Reading Response Blog #23

3/22/2015

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

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

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

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

This Week's Prompt:

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

73 Comments

Forrest

3/22/2015 02:23:52 pm

Dear Ms Kimball,

Here is a passage from my book where Peter is riding a computer cart. "He got a running start and flew down the the hall... The black electrical cord slowly uncoiled. The dangling end fell closer and closer to the ground... In a flash one of the wheels grabbed the plug and swallowed it. The cart slammed to an instant stop and Peter was launched over the top. He hit the ground and rolled right into... Mrs Williams. The sudden collision knocked her to the ground and her momentum carried her legs up and back over her head... I had a clear shot right up her skirt. And this time it wasn't innocent flowered underwear. Mrs Williams needed to go to confession for wearing those things."

When the author said “the wheels grabbed the plug and swallowed it” that is an example of a figurative description because a wheel wouldn’t swallow something but it really makes the picture clear. The plug got stuck in the wheel. The rest of the passage is literal because it describes exactly what happened.

I chose this passage because the author used words that showed a really clear picture. Also I chose this because of the humor. I found it so funny and that helped me picture it easlly.

From,

Forrest

Ms. Kimball

3/23/2015 12:21:24 pm

Dear Forrest,

Great choice for a description! I love how you included so much of it for us to read, too. I agree, there is a mix of figurative and literal language in the description. My guess is that Peter didn't actually fly down the hallway, nor was there a "flash". I also like the image of the wheel swallowing up the cord. That is some great figurative language for us to picture. I agree with you that all of the literal description that follows is very exact and funny! So what happened to Peter after he collided into the principal and exposed her underwear? I can only imagine how much trouble he got into.

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Forrest

3/30/2015 12:51:14 pm

Dear Ms Kimball,

Thanks for the tip on the other pieces of figurative language! I do know what you mean by “Flying down the hall’. I know that means going fast. When you said "flash" that makes me think fast/sudden. When Peter collided with the principal he didn't get in trouble but Mrs Williams got him back when he was laying on a boat in the water with his eyes closed and Mrs Williams tossed a rock at him and it scared him really bad.
Thank you for the tips!

From,

Forrest

Talia

3/23/2015 09:25:52 am

Ms.Kim*baller*,
I read the book A Child’s Book of Midrash. One story in it is called Why God Chose Mount Sinai. I will talk about this story.One description is this, “And little Mount Sinai glowed from top to bottom.” I think that means that Mount Sinai was very proud. Sometimes people use the word glow not to mean actually being bright and showing a lot, or something like that, but to mean being proud. Not only just feeling proud on the inside, but other people are able to tell that the person (or mountain in this case) is proud. From what I just said about not literally glowing, but just being proud, you can tell that I think that this description is figurative, not literal.
Talia

Sam

3/24/2015 09:32:38 am

Dear Talia,
I agree with you on how glow in the description helps to show how Sinai could be very proud. I realized the descriptions meaning better when I thought of the word bright and how we use it today as a showing of smart.

Sincerely,
Sam

Talia

3/30/2015 01:35:35 am

Ms.Kimball,
I don't believe that mountains have feelings, exept this story has the mountains acting like people. This makes it so that I let myself think that the mountain has feelings.
I have seen other examples of personification. I have a book of poems and lots of the poems have personification.

Ms. Kimball

3/24/2015 01:10:46 pm

Dear Talia,

Good job recognizing figurative language and explaining the different meanings of "glowing". It's also figurative to say that a mountain can have feelings. Do you think mountains can have feelings? This type of figurative language --giving an object traits of a person, such as feelings-- is called "personification." Have you ever seen any other examples of personification?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Rheona

3/25/2015 12:56:25 pm

Hi Talia,
I have a question for you. Have you ever heard the expression "you are glowing"? Well, sometimes it could be used as a complement to say " wow, you look pretty or confident" or something related to that.

Good Job,
RHEONA

Alec

3/31/2015 03:33:21 am

Talia,
I agree that it's figurative. Great job! One thing I'm wondering is how does the mountain "feel proud"? I'm just wondering. Otherwise, great response! Keep up the good work!

Alec

Danny

3/23/2015 11:14:19 am

Danny 3/23/15
Blog 23
Look through your independent reading for a great description of a setting, a character, or an action. Quote the description accurately. Explain what the description means and tell if the author means the words literally or figuratively. Then tell why you admire the description so much.
*************************************************************************
In my independent reading, I am reading The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan.
The following quote describing the giant was a detailed, interesting and gruesome part of the selection. " The giant appeared humanoid, his muscular chest clad in bronze armor, decorated with flame designs. His arms were completely ripped. Each of his biceps were bigger than Leo. His skin was bronze but sooty with ash. His face was crudely shaped, like a half-finished clay figure, his eyes glowed white, his hair was matted in shaggy dreadlocks down to his shoulders, braided with bones. From waist down was even more terrifying. HIs legs were scaly green, with claws instead of feet -- like the forelegs of a dragon. In his hand, Enceladus held a spear the size of a flagpole."
I decided that the description is literal, if I drew this I would use the book as directions for drawing the giant, and it would come out pretty good. Why I like this description so much is because Rick Riordan did such a good job writing it, that I can see it in my mind.

Ms. Kimballl

3/24/2015 01:17:48 pm

Dear Danny,

Wow! What an impressive description. Thanks for including so much for us to read! I agree with you. If I wanted to draw a picture of this monster, I would reread the precise details that the author wrote. I couldn't tell if the phrase, "like the forelegs of a dragon" was literal or figurative. Since the description of the giant is so scary and shocking, I can imagine him actually having legs like a dragon! What do you think?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Sam

3/25/2015 11:48:40 am

Dear Danny,
what more better way to describe a ferocious beast then name all of the things that make this guy look so cool, alive and deadly. Would you have added anymore details to describe the giant, did you see it differently in your mind?

Sincerely,
sam

Julia

3/23/2015 11:35:45 am

Dear Ms. Class,

A description from the book, Just as Long as We're Together, by Judy Blume is, "It took me all day to arrange my posters in just the right way and that night, as soon as my mother got home from work, I called her up to see them." In this sentence, the main character is saying it took her all day to put up the posters just the right way. I don't think it actually took her ALL day to arrange them, but she was just trying to stress the fact that it took her awhile to get them just right. I used common sense to figure this out, because technically speaking, it would not take someone twelve hours to hang up posters in their room. I like this description because the tricky part about it taking he all day is very subtle and hard to notice, wait, did it actually take her all day to put up posters, if your just reading the text.

Sincerely,
Julia

Layla

3/24/2015 12:49:46 am

Dear Julia,
I completely agree with you! It is hard to notice the subtle figurative language, but you did a great job of spotting it! I like how you said that the character was stressing the fact that it took her a long time.
From,
Layla

Ms. Kimball

3/25/2015 11:11:32 am

Dear Julia,

Good point that hanging posters couldn't possibly take 12 hours! I don't know if I would have caught that expression. It's actually a type of figurative language that involved exaggeration. It's called "hyperbole," and you say that word like this: hi-PER-bol-lee.

Can you think of other examples of a hyperbole? People use them all of the time! (Haha, I just used hyperbole, because people don't literally use hyperboles every moment of every day!)

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Olivia D.

3/26/2015 10:02:33 am

Dear Julia,

I definitly agree with you, It would never take a whole day just to arrange her posters! Great job doing on your response! What made you choose this description?

Sincerely,
Olivia D.

Rheona

3/25/2015 01:00:41 pm

Hi Julia,
I have read that book almost a dozen times this month and I some times had a little trouble tell the difference from literal and figurative and you just did that perfectly!
How do u like book so far?

from,
RHEONA

Julia

3/26/2015 11:45:55 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,

I think another example of a hyperbole is if someone were to say, "I am starving," even though they are not literally starving. This is a very commonly used hyperbole, but I do not think it is a good thing to say, because their are people around the world who are literally starving.

Sincerely,
Julia

Julia

3/26/2015 11:47:44 am

Dear Rheona,

I am loving the book, and am very close to finishing it. Thanks for letting me borrow it. I think Judy Blume is a very good author. What do you think?

Sincerely,
Julia

Sage P

3/30/2015 01:36:10 am

Dear Julia,
Wow! I really liked how you told the readers exactly what you did to figure what the description meant. Great job!
From,
Sage P.

Talia

3/30/2015 09:22:17 am

Julia,
I agree with you that it would not take an entire 12 hours to put up some posters. Lots of people say that it took the whole day to do something, but they don't actually mean the entire day. Where is somewhere else that you have seen that be used if you have seen that be used that way before?
Talia

Amy

3/30/2015 04:12:45 pm

Dear Julia,
What type of genre is this book and why type of posters was she hanging up?
Sincerely,
Amy

Layla

3/23/2015 11:40:37 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
My quote from the book Esperanza Rising is, "The weariness from the days of travel flooded over her..." What the author means by this is that the main character, Esperanza, wasn't literally flooded by the weariness of travel, but felt as if she weariness just flooded over her. Someone else could just say, "Esperanza felt weary from the days of travel", but it wouldn't be as interesting as saying, "weariness flooded over her". Also, saying that helps you picture and really believe that Esperanza was tired instead of someone just stating it. Additionally, the author meant for you get to read a sentence in a cool way, and make you think differently. These reasons are also why I like the description.
From,
Layla

Ms. Kimball

3/25/2015 11:15:03 am

Dear Layla,

I like the description you chose. I agree, the word "flooded" is a great choice for figurative language. It reminds me of something powerful and unstoppable, because floods can really cause serious damage. When I travel, I often feel flooded with weariness, especially if I had long layovers and multiple connecting flights. Uggh!! The tiredness just overwhelms me and I become grumpy and irritable.

Can you think of other emotions or feelings that can "flood" a person?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Layla

3/25/2015 12:29:15 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball,
That is a very interesting point. I never thought that the author maybe chose that word because of what you said! I think that a person can be flooded with joy.
From,
Layla

Layla

3/28/2015 04:45:13 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
I never thought that the author maybe meant to imply that the word flooded meant "powerful and unstoppable" in a figurative way in the quote. That would be very interesting if the author meant it that way. To answer your question, I think that you can be flooded with joy. I have heard other authors use that term and I think that it makes sense.
From,
Layla

Layla

3/30/2015 01:36:19 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
I think that a person can be flooded with joy. I have seen authors use that metaphor before and I think that it is appropriate.
From,
Layla

Sage P

3/26/2015 01:51:05 pm

Dear Layla,
I really liked your response! I really liked how you chose reasons to why you liked the description so you weren't just randomly choosing random reasons. I have one question for you. Do you think this question is a literal or a figurative question? Great response!
From,
Sage P.

Sam

3/24/2015 09:11:23 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
.J.K. Rowling leaves many good descriptions in her writing. I found the time Harry first meets Hagrid. She writes, "His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair."(46) Most of the quote is meant literally but the great description at the end of how Hagrid's eyes looked like black beetles was meant to be a simile. Hagrid's eyes aren't actually beetles—that would be gross! I thought the description was very good because of how she backs up her descriptions with evidence.
Can't wait to read more and find great descriptions.

Sincerely,
sam

Ms. Kimball

3/26/2015 12:25:44 pm

Dear Sam,

I love your response, especially the line "Hagrid's eyes aren't actually beetles—that would be gross!" That made me chuckle. I agree with you. The author did a nice job mixing precise, mostly literal description with a fun figurative description. Good job recognizing it is a simile. It can be very challenging to write fantasy because an author has to make the magical, unrealistic parts of the story extra believable so readers can buy into it. I think J.K. Rowling did an amazing job at making the magical parts of the story believable because of how precise and detailed she is. Like you said, she backs things up with evidence! Have you noticed anything else magical in the story so far that she describes really well?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Sam

3/26/2015 01:22:53 pm

Dear Ms. kimball,
whenever we meat a new character she describes them very well. .J.K. will describe their hair or smile or body, something that you can see by making a first look or impression. She describes malfoy with his gold blond hair and his greedy little grin. .J.K. Rowling sure does have a cool writing style.

Sincerely,
Sam

Marc

3/30/2015 12:39:55 am

Sam,
Are you enjoying the Harry potter series? Because, when I read them, I found them REALLY interesting. Also, have you seen he movies?
That was a really great description that you found!

Sincerely,
Marc

Sage W.

3/24/2015 10:57:41 am

Dear Class,

I'm re-reading Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. This book has a lot of great descriptions but the one I will share is, "I could immobilize my arms and legs, but inside me it was rush hour in downtown Phoenix." In this part of the book Stargirl took Leo to an "Enchanted place" and told him to try to "Disappear" to stop thinking. Leo is saying that he was able to stop moving physically but inside he was busy, therefore he didn't stop thinking. I think he was using figurative speech and didn't actually mean that inside him it was rush hour in Phoenix. I like this description because the author sneaks in a simile without you really noticing.

Sincerely,
Sage W.

Julia

3/25/2015 01:39:15 am

Dear Sage,

I agree that this description used figurative language. Why do you think the author used downtown Phoenix, instead of a different city? Is the book related to Phoenix? Great response!

Sincerely,
Julia

Ms. Kimball

3/26/2015 01:16:47 pm

Dear Sage,

Great choice for a description! You did a nice job analyzing the description, too. I have totally felt the way that Leo did and I think the author cleverly and creatively expressed it. There have been times at which I have felt like I need to be still and calm, and can force my body to look that way, but my mind is racing and thoughts are rushing around and sometimes jammed. I often feel that way when I'm trying to fall asleep!

This particular description happens to be a metaphor because the author doesn't use the words "like" or "as" to compare. Metaphors can be more confusing because it's less clear what is literal and what is figurative.

Have you ever felt the way Leo felt?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Alec

3/24/2015 01:50:59 pm

3/24/15

Dear Class,
One description of a setting in the book is that the place is crowded. For example, in the text, it says, "Even the air is crowded. Crisscrossing telephone lines make the smoky sky look like ruled paper." I like this description because it says that even the air is crowded. I never thought of it that way. The description means that the air is crowded with things such as crisscrossing telephone wires. The author means literally. There's really crisscrossing telephone wires.

From, Alec

Ms. Kimball

3/26/2015 01:36:43 pm

Dear Alec,

Wow! Amazing choice of a description! Living in the city, I feel that when I look up to the sky, I often see telephone wires crisscrossing my view. I don't think the author actually meant that the sky looked like lined "ruled paper" that we write on in school. In that sense, he meant the description figuratively. When an author compares two unlike things (such as telephone wires in the air to lined paper) using the word "like", that is called a simile. It's a really cool way of describing things. For example, I could say, "My hair looked like I had a haystack on my head this morning when I got out of bed." I didn't ACTUALLY have a haystack on my head, but the description says that my hair was somewhat dry, sticky, and piled up.

Can you think of another simile to describe something?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Alec

3/30/2015 01:33:16 am

Ms. Kimball,
How do I use a simile? I want to respond to your question but I don't understand what simile means.

Alec

Danny

3/30/2015 12:45:06 am

Dear Alec,
If you were in this persons shoes would you think of this?

Yubin

3/24/2015 02:30:24 pm

Dear Class,

The book I read is called "Nettie's trip south" by Ann Turner. In this story, Nettie, the main character, is a little girl from North. One day, she went to see a slave auction. Here is a description of what Nettie witnessed. "There was a black woman on the platform. "Jump, aunt, Jump!" the man shouted. Someone called out a price and she was gone. Gone Addie, like a sack of flour pushed across a store counter."

I think this description is figurative, because the author described the auction of the black woman using the simile, "like a sack of flour pushed across a stone counter."

I chose this description because it creates a sad picture of miserable lives of slaves in my mind.

Sincerely,
Yubin

Julia

3/26/2015 11:54:01 am

Dear Yubin,

First of all, we miss you in class, and I hope you feel better soon. I enjoyed reading your response! Why do you think the author chose to use a sack of flower being pushed across a stone counter as a simile?

Sincerely,
Julia

Yubin

3/27/2015 01:18:31 pm

Dear Julia,

Thanks for the kind wishes! I just made a mistake. It is not "stone counter". It is, "store counter". I think the author wrote this simile because she wanted to depict how the slaves were being sold like the things in the store.

Sincerely,
Yubin

Ms. Kimball

3/26/2015 01:47:33 pm

Dear Yubin,

You chose a very powerful figurative description. I agree. Comparing a human being to "a sack of flour" paints a sad, miserable picture of life as a slave. I found it interesting that the author chose to add to her description that the sack of flour was "pushed across a stone counter." Why do you think the author used that phrase?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Yubin

3/26/2015 02:52:05 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball,

I just made a mistake. It is not "stone counter". It is "store counter". I think the author wrote this phrase because she wanted to show the slaves being sold like the things in the stores. Like when we go to a store, we choose items and bring to the store counter to pay for them.

Sincerely,
Yubin

Marc

3/25/2015 09:37:35 am

Class,
I could not find a good quote in my independent reading book, however, I found one in Divergent. The quote is, "I hear a train horn, so faint it could easily be wind whistling through an alleyway." These words are coming from Tris.

I think the quote means that she is now so used to hearing the trains horn that she can hear it from so far away. I think this because Tris had been in dauntless for a little while, but since she has been on the train so many times, she has heard the horn so many times. Therefore, she can now recognize it from far distances.

I think that Tris' words are very litteral because she also has some honesty in there. For example, when she says that it could be wind whistling through an alleyway. I think that when you have honesty, the words are very littera because, if you are being honest, then something must have happened, therefore, if something actually happens, you are being litteral.

I really like this quote because it is a mix of telling you that something is gonna happen (in this case she's gonna get onto the train). The quote is also worded very well. For example, when the quote says "it could easily be wind whistling through the alleyway," I like that because the author used whistling.

Sincerely,
Marc

Ms. Kimball

3/26/2015 01:55:28 pm

Dear Marc,

Interesting description! I liked the word "faint," which means, "barely noticeable." This is a challenging description to analyze. I had to spend a few minutes trying to figure it out. When I read it, I felt that the author was trying to say that the train horn blended into the normal sounds of the environment, such as wind in an alleyway. I'm inferring that the author really means that even though the train horn is so hard to hear, the narrator still notices it. I am curious to know the context of this description. Does Tris desire to be hopping that train?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Marc

3/30/2015 12:37:53 am

Ms. Kimball,
I completely agree with you about the word faint. Also, I Tris wants to hop the train, and I thinj when you want something, you're "better" at it. In this case, Tris wants to hop onto the train, therefore, she can hear the train because she is waiting for it.

Sincerely ,
Marc

Rheona

3/25/2015 12:52:51 pm

Hi Ms.Kimaball and class,
I FINISHED TWO WHOLE BOOKS THIS WEEK!! YAY!

I have just started the book The Maze Runner thanks to some suggestions from people!

The description says," Thomas focused on the dozens of strangers around him. He knew he must look out of it- he felt like he'd been drugged. A tall kid with blond hair and a square jaw sniffed at him, his face devoid with expression. A short, pudgy boy fidgeted back and forth on his feet, looking up at Thomas with wide eyes, A think, heavy muscled Asian kid folded his arms as he studied Thomas, his tight shirtsleeves rolled up to show off his biceps. A dark-skinned boy frowned-- the same one who'd welcomed him. countless others started.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think that t he author means this literally. I think that the author is trying to describe the setting and trying to hint you on what the characters in the book might be like. I LOVE THIS DESCRIPTION! I love it because lately I have been looking for a good book to read and I found that I don't like reading a book that is clear enough for me to paint an accurate picture in my head. I have found many very detailed descriptions in this book.

From,
RHEONA

Ms. Kimball

3/26/2015 02:16:24 pm

Congrats on your remarkable reading this week! Isn't it great to get book suggestions from other students in the class? I love when someone recommends a book to me.

The description you chose is a cool one. I agree. The author is trying to hint at the personalities of the various characters. When I first read this description, I didn't know who any of the boys were. After reading further into the book and learning about Newt, Minho, Alby, Chuck, and more, I could flip back to that description and know who each boy was based on how they first stared at Thomas.

Have you found any figurative descriptions in the book? I got annoyed at how much the author figuratively described Thomas' panic.

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Rheona

3/31/2015 08:40:52 am

Hi ms. Kimball,
I stopped reading that book because I felt it kept on dragging on.
Yes. I do love getting feedback from other kids about good books.

From,
RHEONA

Amy

3/26/2015 09:31:29 am

Dear Class,
In a book I read, The Lost Children, the main character, Josephine Russing, finds a boy around her age (his name is Fargus) in her backyard. Josephine is surprised because nobody lives around her for miles. I like how she described the boy for example she says, " A small, barefooted boy with a suitcase in his hand was in her lawn. Starring at her." I also like when Josephine described the small details when she says, " He was a small intense boy with hard brown eyes and small lips." I liked that because those details weren't really important but she still included them because it could be important later in the story. Josephine also describes another character named Ida later in the story. When she describes Ida she says, "Small and thin she had chopped black hair and sharp green eyes." My favorite part about that sentence was when she said, "Sharp green eyes." When she said sharp she didn't actually mean Ida's eyes were sticking out of her head.
Sincerely,
Amy

Ms. Kimball

3/29/2015 03:19:42 am

Dear Amy,

Those are great descriptions of characters. They really help me imagine each character's appearance and pair that with hints of their personalities. It sounds like the author especially likes to describe eyes. Do you think there is anything special about people's eyes that would cause an author to focus on them when describing a character?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Amy

3/30/2015 01:33:06 am

Dear Ms.Kimball,
I think the author describes eyes very well for one kid, Fargus, because Fargus doesn't talk. If you want to find out why then you should read the book. I recommend this book to people who like mystery and suspense.
Sincerely,
Amy

Arim link

3/26/2015 09:46:36 am

Dear class

I'm reading Ravelijn, a Dutch book. There is many descriptions but this is the best. "The felling I felt as my bones were growing was like somebody was tickling me and then replaced all my banes with other bones." Of course I translated all this. I think this mean that first it felt funny, but then he felt so much pain that no man could ever feel.

From Arim

Ms. Kimball

3/29/2015 03:21:27 am

Dear Arim,

I'm assuming you meant "feeling" instead of "felling" and "bones" instead of "banes". I'm curious, what was happening at this point in the book to cause the narrator to feel this way?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Arim link

3/30/2015 01:36:58 am

Dear Ms. Kimball

what was happening was that the character went through a gate which is magical so if you go in it you grow, and if you go out you go back to your usual size.

From Arim

Olivia D.

3/26/2015 09:51:54 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,

A great description in my book titled Tall Story is," The chirping and the buzz of snoring from upstairs combined into the usual night chorus." this description means the crickets chirping and the snoring from upstairs was usual to Bernardo (one of the main characters) and it sounded like a chorus happening throughout the night.

Sincerely,
Olivia D.

Ms. Kimball

3/29/2015 03:22:50 am

Dear Olivia,

Great description. Do you think the author meant it literally or are their figurative aspects to it? I like the author's choice of the word "usual" to describe this symphony of noise.

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Olivia D.

3/31/2015 01:34:52 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,

I don't think the author meant it literally when he said chorus. He isn't trying to say the type of chorus were a group of people get together and sing songs. I think he is trying to say the type of chorus were all these sounds familiar sounds come together. For him these sounds are so familiar so they sound like music to him.

Sincerely,
Olivia D.

Sofia

3/26/2015 11:01:37 am

Class,
In The Teddy Bear Agreement, Cassie says: "The large drink is set in front of me, ice swirls in between the coffee and water droplets slowly run down it's plastic surface with the logo of an indie coffee shop on it."

I know from background knowledge that Cassie loves ice coffee, and I think this is a literal description. I think this because nothing is said in a simile, and is not explained using another object other than what is actually in the coffee.

I chose this description because it really makes me want iced coffee, I just imagine the most perfect cup of iced coffee ever. If you pay attention closely, even without background knowledge, I think you can tell Cassie is a little tired and wants that iced coffee.
Sofia

Ms. Kimball

3/29/2015 03:26:15 am

Dear Sofia,

That's a very literal and precise description. I'm curious to know the context of the situation. Why is Cassie staring at her coffee? Is she in an awkward situation? Is she waiting in line somewhere? Is she listening to some boring teacher in a classroom and zoning out? When I drink iced coffee, I usually don't spend the time to admire its beauty!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Sofia

3/31/2015 01:28:31 am

Ms.Kimball.
It's morning, and Cassie isn't really one to wake up in the mornings-or ever. She's in one of her classes, in college, and she's very tired. The way she describes her view of the coffee makes me think she's zoning out.
Sofia

Mikey link

3/30/2015 12:27:12 pm

Dear Sofia,
I liked how you mentioned that it was not related to another object, and because of that I just realized that figurative language usually refers to other objects. Great job!
Mikey

Sage P

3/26/2015 11:48:10 am

Dear Class,

I am reading the book Operation Redwood by S. Terrell French. I chose the description “But his dream wouldn’t let him go,” from page 1 of my book. I think the description means that Julian, the main character, wouldn’t wake up from his dream because he is fast asleep. I also think the description could mean Julian was so into his dream that he “couldn’t” just wake up and have the dream be gone. I think the author used the description in a Figurative way, because the description didn’t actually mean he couldn’t wake up from his dream, so the author didn’t mean the quote literally so the author would of had to use the description Figuratively.
From,
Sage P.

Ms. Kimball

3/29/2015 03:43:15 am

Dear Sage,

Good analysis of such a short description. You're right; a dream can't actually hold on to you. However, I have felt sometimes like I'm in a crazy dream that I don't want to be in, but my mind can't see to get out of it. I usually wake up unsure if I am still dreaming. Have you ever felt that way?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Sage P

3/29/2015 01:54:38 pm

Dear Ms.Kimball,
I have never wondered if I am still dreaming, but I can imagine what that would feel like. I sometimes pinch myself if I think I'm dreaming in such an amazing place because it doesn't feel real. Has that ever happened to you?
From,
Sage P.

Mikey

3/26/2015 12:44:21 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball,
I will use the quote, “I wish I could freeze this moment, right here, right now and live in it forever.” from the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I think it' s partly figurative and partly literal. Let me tell you why.
I think it is partly literal because she is having a very happy moment and she wants to be in that moment of happiness forever. I also think that it is partly figurative is because she knows that she cannot stay in that same moment forever, but she is just wishing that she could be that happy forever.
I chose that quote because I really like the Hunger Games and I thought that that was one of the most powerful quotes in the book. There are lots more amazing quotes in that series of books, but I think this one is my favorite.
Mikey

Ms. Kimball

3/29/2015 03:47:07 am

Dear Mikey,

Good job analyzing the description in both a literal and figurative way. I like how you did that. If only we could freeze moments in time and savor them forever. I guess that's what cameras are for! What experience did the narrator, Katniss, want to live on in forever? Was is with another person?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Mikey link

3/30/2015 12:22:29 pm

Dear Ms.Kimball
I do not remember that specific part of the story very well, but I think she had done something with another person that made her very happy.
Mikey

Nathan

3/27/2015 01:11:10 am

Dear class,

This is a description from, Warriors: Fire and Ice, by Erin Hunter. “They charged into the safety of the shadows beneath the soaring Thunderpath. Ahead, Fireheart watched the Windclan cats stop close to one of the Thunderpath’s great stone legs. And then one by one, the cats disappeared into the ground.”

When the author says “Disappeared”, the cats actually went into a hole to hide from the Twolegs (Humans) .

Yours truly,
Nathan

Ms. Kimball

3/29/2015 03:49:26 am

Dear Nathan,

Cool description. I'm guessing part of it is figurative since you said the cats didn't actually disappear. I like the word choices in this description. "Charged" and "soaring" are such precise, vivid words. Does the author write like that throughout the story?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Nathan

3/31/2015 01:29:19 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,

The writer (Erin Hunter) does write like that throughout the story, which makes up for some good battles, and a descriptive setting.

Yours truly,
Nathan

Kaela

3/30/2015 01:36:27 am

Dear ms.Kimball
I am reading Hero. I'm doing "It was why she was back into the campaign full-time, throwing herself into it harder than ever." That was about his mother after his father had died. I think it means that she is working so hard she dosnt have time to be sad. And she is not letting the thought of the sadness come back into her mind. Thank you for reading.
sincerely Kaela

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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.