Reading Response Blog #21

3/8/2015

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

This Week's Prompt:

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

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

I look forward to reading your analysis of the poem!

49 Comments

Sam

3/8/2015 12:10:06 pm

Dear Ms kimball,
I chose to write about how the squirrel feels about the dog. Each opponent have there weaknesses and strengths. The squirrel thinks the dog Is clumsy and large, as the Squirrel describes it in paragraph fifteen. The dog is slow and is not aware of the squirrels great speed. Its tricks will not fool me but I will. this is what I think the squirrels thoughts are on the dog.

Sincerely,
Sam

Ms. Kimball

3/9/2015 01:11:35 pm

Dear Sam,

When you say, "Each opponent have there weaknesses and strengths," do you mean that each opponent has both weaknesses and strengths? If so, what does the squirrel think are the dog's strengths? I think you only mentioned the dog's weaknesses.

I look forward to hearing back!
Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Sam

3/12/2015 04:08:52 am

Dear Ms kimball,
I think both animal thinks very highly of themselves and there capabilities, especially the squirrel. I think dog describes the squirrel in some ways that make it seem like the squirrel only thinks about himself. For example when the squirrel lowers its guard, the dog moves closer.Or the bushy brown flick of the tail, that gives away the squirrels location. This is what I think some of the squirrels disadvantages are.

Sincerely,
Sam

Amy

3/12/2015 01:26:02 pm

Dear Sam,
Great job! I agree with Ms.Kimball what are the dog and squirrels weakness? Can you support it with quotes from the text?
Sincerely,
Amy

Alec

3/9/2015 08:53:49 am

Dear Class,

I chose to talk about how the squirrel feels about the dog. I think the squirrel feels aware of the dog so that way, he won't be caught. For example, it says, "I know the precise point at which I must flee." The word flee makes me feel like the squirrel is aware of being caught. Another reason is it says, "I am AWARE of your presence, but I am ignoring you." (AWARE wasn't like that in the story. I just wanted to show the word aware.) So those are my details that prove how the squirrel feels about the dog.

From, Alec

Ms. Kimball

3/9/2015 01:16:11 pm

Dear Alec,

When you say, "the squirrel is aware of being caught," how does that relate to the squirrel's feelings about the dog? Sure, the squirrel doesn't want the dog to catch him and eat him up, but he seems more than just "aware" of the dog. Do you think he's afraid of the dog? Unafraid? A little of both? Something different?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Alev

3/11/2015 12:59:06 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball,

I think the squirrel feels a little bit of both afraid and unafraid. The squirrel feels afraid he is going to be caught, but also feels unafraid because he feels a little bit confident he won't be caught.

From, Alec

Sam

3/12/2015 04:16:56 am

Dear Alec,
I described how the squirrel envisioned the dog in almost the exact same way. I agree with you on how if the squirrel is aware of the dog, he won't be caught. The word flee also makes me feel like the squirrel has been caught.

Sincerely,
Sam

Talia

3/9/2015 09:01:01 am

Ms.Kimball,
I chose to respond about how the squirrel feels about the dog. I think that the squirrel feels like he or she shouldn’t be spending his time with the dog, but is just pulled too the dog. Maybe the squirrel finds the dog to be kind of fun to tease because he or she never stands up for himself. I actually think that I can relate to this conversation. Me and my sister can be kind of like the squirrel and the dog. me being the squirrel and Shira being the dog. I mean, hey you’ve gotta tease your sister sometimes!
Talia

Ms. Kimball

3/9/2015 01:21:09 pm

Dear Talia,

That's funny how you can relate to the dog and squirrel. You make an interesting analogy* to you teasing your sister. With your comparison, you suggest that the dog and squirrel have a relationship that has a little love and respect mixed in with the competitiveness. I never thought of it that way! When you say that "the squirrel finds the dog to be kind of fun to tease because he or she never stands up for himself," could you find a line or two in the poem that supports that inference?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Talia

3/14/2015 03:07:46 am

Ms.Kimball,
My evidence is, "Gaze locked I pounce. And you are..." "Gone of course."
Talia

Julia

3/9/2015 09:43:48 am

Dear Class,

I chose to explain how each animal feels confidence. The dog is very confident that he will be able to catch the squirrel, and there is nothing that can convince him otherwise. On the other hand, the squirrel has absolutely no doubt in his or her mind that the dog will be able to catch him/her and that they will out run the dog. Both are confident in opposite things.

Sincerely,
Julia

Ms. Kimball

3/9/2015 01:23:16 pm

Dear Julia,

That's an interesting conclusion, that both the dog and the squirrel are confident in opposite things. Can you support each of your claims about the dog's and the squirrel's confidence with couple of quotes from the text?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Julia

3/12/2015 04:03:53 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,

I know the dog is confident he will catch the squirrel, because he says, "I can taste the silk of your tail. You can't possibly get away now."

The squirrel is confident he will get away because he says, "O large clumsy one, have you any idea how fast I can run?"

Sincerely,
Julia

Layla

3/10/2015 08:15:49 am

Dear Julia,
You wrote a great response! I can tell that you put a lot of thought into it. I completely agree with you that both of the animals are confident or cocky in opposite things.
Sincerely,
Layla

Nathan

3/10/2015 12:48:04 am

Dear class,

I am going to speak about how the squirrel felt about the dog. I feel the squirrel thought that the dog did not sense his immense speed, and that the dog was too slow to get him. But the squirrel gets distracted by the dog’s eyes and the sunlight reflecting on his fur. Then, the dog pounces and catches the squirrel.

I think that the squirrel underestimated the dog very quickly then got distracted by the dog’s eyes and fur.

Yours truly,
Nathan

Ms. Kimball

3/11/2015 11:20:11 am

Dear Nathan,

You picked up on a very subtle detail in the poem. The squirrel thinks, "Odd how the sunlight kindles your dark fur," and "I must flee. Still, those eyes..." Well done inferring that those lines mean the squirrel got distracted. Try quoting specific lines next time to show how you made your inference.

I have a question for you: Did the dog catch the squirrel? Can you find evidence for that?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Nathan

3/17/2015 12:34:40 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,

I have slightly mistaken something. The dog does not catch the squirrel, I saw 'Gaze locked, I pounce!' and thought that the squirrel is caught. But he actually runs away 'Gone of course!'

Yours truly,
Nathan

Sofia

3/10/2015 07:07:04 am

Class,
I chose to respond to question #3: How does each animal show confidence?
When the author writes the squirrel talking back to the dog, such as when the dog says "This will be a fine game," and the squirrel replies "It may be a game, but I set the rules," It gives off the impression that the squirrel is being a little arrogant about himself, talking back to the dog each time. But how the dog always starts it, it makes the dog seem overly confident about him/herself too.

Ms. Kimball

3/11/2015 11:22:59 am

Dear Sofia,

I agree with you. Great job using quotes from the text to prove your point. I also liked your word choice of "arrogant." Are there any other lines you could quote that show each animals' arrogance?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Sofia

3/12/2015 08:20:44 am

Ms.Kimball,
Some proof for the animals showing arrogance are when the squirrel says "It may be a game, but I set the rules.", "I never lower my guard.", and "O large clumsy one, have you any idea how fast I can run?". But also when the dog says "You can't possibly get away now."
Sofia

Layla

3/10/2015 08:11:51 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
I choose to write about how the dog feels about the squirrel. I think that the squirrel is teasing the dog, and the dog is getting mad. The more the squirrel teases him, the madder the dog gets. Some evidence I have for this is, "O large clumsy one, have you any idea how fast I can run? I draw closer. The space between us is nothing." Once the dog is finally at the edge with the squirrel, he decides to act on it.
Overall, I do not think that the dog was particularly fond of the squirrel after that.
From,
Layla

Ms. Kimball

3/11/2015 11:26:23 am

Dear Layla,

I agree with you that it seems the squirrel is teasing the dog. I wonder, does the author want us to imagine that each animal is speaking out loud or just thinking to themselves? When you say the dog gets "madder," which line do you think shows the dog's anger? I had trouble finding anger. I think there may be different emotion. What do you think?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Layla

3/12/2015 04:02:53 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
I think the point where the dog gets mad is when the poem says, "I draw closer. The space between us is nothing," which is after the squirrel calls the dog clumsy.
Thank you for your feedback,
Layla

Alec

3/11/2015 01:07:28 pm

Dear Layla,
Great job on your response! I really liked how you showed your evidence for how the dog is getting "madder" at the squirrel. Just wondering, is there another way you could describe how the squirrel gets "madder"?

From Alec

Sage P

3/12/2015 01:38:43 pm

Dear Layla,
I really liked your response! I agree with you completely. I really liked how you said and here is some evidence to make it more clear for the readers. Great response!
From,
Sage P.

Talia

3/14/2015 03:10:22 am

Layla,I agree with you. I liked your responce very much.
Talia

Marc

3/11/2015 10:11:25 am

Blog response #21
Marc

Class,
I will be describing on how the squirrel feels about the dog. Opponents tend to not like each other, and I think the squirrel does not like the dog very much. I think this because the squirrel said the dog was clumsy, and large, as said in paragraph 15. I think the squirrel feels that way because the dog is teasing him too. Another reason is because they are about to have a deathmatch. However, the squirrel makes it seem like he/she wants to eat the dog when the squirrel says, “I can taste the silk of your tail,” so, I think the squirrel hates the dog so much that he/she wants to eat the dog. Overall, I think there was a deep hatred between these two animals.

Sincerely,
Marc

Ms. Kimball

3/11/2015 11:30:39 am

Dear Marc,

When you said, "I think the squirrel hates the dog so much that he/she wants to eat the dog," I got a little confused. I had trouble finding evidence to prove the squirrel "hates" the dog. Also, I think you might have confused which lines express the thoughts of each animal. The dog "speaks" first, then the squirrel "responds." The squirrel's lines are indented and in italics. Does knowing that change the way you interpret the poem?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Marc

3/12/2015 04:01:29 am

Ms. Kimball,
Oh! I didn't quite understand that, I thought they were "speaking" to each other and they would get every other paragraph. That certainly changes my perspective on the paragraph.

Sincerely,
Marc

Danny

3/11/2015 11:59:12 am

Dear Ms.Kimball
I chose why both squirrel and dog showed confidence by making plans like when squirrel found his escape route and dog got ready to pounce squirrel said "I never lower my gaurd" they said it was a game if i were getting attacked by a dog I would run. squirrel also says I am aware of you but I am ignoring you one other thing squirrel says is "This may be a game but I set the rules

Ms. Kimball

3/14/2015 03:54:33 am

Dear Danny,

Try to revise this response so it has correct punctuation.

yubin

3/11/2015 01:30:53 pm

Dear Class,

I chose to write about how each animal showed confidence. First, the dog had confidence in its ability to catch the squirrel. For instance, the dog said, "I draw closer. The space between us is nothing." On the other hand, the squirrel was confident in its capability to dart away from the dog. For example, the squirrel mocked at the dog by saying, "O large clumsy one, have you any idea how fast I can run?"

Sincerely,
Yubin

Olivia D.

3/12/2015 07:18:45 am

Dear Class,

I am going to explain how each animal shows confidence. I think the dog showed confidence because in the text is says, "You can't possibly get away now." This is showing that the dog is confident that he is going to get the squirrel. I think the squirrel shows confidence because usually squirrels would be running for their life if they ever saw a dog, but this squirrel was confident and new he was going to get away so instead of running off he stayed put.

Sincerely,
Olivia D.

Forrest

3/12/2015 11:45:40 am

Dear Class,

I chose to respond to number two. How does the squirrel feel about the dog?

I think the squirrel knows that the dog feels confident because the dog is drawing closer and its body is like an arrow pointing at his heart.The squirrel knows the dog has no chance because the squirrel says he never lowers his guard and its escape routes are intact, and the dog doesn't believe it. The squirrel thinks the dog is skillful but maybe not smart because it doesn't think the squirrel is smart and fast enough to get away.

From,

Forrest

Amy

3/13/2015 01:41:13 am

Dear Forrest,
How could you use quotes from the text to support why you think the squirrel feels that way about the dog.
Sincerely,
Amy

Forrest

3/13/2015 12:00:26 pm

Dear Amy,

Good question. I did use examples from the poem but I didn't quote them exactly, I put them in my own words.
Sincerely,
Forrest

Ms. Kimball

3/14/2015 04:00:04 am

Dear Forrest,

Great response! I was going to ask a similar question to Amy, but you already answered it well. Here is one tip. You can put certain words and short phrases in quotes to show that you got evidence from the text. For example, you could say: The squirrel knows the dog has no chance because the squirrel says he never lowers his guard and its "escape routes are intact."

Good job finding specific lines from the text. Why do you think the squirrel thinks the dog is skillful but not smart? Does the squirrel say anything to hint at that?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Mikey

3/12/2015 01:16:59 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball,
I choose to write about question #3 How do both animals show confidence? There are two animals, a dog and a squirrel. The dog shows confidence when he says "My body is an arrow pointing at your heart." This foolish dog thinks he is going to be tasting the squirrel. The squirrel, unafraid, shows her confidence when she responds "Oh large clumsy one, have you any idea how fast I can run?" So I guess we will see if the dog ever gets the squirrel ~ tomorrow.

Ms. Kimball

3/14/2015 03:53:36 am

Dear Mikey,

I like your choice of the word, "foolish." The dog seems so confident that he's almost foolish that he thinks he can catch the squirrel. However, the dog did come somewhat close to catching her. Can you find the line in the poem that hints at the squirrel's weakness?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Amy

3/12/2015 01:24:01 pm

Dear Ms.Kimball,
I chose 1.How does the dog feel about the squirrel? I think the dog wants to chase after the squirrel because from background knowledge and from having a dog my self, dogs like to chase squirrels and bunnies, etc. Dogs like to play catch and run,squirrels on the other hand just want to sit up in a tree with their nuts. I also decided to do 2.How does the squirrel feel about the dog? I think the squirrel like i said already wants to get away to its tree. I think this because the squirrel says, "I'm aware of your presence, but i am ignoring you." I also thinks the squirrel starts to get annoyed because the dog keeps bothering him. I think this because the squirrel says, " O large clumsy one, have you any idea ho fast i can run." and, " Gone, of course. My heart pounds! See you tomorrow?" I think that means that the squirrel had a little fun but was still annoyed. i think he had fun cause he said, "See you tomorrow?"
Sincerely,
Amy

Sage P

3/12/2015 01:36:05 pm

Dear class,
I am choosing the prompt, how does the dog feel about the squirrel? I think the dog might feel a little annoyed because the squirrel keeps saying that he can’t do things that he actually says he can do. For example the squirrel said, “whenever you lower your guard, I step forward.”

The dog said “I never lower my guard. All escape routes are intact.” I feel like the dog was trying to prove himself in that situation. Another feeling that the dog felt about the squirrel was the dog was trying to ignore the squirrel and the squirrel kept talking and that would be very frustrating. For example the dog said “I am aware of your presence, but I am ignoring you,” but the squirrel kept talking and the dog couldn’t really not talk to the squirrel.
From,
Sage P.

Ms. Kimball

3/14/2015 04:03:26 am

Dear Sage,

I think you might have confused which lines express the thoughts of each animal. The dog "speaks" first, then the squirrel "responds." The squirrel's lines are indented and in italics. You said that the dog says, “I never lower my guard. All escape routes are intact.” The dog isn't the one planning an escape. The squirrel is. The dog is getting ready to pounce on the squirrel.

How does knowing this change your interpretation of the poem?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Sage P

3/16/2015 11:29:04 am

Dear Ms.Kimball,
Oops! I think knowing that the dog speaks second changes up the whole story because I know think of it that the dog was annoying the squirrel and that changes the whole story on the dog and the squirrel. I think the line that confused me was when the dog was talking about the squirrels tail and I thought the squirrel was talking about the dogs tail. Thank you for catching me on that big mistake or I would have never known.
From,
Sage P.

Arim link

3/12/2015 01:52:55 pm

Dear class

I chose "How does the squirrel feel about the dog." I think that the squirrel thinks the dog is annoying, and that the squirrel thinks the dog has too much confidence in himself. Also, I think the squirrel feels uncomfortable with the dog coming so close because 1. some dog hunt squirrels for fun, and 2. dogs are ancestors to an animal that hunt's squirrels.

From Arim

Ms. Kimball

3/14/2015 04:04:55 am

Dear Arim,

You said, "the squirrel thinks the dog is annoying," and "the squirrel thinks the dog has too much confidence in himself." Can you find any evidence from the text to support these claims?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Sage W.

3/12/2015 02:39:14 pm

Dear Class,

I choose to answer the third question, how does each animal show confidence? First I will show how the squirrel shows confidence. The squirrel says, “It may be a game, but I set rules.” I think that he is showing confidence because he’s confident that he is the better player so he gets to set the rules. The squirrel also says, “I never lower my guard.” I think that when he says I never lower my guard. It means I don’t lower my guard you’ll never be able to attack, so I think that the squirrel thinks he’s never going to get attacked therefore will win the game. The squirrel also says, “O large clumsy one, have you any idea how fast I can run?” He’s trash talking the dog by saying clumsy one, and then is confident in himself and says, “have you any idea how fast I can run?” Which means he’s confident that he’s a fast runner.

Now I’ll show how the dog shows confidence. The dog says, “I can taste the silk of your tail. You can’t possibly get away now.” I think that when he says, “I can taste the silk of your tail.” it’s just a description, and I think that when he says “You can’t possibly get away now.” he is confident that he will be able to beat the squirrel at the game. And I think when he says, “Gaze locked, I pounce! And you are…” He was confident that he would be able to attack the squirrel.

Sincerely,
Sage W.

Ms. Kimball

3/14/2015 04:09:14 am

Dear Sage,

WOW! What a detailed, precise response. Excellent job using quotes from the text to explain all of your points. I agree with everything you said. I especially like how you recognized that this interaction is like a game that each animal feels it can win. Also, you're probably right, there is a little "trash talking" on the part of the squirrel. It makes it more entertaining.

Why do you think the author use the phrase, "Steps in a Flirtation" in the title of the poem?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Kaela

3/15/2015 10:17:55 am

Dear Class,
I am doing how the dog feels about the squirrel. The dog wants that squirrel for lunch and so he is like going crazy. The dog also feels like he is much smarter than the squirrel. And that he is more powerful and stronger to. He feels like he is king kong and the squirrel is a helpless person. Those are the things I think the dog is thinking about the squirrel.

sincerely Kaela

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