story!

Warm regards,
Ms. Kimball

Yubin Lee

9/27/2014 05:59:19 am

Dear Sam,

It would be fantastic if Owen could speak any languages of this world.
Because he is a spy, that could be a huge advantage!

Sincerely,
Yubin

Ms. Kimball

9/28/2014 12:28:54 pm

Dear Yubin,

I totally agree with you! I wish I knew more than one language. I'm impressed you know two. You're on track to being a spy!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Talia

9/28/2014 07:20:05 am

Sam,
Wow! Owen seems so cool! I would like to be him.

Sage P

9/28/2014 12:57:10 pm

Dear Sam,
You're response has so many spicy words in it. I like how you used the word keen in one of you're sentences. I think you worked very hard on this response.

Layla

9/23/2014 09:54:10 am

Dear Sam,
Wow, that sounds really cool to able to speak any language I want. I would really like to do that!
From, Layla

Olivia D.

9/24/2014 09:05:59 am

Dear Mrs.Kimball,
The book i'm currently reading is called "Because of mr. Terupt"
There are many main characters But I am going to pick Mr. Terupt.
Mr. Terupt seems very wise and intelligent. He seems to be very likable even to the trouble makers in the class. Mr. Terupt seems to know everyones personalities and can relate to everybody in the class.

Sincerely, Olivia D.

Ms. Kimball

9/25/2014 02:36:11 am

Hi Olivia,

I just finished "Because of Mr. Terupt" last night --what a great book! Mr. Terupt definitely is a likable character. Why do you say he is wise and intelligent? I think so too, but I'm curious what evidence from the text made you think that.

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Olivia D.

9/24/2014 09:10:55 am

Dear Layla,
Wow, Perilee seems very caring.Hattie must be very thankful that she is providing her with food even though her schedule is very complicated .

Yubin

9/24/2014 10:48:00 am

" Dear Ms Kimball,

The character I am going to write about is Elsa, from "Frozen". She is a beautiful elegant princess who is introvert with calm, quiet characteristics. For example, before her coronation, her sister Anna was running all around the kingdom, but Elsa was staying in her room. And she was cautious too. She didn't allow Anna to marry prince Hans, who she just met that day.

Sincerely,
Yubin"

Ms. Kimball

9/28/2014 12:31:12 pm

Dear Yubin,

You described Elsa very well! I especially like the word, "introvert." That is a great way to describe some people. The opposite is an extrovert, and I think Anna certainly fits that characteristic!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Forrest

9/28/2014 02:18:28 pm

Dear Yubin,

I was just wondering if you had a favorite character in the book and did you like the movie or the book better.

Sincerely, Forrest

Marc

9/25/2014 12:33:47 am

Dear Ms. Kimball
The character I'm choosing to write about is Tris from the divergent series. I think Tris is brave, snoopy, and a dear devil.

I think Tris is brave because she left the compound on her own. Also, because she was willing to give her life for other divergants and because she was the one who stopped all of the simulation attacks.

I think Tris is snoopy because when she walks through hallways and she hears conversations she always listens to them for information. Also, because when there was a war she went into the other compound without permission to find what she needed and because she joins into other peoples conversations.

I think Tris is a dear devil because she hung upside down from a bridge to not get noticed. Also, because she chose a faction that has fighting everywhere but she came from a faction where everybody is kind and because she is willing to sacrifice her brothers life just for a plan.

Sincerely,
Marc

Ms. Kimball

9/25/2014 02:42:01 am

Dear Marc,

Awesome job supporting your claims with so much evidence! I like the adjective, "snoopy." I looked up some other words that have a similar meaning and I found: inquisitive, nosy, and intrusive. I liked those words too. Tris sure is a dare devil now! Her life was so opposite before she chose a different faction. I wonder if she has any regrets. I haven't read that far in the story yet.

All the best,
Ms. Kimball

Amy

9/29/2014 08:40:07 am

Dear Marc,
I just started reading the divergent series too. I like the way you described Tris. Cool description

Sincerely,
Amy

Sofia

9/26/2014 08:49:43 am

Dear Ms.Kimball,
The character I am writing about is named Tara.
I think she is dangerous, spooky, and I think she has very interesting solutions to stress. I think Tara is Dangerous because she is very committed to finding neptune. She went to each victims house, and took something that belonged to them. She once even got caught be the victim's roommate!
I think Tara is spooky, because once, when Tara, Charlie, and Reggie were in Reggies treehouse, Tara started to speak with not her own voice... But the voice of one of Neptune's victims, Telling Reggie and Charlie that Neptune has chosen his next victim.
Last, I think Tara has the strangest solutions to her stress. She does weird things like, cut herself on the legs, play with the things she got from the victims' houses, and, Pretends to be neptune himself and try to solve where he is!

Talia

9/28/2014 07:05:50 am

Tara sounds like an awesome character. What book is she from?

Ms. Kimball

9/28/2014 12:35:03 pm

Dear Sofia,

Yikes! You are definitely right about Tara! Your evidence for her being dangerous, spooky, and strange definitely paints a frightening picture. Tara sounds like an mysterious piece to the puzzle of your book. I wonder what role she places in finding this killer, Neptune. Try your best not to have nightmares!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Talia

5/27/2015 01:00:27 pm

Sofia,
You still havn't responded to my question! I have been waiting months! Please respond now! :(
Talia

sage w.

9/28/2014 01:59:53 am

Dear Sofia,
Tara seems so cool and very determined.You did an awesome job describing her.

Talia

9/28/2014 06:57:24 am

Ms.Kimball,
The character I'm writing about is Greg. I think Greg is lazy. I think so because when he wants the TV remote he tries to make it levitate to him. I also think he is weak. I think so because he cannot do any chin ups in gym class. Lastly I think he can be smart. He was smart when he borrowed his moms bathrobe before his shower.

Ms. Kimball

9/28/2014 12:36:27 pm

Dear Talia,

Greg is a fun character to describe. I'm very curious why borrowing his mom's bathrobe before his shower makes him smart!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Arim link

9/28/2014 09:43:47 am

Dear ms Kimball,

the character I'm reading about name is Alex. Alex is an MI6 agents who does dangeres missions and get's hurt a lot. He keeps missing school but he really wants to go to school a lot. He wants to be a normal boy but he knows it's not possible. MI6 chose him to be a spy because the enemy wouldn't expect a kid to be one.
This is what my character is about.

sincerely Arim

Ms. Kimball

9/28/2014 12:37:42 pm

Dear Arim,

Thanks for sharing. I'm curious, how do you know he's given up on being a normal boy and going to school? Did you find any evidence in the text?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Sage p

9/28/2014 12:54:58 pm

My character's name that I choose was Ashley. Ashley is the mean girl on the camp. She plays everyone and she tells lies and secrets. One time in the story Ashley told a little camper told a counselor that there was a part of camp but it wasn't there.

Another trait that Ashley has is popular. She is like the camps super model. Ashley is in all the camp brochures and videos. Everyone acts like she is the momma duckling and the other people on camp are the baby ducklings. Those are all my traits for Ashley

rheona

9/29/2014 12:37:59 am

Hi Ms. Kimball

I choose to write about a character from the book STARGIRL by jerry Spenelli. I choose to write about Stargirl. I think that Stargirl is a bold person and is not afraid to tell people what she thinks.
I think that she is bold because if it is anyones birthday she will know. On there birthday she would sing "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" to them in front of everyone in school with her rat and ukulele.

Another trait that Stargirl has is she is kind. I think that Stargirl is king because she is always doing nice thing for everyone. For example on valentines day she always puts out card on peoples desks in homeroom. She gave one to a boy that said "I LOVE YOU"
and was signed with a star next to a girl.
I also think that stargirl doesn't care about herself.I think this because she likes to make scrapbooks of people she does not know. But she never thinks about herself at all. For example she has never cared what anyone thought therefore she got judged and ignored.

Amy

9/29/2014 08:37:50 am

Dear Ms.kimball,
The character I'm writing about is Ida. She is from the book: The Lost Children. I like Ida because she's no afraid of what people think about her, Kind of like me. Ida lives in a Institute (orphanage.) She has one friend there (now two) His name is Fargus. She also recently met Josephine She's the main character. I reechoed this book for people who love adventure. I read it 3 times its so good.

Mikey

9/29/2014 01:41:54 pm

Dear Mrs. Kimball,
The book that I am reading is called Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. A character in the book that I am writing about is Harry Potter himself.

One quality of Harry Potter is that he is very brave. He has fought Lord Voldemort himself 1 on 1 four times! He has been through so much, from watching Lord Voldemort murder his parents when he was a baby, to trying to find a real, loving, caring family for him to live with.

Another quality of Harry Potter is that he is kind. He is always watching out for his friends. He wants to keep his friends safe because he knows that Lord Voldemort wants to murder him. Harry doesn't want them to get hurt.

And a final quality of Harry Potter is that he is trustworthy. All of his friends know that they can trust him with their secrets. Also, Dumbledore trusts him so he gives Harry secret lessons on how to defeat Lord Voldemort.

I really enjoy this book, and if you ever read it, I hope you do, too

Sincerely,
Mikey

Nathan

10/2/2014 01:18:33 am

I am reading INSURGENT, it is a very good book and if you have the time, i recommend this book! (by the way, its the second book of divergent) I am going to be explaining the main character, Tris/Beatrice.

She is definitely a brave person, i can prove that because she sacrificed herself to erudite so no one would die, if you ask me thats pretty brave and seems pretty scary. especially how erudite would just study your brain to make a new serum to control everyone!

secondly she is courageous, she is always getting into trouble by sneaking around at dark and she always wants to know things, there are sudden parts in the book where she just wants to know the information but cant get it

and finally she is a kind of.. crazy person, she always did dangerous stuff, might just be dauntless, for example when she climbed the ferris wheel in capture the flag to see where there base was, and that was about estimation 30 feet tall?!

those are some traits about tris/Beatrice

Ms. Kimball

10/2/2014 09:36:49 am

Dear Nathan,

Beatrice sounds like a fun character to follow! You did a nice job finding evidence for her traits. I remember in the beginning of Divergent, she had a hard time knowing who she was. For example, in her head she would always scold herself for thinking selfishly, like when she looked at herself in the mirror. It's amazing how far she's apparently come! She sounds like a real risk taker! Does she inspire you at all?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

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