Reading Response Blog #30

6/7/2015

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

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

This Week's Prompt:

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

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

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

19 Comments

Talia

6/7/2015 11:33:29 am

Ms.Kimball,
I will respond to the prompt If you could chose a character from a book you are reading to be your best friend, who would you chose and why?
I think that I would chose the character Sam from Boy2Girl. Boy2Girl is about a boy named Sam from America who moves in with his cousin Matthew in England. He does this because his mom just died and his dad is in jail. Matthew and his friends decide that if Sam wants to be in their little group of friends, then he has to pretend that he is a girl in the first week of school. Sam really wants to be friends with them so he decides to do it. Sam is a girl for the first week, but then his father is released from jail. His father comes to England to come and get Sam, but his father is not very safe, and doesn’t have the ability to take care of Sam. To stay safe from his father, Sam stays a girl so that his dad won’t see who he really is.
I like Sam because he can be really funny, but also really serious. In the book, Sam is serious when his friends are upset at each other. He tries to patch everything up between them. Sam is funny when he goes shopping for girls clothes. He acts exactly how a teenage girl would, asking for as much money as he can get so that he can buy as much makeup and jewelry as he could.
I also like Sam because he does what he wants to, even when it isn’t normal. For example, Sam wears a big sports watch because that’s what he feels good wearing, even though no other girl wears anything like that. Also, Sam teaches all of the girls in his grade how to play American football, even though girls weren't expected to play sports and stuff like that.
These are the reasons why I would chose Sam to be my friend.
Talia

Ms. Kimball

6/8/2015 02:38:14 pm

Dear Talia,

I love your description of Boy2Girl and the main character, Sam! Great job analyzing Sam's character traits. He sounds like a great person to have as a friend. Someone with a generous sense of humor. Someone willing to take risks. Someone clever. Someone with a lot of self-confidence. To overcome such a sad family life (with his mom dead and his dad messed up), Sam must also have a lot of resilience. Resilient friends are the best because they help us grow stronger. Although Sam disguised himself as a girl unwillingly at first, I bet he eventually enjoys living the life of a girl. Does he?

Excellent response, Talia!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Talia

6/10/2015 01:43:15 am

Ms.Kimball,
Sam does enjoy being a girl. For him, being a girl lets him do more things and get more attention.
Being a girl lets him do more things because when he is a girl, he makes friends with the girls, and the girls like to do things with him that he wouldn't do with the boys. For instance, Sam and a few girls named Charlie, Zia, and Elena form a band together. Sam likes to sing and stuff, but none of the boys play an instrument or anything. Zia, however, plays the guitar.
Being a girl lets Sam get more attention, which he likes. This is because he can make a scene that most girls wouldn't make, and gets attention for that. At one point, Sam gets in a fight with a bully with punching and kicking and stuff. At their school, nobody stands up to that bully, and aspecally not a girl. This happens at recess, when the whole grade is in the same place together. That makes it so that everyone sees Sam.
Talia

Ms. Kimball

6/11/2015 01:59:33 pm

Dear Talia,

This sounds like such an entertaining story! I like the twist that as a girl, Sam gets to do things (such as sing his heart out) that he wouldn't get to do with his guy friends. I am inferring that the book is exploring gender roles and stereotypes. Hopefully it is encouraging you to question the different expectations our society has for girls versus the expectations for boys. I like stories like that!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Sofia

6/17/2015 11:41:16 am

Talia,
I already really love the character Sam, from Boy2Girl! I like how you explained some of the backstory to Sam, too. I'm really interested in reading the book!
Thanks,
Sofia

Danny

6/8/2015 11:25:32 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
If I were to chose a character to be my best friend, I would chose Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit.
First of all Gandalf is a wizard, so he can do all sorts of great magical things for our friendship (which makes him already awesome). We could go on mystical adventures and get gold and other valuable objects.
Another thing is he can make a ordinary guy become a hero. For example, Gandalf made Bilbo,from the Hobbit, go on this magical adventure to help bring back a kingdom! Bilbo was basically a random guy, just living at home, writing stories. Gandolf came to is house and put this marking on his door, and suddenly dwarfs came running into Bilbo's house. They said, "You are the one to come and get our home back from a dangerous dragon."
My last reason why Gandalf should be my friend is he's kind of famous. He is well known throughout Middle Earth (the world). So if I were to be his friend, then I could be with him doing amazing adventures together, then I would be famous too.
From Your Student,
Danny

Ms. Kimball

6/8/2015 02:49:25 pm

Dear Danny,

I loved reading your response! The Hobbit is one of my all-time favorite stories, and I agree that Gandalf is a fantastic choice for a best friend. I liked how you organized your reasons for his desirable friendship, and even included a quote from the text. When I read The Hobbit, I always wondered if Bilbo would have ever left his house had Gandalf never visited. Sometimes, I have to confess, I am too lazy or tired to go on adventures. Gandalf would be a powerful inspiration -with his magic and all- to encourage my journeys into the world. I can see myself now, climbing mountains and seeking treasures with a wizard by my side. How cool would that be?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Yubin

6/9/2015 02:29:10 pm

Dear Class,

The book I am reading is called, “Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel”, written by Nikki Grimes. The main character of this book is Dyamonde, a third grader with wild-crazy hair and a zippy attitude. I want Dyamonde to be my best friend because she’s not only super smart, but, after her parents [[divorced]] and she had to move into a new city with her mom, she felt lonely for having no best friend. So, I want to be her best friend, to make her not feel lonely anymore.

Sincerely,
Yubin

Ms. Kimball

6/11/2015 02:03:07 pm

Dear Yubin,

What a nice person you are! How kind that you would like to befriend someone who feels lonely. I imagine that Dyamonde (I love her name, by the way!) is a very energetic character. I like how you described her attitude as "zippy." I wonder if her personality attracts other people to be her friend or if her personality intimidates people. What do you think?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Julia

6/10/2015 09:46:11 am

Dear Class,

I chose to reply to the third question, "Do you think the plot of a story would change if the main character was someone else? " I think most of the time, the story evolves around the main character. For example, if the main character decides to do something, the story unfolds with the character doing that thing. If it were a different character with different traits, they might make a different descision that changes the plot of the story altogether. Therefore, I think the plot of a story would change if the main character was someone else.

Sincerely,
Julia

Layla

6/11/2015 02:15:06 pm

Dear Julia,
You make a very good point that the story depends on who the character is. If a main character had a different personality, then the actions in the book would be different. I also like how you used the word "unfolds".
From,
Layla

Ms. Kimball

6/11/2015 02:18:05 pm

Dear Julia,

You make a good point. I agree that the plot of a story would change a lot if there was a different main character. Can you think of a strong example?
Although "Unbroken" was a true story, if the main character, Louie Zamperini, was replaced by, say, Capricorn Anderson from Schooled, I imagine the story would end a lot sooner. Louie's character traits consisted of intense resilience, ingenuity, and courage. Cap's character traits consisted more of calmness, innocence, and generosity. I can't imagine Cap surviving in a raft for 47 days. Nor could I imagine Louie calmly handling the middle school antics that Cap was subjected to. I don't think that Cap would have ever fought in a war in the first place!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Rheona

6/17/2015 09:07:20 am

Hi Julia,
I completely agree. I liked how you worded your blog. I kept on thinking how to word my blog in an understandable way and you did exactly that!

Good job,
From,
RHEONA

Kaela Krieger

6/16/2015 07:17:54 am

Dear class,
I am doing question #1. I am reading Emma-Jean Lazarus fell out of a tree. I would want Emma-Jean herself to be my friend. Even though she has no friends she is nice, funny caring and a loyal. She faked a letter so a friend, Colleen could go skiing with her friend who asked another person instead of Colleen. So in conclusion I believe that Emma-Jean i is such a nice friend to everyone so I wish she could be mine.
Sincerely,
Kaela

Ms. Kimball

6/17/2015 11:47:50 am

Dear Kaela,

Emma Jean sounds like a thoughtful, caring person --always good friends to have! How is Emma-Jean loyal?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Rheona

6/16/2015 12:49:24 pm

Hi Ms. Kimball,
Sorry it took so long for me to respond!
I chose to answer the question I wrote~ question #3: Do you think the plot of a story would change if the main character was someone else? Explain your thinking.

I do think that the plot of the story would change if the main character was someone else.
I have just started a book. It is called 'Losing It' by Erin Fry. It is about an overweight boy whose mother died from cancer and father is in the hospital and on the edge of death. His name is Bennett. Bennett has to stay with his aunt that very much dislikes. Since Bennett's aunt doesn't like how overweight he is, she forces Bennett to join a track team. At first, Bennett is running just to lose weight. However, he realizes that running helps him escape from the life he is leading and helps him make friends.

I think the plot of the story would change drastically is the main character was not Bennett. For example, if the main character was more slim that Bennett, he would not be forced to do track and that would change the plot and the whole story. Another example is if the main character wasn't the kind of person who would let a person force them to do things they don't want to do.

What do you think?

From,
RHEONA

Ms. Kimball

6/17/2015 11:54:34 am

Dear Rheona,

No worries on the late response! I'm glad you took the time to write one!

I like your synopsis of "Losing It". It is a very clear, interesting summary. Bennett's life sounds pretty challenging. I bet he is a great character to study when learning about resilience. Of course, a different character was in his place, one who is already fit and athletic, I'm sure that would drastically change the plot. What is more interesting to analyze are his personality traits that drive the story. It sounds like he is a somewhat "submissive" person at first, someone who goes along with what other people tell him to do. If a character that was more confident and outspoken was in his place, I bet things would be different. Do you think Bennett lacks self-confidence?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Sofia

6/17/2015 11:49:36 am

If I had to chose a book character to be my friend, I'd chose Red from Don't Forget Me. Red is super sweet.
For example, Red went to the beach every night at midnight to talk to Hazel. He never pushes her to talk about anything she doesn't want to, even when they've known eachother for a long while, and he's told her about himself. Sometimes, he'll leave Hazel gifts, like for her birthday, he painted on her wall, a picture of them on the beach. She always wanted him to draw something for her, but he didn't, until then.
Another reason why I'd want Red as a friend is that he's a really happy, high energy person. Red is known as the happier of the twins. Luca, Red's twin, is known for his snappy, angry attitude. But as much as Luca is grouchy, Red is bright, cheerful, and lively. The author explains him having a goofy grin a lot in the story.
I think Red would make a pretty awesome friend.
Sofia

Talia

6/23/2015 11:35:18 am

Hi Guys!
I really miss you already! I wish that the year could never end! Thanks for the awesome year!
Love,
Talia :)
P.S. #BCE!

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Student Work
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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.