Reading Response #15

4/3/2016

Authors like to make us think when we read. They don't always make the meaning of their words obvious. Instead of stating things explicitly, authors say things implicitly. While this can be confusing to some readers, finding the hidden meaning in the text can be exciting. It is also similar to what we experience in real life when interacting with other people. It's not always obvious what another person is thinking or feeling.

As readers, we need to make inferences to find the hidden meaning in text.

This Week's Prompt:
Describe an important inference you had to make recently in your independent reading.
To do this, first provide a little introduction that gives us some background information on the story. Next, tell what the author wrote that you believe had hidden meaning (as best you can remember, or you can quote it). Finally, explain the hidden meaning of the text.

I look forward to hearing about your inferring skills!

70 Comments

Julia

4/3/2016 08:50:40 pm

Dear class,
I just started reading, Katie and the Cupcake Cure by Coco Simon, the first book in the series, The Cupcake Diaries. In the story, its the first day of middle school and Katie's best friend Callie started hanging out with a bunch of new popular girls and barely talking to Katie. There are many instances in the story where I had to infer Katie's feelings about this. For example, in the cafeteria, Katie sees something weird, "I watched Bella and Sydney slide into their table with Callie. They were all reading some magazine. I tried not to look." The end, the phrase, "I tried not to look." makes me believe that Katie is uncomfortable with Callie sitting with those girls. Especially because those girls were mean to Katie. Of course, Katie never explicitly says, 'It made me super uncomfortable,' but the reader has to infer based on what she did think. Another instance is when Callie's group sees Katie at the bus stop. Sydney, one of the girls, makes a mean remark about Katie's outfit, and then says, "Come on, don't want to be late." which makes me think that Sydney just wanted to leave, and didn't actually care if she was late or not. It doesn't say this explicitly in the text, but I can infer.
Sincerely,
Julia

Ms. Kimball

4/4/2016 09:22:28 pm

Dear Julia,

Great job explaining your inferences! Your book sounds very entertaining, although poor Katie has to deal with a lot of girl drama. That's never fun!

People's feelings are one of the most common things we have to make inferences about. Body language, tone of voice, and even spoken words all give us clues to how a person feels. I imagine the author of Katie and The Cupcake Diaries makes you do a lot of inferring. Has there ever been an instance when she has described a character's body language and you had to infer how the character was feeling?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Julia

4/5/2016 07:27:10 am

Dear Ms Kimball,
One time a the end of the book, Callie, the one who ditched Katie, actually bought a cupcake from Katie and Katie's new friends! Even though Callie's new popular friends disapproved, Callie still bought one. Normally, Callie would make a choice based on what her popular friends would do, but Callie made the choice by herself! When Callie says, "It's just a cupcake," I can infer that she was trying to patch things up between her and Katie, because it says, "Callie walked over. We smiled at each other." Thank you for the feedback!
Sincerely,
Julia

August

4/13/2016 03:46:39 pm

Dear Julia,

You did such a good job making an inference. Your book sounds good. Do you think Katie will find new friends? Can you tell me what happens at the end,

Sincerely,
August

Julia

4/23/2016 12:53:59 pm

Dear August,
Thank you for replying to my reading response! Fortunately, Katie does make new friends at the end; three, in fact. She actually meets them in the beginning, but the drama with Callie is throughout the book, and Katie's friends stick with her. At the end, Callie and Katie learn that maybe they aren't as close friends as they thought they were. Of course, they are still nice to each other, but they don't really hang out. But that's okay, because both girls have made new friends.
Sincerely,
Julia

Tal

4/4/2016 03:20:54 pm

Hi Ms. Kimball! It's Tal (Talia, but now I go by Tal. I also use male pronouns.) ! I just read the book called the Candymakers by Wendy Mass. At the beginning of the section of the book that follows Daisy, I had to infer that she (spoiler alert!) was a spy. The book never actually stated that she was a spy until a bit later, so if I couldn't use context clues, than I would have been totally lost in the book. I used the fact that she had been hired by someone to steal the secret ingredient, and that she had lots of fancy gadjets to infer that she was a spy.

Ms. Kimball

4/4/2016 09:27:46 pm

Hi Tal,

So glad to hear from you again! Can you believe there are only 3 more months until you are a 7th grader!?

Wendy Mass is such a great author. You read Every Soul a Star, right? Such a great book!

Candymakers sounds enjoyable. Is it written from multiple characters' perspectives? Was there a point in the book where you were confused about what Daisy was up to? I'm curious to know who she stole from and who hired her. She sounds like a cool character.

Keep in touch!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Tal

4/6/2016 05:39:33 pm

Hi!
Please don't talk about 7th grade! It's freaking me out! I have read every soul a star, and it is very good. A few problems with it, though, are that what's up with the parents, and , well, what's up with the parents?! The parents in every soul a star don't seem very good. Who would only tell their children that they are moving 2 DAYS BEFORE ?!

The candymakers is very enjoyable, as you said. It is written from multiple perspectives. There was a point in the book when I was confused about what Daisy was up to. This was right after Daisy wakes up from her dream, and enters the spy world, wich is EXACTLY like the dream. Daisy was hired by a mysterious guy who goes by, "Second Enterprises". Turns out that he is (spoiler alert!) Philip's dad! BTW, if you don't know who Philip is, he is one of the other contestants in the candymaking contest. Daisy is stealing the secret ingredient from the candy factory hosting her for the contest.

Now, I want to tell you a bit about what's going on for me! School is getting harder, (but I'm keeping up with the high honor roll!) and my teachers and classmates are great! I am getting higher in karate, too! I have gotten up an entire belt level since you saw me last! Sadly, I wont be able to do karate for a bit. On Monday, while at karate, I was hit and broke my hip. Too bad for me.

Bye! -Tal:)

Ms. Kimball

4/10/2016 11:49:04 am

Hi Tal,

Haha, I agree. Every Soul a Star has some parents that need to take their parental responsibilities more seriously.

I might have to buy The Candymakers for our classroom library. You made it sound VERY exciting and entertaining.

Congrats on High Honor Roll! That's awesome! I'm so sad to hear you broke your hip bone in karate! How in the world did that happen? How badly were you hit? Can you walk? Hopefully you make a quick recovery.

Thanks so much for keeping in touch! I love hearing about how you're doing. You've inspired me to make a "Former Student Blog." I think I might make that today, actually! Be on the lookout!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Elizabeth

4/4/2016 07:31:35 pm

Dear Class,
The last time I had to infer something, I was reading the book, Miss.Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children. It is about a boy whose grandfather was killed by monsters that no one could see but him. He visited the island where his grandfather grew up. He searches the old ruins of the orphanage. He makes some half-friends, and discovers the loop. The loop is basically a place in time that repeats forever. In the loop are all the children that star in his grandfathers stories. He doesn't believe it at first, but makes friends with them all.Then there are the sheep, five sheep mysteriously die. Miss.Peregrine (the headmistress) and Jacob (the main character) are very suspicious that the monsters are near by.

One time I had to infer was when the author wrote,"'He's gone,isn't he?'"I had no idea who "he" was. I then remembered that Emma (Jacob's friend) liked Jacob's grandfather, and I knew that he died. So when the author wrote,"He's gone, isn't he?" I knew it meant that Jacob's grandfather is gone, but Emma was not sure

Sincerely,
Elizabeth

Ms. Kimball

4/4/2016 09:37:07 pm

Dear Elizabeth,

I might ask you if I could borrow that book when you're finished so I could read it, too. It sounds so mystifying!

I'm curious to know more about the story, if you can do your best to avoid big spoilers. You mentioned some things that I found confusing. You said Jason "makes some half-friends." What are "half-friends"? You also mentioned "sheep." How are the sheep tied in to the storyline?

In terms of your inference, can you provide more context for the quote? How does it tie in to the storyline? It sounds like Jason's friend Emma was questioning him about his grandfather. Why would it be confusing as to who she was asking about?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Liana

4/5/2016 07:12:41 pm

Dear class,
I am reading Mr.Terupt Falls Again. The book is about a bunch of 6th grade students in Mr.Teruot's class. Everyone loves Mr.Terupt. Some kids hated school and didn't even want to go to school, but after Mr.Terupt arrived, they don't want to miss a single day of it. One of the characters in the book, Lexie, is not acting good. One day, she finds a bunch of high schoolers, and she starts to hang out with them. Soon, they ask her to smoke, and make her do other bad things. What I had to make an inference about is if she actually likes to hang out with the high schoolers, or if she's just doing it to try to be cool. Sometimes it seems like she's enjoying herself, but other times it seems like she feels uncomfortable and afraid. Later in the book, I found evidence that shows that she doesn't like hanging out with the high schoolers. Mr.Terupt, has been suspicious of Lexie lately, and was trying to find out where she was going. Finally, he found out, and went to get Lexie. When he called out to her, she came out crying and hugged him. She told him she was sorry. This shows that she was glad Mr.Terrupt found her because she was crying and she said sorry. Also, when her mom found out about what she did, she told Lexie that sh's never allowed to go back there again. Lexie told her she won't, and it said that she was glad her mother told her never to go back there, because she didn't want to.

Sincerely,
Liana

Ms. Kimball

4/5/2016 08:23:37 pm

Dear Liana,

Mr. Terupt Falls Again sounds like a very compelling story. I read the first book, so I'm guessing Lexie is the same Alexia I read about. Great job explaining the story in such clear detail!

You wrote that "Sometimes it seems like [Lexie is] enjoying herself, but other times it seems like she feels uncomfortable and afraid." Can you give an example of a time you thought she was enjoying herself and a time you thought she was afraid?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Liana

4/13/2016 02:34:02 pm

Dear Ms.Kimball,
Thank you for your compliment! One example of when Lexie seems to sort of enjoying herself is when Lisa and Reena, two of the teenagers Lexie starts hanging out with, give her some of their old clothes to look more grown up. Lexie was nervous before, but then got excited when they started talking about clothes because Lexie loves fashion. But I think the only reason Lexie was enjoying herself is because Lisa and Reena gave her clothes. One example of when Lexie was afraid was when they told her she should smoke. They didn't exactly force her, but they said things like, if you don't smoke you're probably a baby. So they kind of forced her without actually saying, you have to smoke. Lexie felt uncomfortable because she knew smoking was a bad thing and she didn't want to do it, but she still did to try to impress them.
So I think that Lexie was mostly just scared, nervous, and uncomfortable, and she was trying to pretend like she was having fun to impress the teenagers.
Sincerely,
Liana

Julia

4/12/2016 07:39:49 am

Dear Liana,
This was a great reading response! I've never read this book before, but now I feel like I have! Your summary was so detailed and very clear. One question I have is, is Lexie the main character? In your response, you mainly focused on Lexie, so I wasn't sure. If she is not, try focusing in on some other characters. I would be very curious to learn about them. Great job, Liana!
Sincerely,
Julia

Whitney

4/5/2016 10:06:47 pm

Dear Class,
I just finished The Witch of Blackbird Pond. It is about a girl named Kit who has come from Barbados to the Connecticut Colony to live with the only family she has left. Her father went away on a voyage and never came back, and her Grandfather passed soon after. She starts to hang out with a so called "witch" called Hannah Tupper, and people start to assume she's a witch!
One time I had to infer was when the Wood family, Kit's aunt and uncle, is drinking water for breakfast. Kit thinks "Water! For breakfast!". This makes me infer that Kit is used to much finer drinks, and I have background knowledge that Kit's family was rich when they were back in Barbados. They had slaves and probably never had WATER for such an occasion as breakfast. Thanks!
Sincerely,
Whitney

Ms. Kimball

4/10/2016 10:38:50 am

Dear Whitney,

Very clear description of the story and your inference-making. It sounds like you made an appropriate inference. Based on what you wrote, I might also infer that her Aunt and Uncle live very simple lives. I wonder if orange juice or other fancy drinks were even shipped to the Connecticut colony. If such drinks were even an option, I guess that Kit's aunt and uncle wouldn't even buy them, believing them too extravagant. What do you think based on your knowledge of Kit's aunt and uncle?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Whitney

4/11/2016 09:57:17 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball,
I agree. The Wood family is VERY religious, so you are probably right when you say that they wouldn't buy them. I also agree that, while fancy drinks may be shipped to some parts on the Connecticut colony, the Westherfield colony (where they live), is kind of a simple place, so it might not be shipped there. Thanks!
Sincerely,
Whitney

Trisha

4/12/2016 04:11:31 pm

Dear Whitney,
I love your response! In the colonies, people like the sons of liberty, thought "freedom for all!" but they still owned slaves. Is Kit's slave owning family like that as well?
Sincerely,
Trisha

Tommy

4/14/2016 04:05:11 pm

Dear Whitney,

I liked how your response was very clear. I do have a question about the story, though. Why did the family move? Also, does the family only drink for breakfast? Finally, does this have anything to do with the Salem Witch Trials?

Sincerely, Tommy

Kate

4/6/2016 07:20:21 am

Dear Mrs. Kimball,

I am reading the book Boot Camp. What happens in the book is a girl named Emma had the most beautiful home ever and barn, intel her friend Misty took it away from her and her family. Emma family has to go back to their old run down house and barn. I had to infer that Emma was really disappointed in their old house. " Emma looks down at the dirt, as sadden rises in her eyes". I could tell that Emma was disappointed, because she looked down at the dirt. This tells me she is disappointed because usually when people are disappointed they look at something sadly, and that is what Emma was doing. Also it writes "sadden rises in her eyes". This tells me she is disappointed, because she thinks theres no hope and she is becoming sad.

Sinceraly, Kate

Ms. Kimball

4/10/2016 10:42:44 am

Dear Kate,

It sounds like Emma had a big life change --for the worse. I agree that "looking down" often implies that someone is sad or maybe even embarrassed. You wrote "sadden rises in her eyes." Do you mean "sadness"? I don't know what "sadden" is!

Now that Emma is in this disappointing situation, how does she handle it? Does she stay sad? Does she learn to appreciate the new lifestyle? Or does she make efforts to win back her former lifestyle?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

kate

4/11/2016 07:37:10 pm

Dear ms. Kimball,
sorry I went back into the book and it said saddness instead of sadden, oops. Emma just dealed with having to live in the worst conditions. She always tried looking on the good side but when something went wrong she got really sad and started thinking that there was no hope.

Sinceraly,
Kate

Whitney

4/12/2016 07:21:47 pm

Dear Kate,
I loved your response! I have one question. How did Emma's friend Misty steal her beautiful farm? Isn't she just a kid? Great job on your response.
Sincerely,
Whitney

Kate

4/13/2016 08:13:43 pm

Dear Whitney,

Emma is a teenager but Misty took the farm and house away from Emma's dad. Misty is a grownup and she bought the house because Emma and her family was renting it.

Sinceraly,
Kate

Ben

4/6/2016 03:52:24 pm

Dear class,
I am reading Saving Mr Turupt. In the story Jeffery, one of the main characters, won a fight that he had to win. He had already lost to this guy before so it put pressure on him. The guy he faced was Scott Winshall. He had never lost before but Jeffery was feeling pretty good. Mr Terupt was there, Coach Brobur, and Ana. When he won Coach Brobur went up to him and said "you won the WAR, kid." I made war in uppercase cause thats what I'm going to talk about. When I first read it I thought, well he couldn't have actually won a war so I thought, maybe Brobur meant that the fight was the war and that he had just won the fight. It doesn't say this in the text, but I thought deeply and inferred.
Sincerely,
Ben

Ms. Kimball

4/10/2016 10:48:42 am

Dear Ben,

I like how you targeted one specific word that didn't quite make sense in context. I agree, one fight doesn't seem to match the implied length and destruction of a war. I assume that the fight you describe was like a boxing match, right?

Have you ever heard the phrase, "You may have won the battle, but you haven't won the war"? What this means is that one fight is often part of a series of fights that makes up a war, which is a long, messy dispute between two opposing sides. Based on what you wrote, it sounds like Jeffrey and Scott had a "war" between them. Did Jeffrey, by winning this fight, win the war?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Ben

4/11/2016 05:55:36 pm

Dear Ms Kimball,
Thank you for the feedback. Yes it was a boxing match. I have never heated that frase but it sounded like Jeffery and Scott both tide the war. For example Scott won the first match they played and Jeffery won the second. Once again, thank you for the feedback.
Sincerely
Ben

Liana

4/13/2016 03:04:21 pm

Dear Ben,,
First of all there's another Mr.Terupt! I'm glad you wrote about it! That's defineltly going to be the next book I read. I like how you made the word "WAR" uppercase, so people really know to focus on it. One question I have is what kind of fight is it? You talked about a fight, but never actually said what kind of fight it was. Readers who haven't read any of the Mr.aterupt books will probably get confused. But overall, great job!
Sincerely,
Liana

Ben

4/6/2016 03:54:52 pm

Dear Ms Kimball,
Sense I'm very exited to see how I did on my HW project and I have to wait 4 days, can you tell me if you thought it was good or Bad. Thanks Ben

Ms. Kimball

4/10/2016 10:50:15 am

Hi Ben,

Sorry for making you wait! But to let you know, you did a great job on your project. Hope you had fun at the Masters!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Trisha

4/6/2016 03:55:12 pm

Dear class,
This week I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Right now, Harry Potter the main character is attending Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry. Harry is at his potions class with Snape the potions teacher. I had to infer that Snape knows something about Harry and the death of his parents. I think so because in the text, Snape says, "Ah yes...Harry Potter. Our new - celebrity" I know that Snape knows something about Harry's parents's death because he says, "Ah yes" that shows that Snape knows something. I know that Snape knows something about the death of Harry's parents because Harry thinks " he knew he'd been wrong. Snape didn't dislike Harry-he hated Harry. That shows that Snape hated Harry for a reason, and his parents. I know Snape doesn't like Harry's parents because Snape doesn't know much about Harry and if he's a good student. He just hates Harry because of Harry's parents, so I think Snape is involved with the Death of Harry's parents.
Sincerely,
Trisha

Ms. Kimball

4/10/2016 10:53:44 am

Dear Trisha,

You have done some very deep inferring about Professor Snape! That is quite a jump you made, though, connecting Snape to the death of Harry's parents. Is there any other evidence, besides Snape hating Harry, that implies Snape had something to do with the death of Harry's parents?

Also, I am surprised by the word "celebrity" that Snape uses to describe Harry. Why does Snape call Harry a celebrity? Did Harry do something that made him famous at the school?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Trisha

4/12/2016 04:02:18 pm

Dear Ms.Kimball,
Thank you for the feedback. Yes there is more evidence. Harry thinks that you know who, worked with Snape. And you know who, killed Harry's parents. I think Snape called Harry a "celebrity" because Harry is famous for surviving from you know who, when he was just a little baby.
Sincerely,
Trisha

Maggie

4/14/2016 07:15:32 am

Dear Trisha,
Amazing response! It was very detailed and accurate. I just have one question. For readers who don't know, why is he in a potions class?
Again, Awesome response.
From,
Maggie

Caitlin

4/6/2016 07:47:30 pm

Dear Class,
I am reading the book Black Stallion by: Walter Farley. Alec the main character is coming home from a relative. On the way the ship Alec was on, sinks. Alec is shipwrecked on an island that he does not know. The only other thing on the islands is a beautiful black stallion. One day the stallion and Alec get found by another ship. The stallion and Alec head home and then Alec gets to keep the stallion because the stallion and Alec have a special relationship together. Alec starts to train the stallion with assistance of Henry Daily. They do not have any records of the stallion so they can not enter him in races. Alec finds out about a race and tries to get the person to come and see the stallion come and race. That is a brief summary of what I have read so far. I infer that the person that is coming to see the stallion race will try to get the stallion into the race between the two best horses that race. I think this because Henry timed the stallion around the track and the stallion was faster then any other horse to step foot on the racing tracks. When the person who started the race between the best horses to race, he is going to be amazed so he will want the stallion to be in the race. I think that the person who started the race would like the stallion in the race because the whole reason the person started this race was to see who the best horse is. That means that the person will probably want people to see who is the best horse out of three horses.
Sincerely,
Caitlin

Ms. Kimball

4/10/2016 11:04:52 am

Dear Caitlin,

Great summary of the story so far! It was very clear and easy to follow. Your inference about the "person who started the race" seems likely to happen. Does this "person" have a title or a name? That would be helpful to know as I read your description.

Also, one way to make inferences is to think about the plot of the story. When I read, I keep the framework of a story arc in my head. You know, introduction, problem, rising action, climax, and resolution. So when I get toward the middle of a story and good things have happened, I'm always thinking that something big will have to happen soon in order for there to be a climax. This race you described sounds like the perfect climax. What do you think? Do you think you can use a story arc structure to help support your inference?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Caitlin

4/14/2016 07:03:10 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
The person who started the race is Jim Neville a horse race reporter.
The way you can use a story is, Alec got stuck on an island with a stallion when he gets home he gets to keep the stallion. Then the stallion is really fast so he wants to enroll the stallion into races. But
Alec does not have a pedigree. So Alec will jump for any chance of a race. That made me think that Alec will try his hardest to get the stallion into the race. That made me think that the stallion was going to be in the race. Thank you so much for your feedback!
Sincerely,
Caitlin

Emily

4/7/2016 07:05:09 am

Dear Class,
I am reading Ezperanza Rising. Where I am at in the story is since Ezperanzas house burned down her and her mom needed work and money. Before that their papa died too.
Esperanza and her mom love in a Cabon in Las Angeauolus and Ezperanzas mom is very sick from a dust storm. I had to infer what would happen to Dzperanaz mom She was in the hospital for 4 months already! So I inferred since Esperanza is working in the field for work, she had raised enough for money for Abulieta (relitive) to come back from Mexico becuase of her imgerey. So that would make her Mama Happy forgetting about her sickness.

Sincerely,
Emily

Ms. Kimball

4/10/2016 11:08:24 am

Dear Emily,

Your response is a bit confusing. Did you type it on an iPad or something? There seems to be a number of mixed up words and punctuation. Proofreading is extremely important before posting something online.

Could you reread what you wrote and clarify your meaning? I am confused about what you actually inferred. What did you specifically read that had hidden meaning?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Emily

4/13/2016 08:52:21 pm

Dear Mrs Kimball,

Oops sorry!! I will clarify it better. Esperanza and her mom live in Las Angeauolus ever since their pap died. Esperanza and her mom live in a cabin now and need to work for money. Esperanza's mom got sick from a dust storm so I had to infer what would happen to her. Before Esperanza thought of her mama's mom Abueilta and how she was still in Mexico. Esperanza thought that if she got enough money she could get tickets and a train for her Grandma to come and see mama. With Abueilta around she could see how her daughter is doing and comfort her.So I infer'd Esperanza mom will get better after love from her mom and family members.

sincerely,
Emily

Ben

4/11/2016 06:06:39 pm

Dear Emily,
Great job. Ezperanza Rising sounds like a sad story. Did Ezperanza's mother come from Mexico cause I was confused. I wonder what the sickness is that Ezperanza's mother has? I like how you explained how you infered. One thing that you could do better is rereading you essay. You used a word in the rong spot. Once again nice job.
Sincerely
Ben

Arim

4/7/2016 04:07:14 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball,

I like the new website. Do you still make songs? I hope you do so the other students can hear the awesome songs. How is Pine Hill? Do you still have the basketball hoop we got you last year?

From Arim

Ms. Kimball

4/10/2016 11:11:55 am

Hi Arim!

Thanks for writing. I hope you are doing well. I DO still have the basketball hoop, although I have no room to blow it up. Pine Hill is quite nice! I still have my cherished orange rug. I got an actual couch for the classroom this year! You guys would have loved that. I don't think Underwood would have let me keep it.

We still sing some songs. We sang the Reading Books songs --that's one of my favorites. I need to make more though! Thanks for reminding me how important they are.

I hope middle school is awesome! Are you going to school over seas next year?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Maggie

4/7/2016 04:47:27 pm

Dear Class,
I have recently read The Sisters Grimm #7.In the story there are these creatures called "everafters." Everafters are people and creatures from fairy tales. Mr. Canis is the big bad wolf and is n a trial. He is actually good.
In the book it says "She wanted to tell him how wrong she had been about him. He had never deserved her distrust." In the story you have to infer that Sabrina, the main character, is regretting what she said about Mr. Canis behind his back.

Ms. Kimball

4/10/2016 11:16:49 am

Dear Maggie,

Your short response left me with a lot of questions. What did Sabrina say about Mr. Canis? Why is he on trial? How do Everafters relate to Mr. Canis and Sabrina?

Also, is there really "hidden" meaning in the quote that you shared? It literally says, "She wanted to tell him how wrong she had been about him." That almost explicitly says she regrets how she felt about him. Can you go deeper into the meaning of Sabrina's change of heart?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Maggie

4/14/2016 07:08:24 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
Thank you for responding to my post. Sorry I left a lot of detail out. To answer your first question, Sabrina says that she doesn't trust Mr. Cainis because he has killed a lot of people in his wolf form. Mr. Cainis is the Big Bad Wolf like I said in my other response. Which bring me to the second question. Mr. Cainis is on Trial for committing the murder of Little Red Riding Hood's Grandmother. The problem is that he doesn't even remember committing the crime. To answer you 3rd question, Mr. Cainis relates to everafters because he is one, but Sabrina relates because a lot of the everafters because they are fighting the same war with her. THE EVERAFTER WAR!!!!

To answer your last question, Sabrina relay thought about giving up on Mr. Canis, but Grandma thought other wise. Sabrina was also realizing that she should take into account other peoples opinions.
From,
Maggie

Caitlin

4/14/2016 07:12:18 am

Dear Maggie,
Great response! I really liked how you said what the everafters are. One piece of advice is make your response longer because I had lots of questions. Also you did not really summarize the whole book so far. You just summarized the part were you were making an inference. Also I did not really understand your inference, maybe adding some more details to your inference would make it more understanding. Overall good job!
Sincerely,
Caitlin

Anthony

4/7/2016 04:57:10 pm

Dear Ms Kimball,
I am reading the book winter turning in the wings of fire series, by tui t sutherland. This book, so far, is about an Icewing called Winter going search for his murderous sister, Icicle. She has murdered about 3-5 different dragons because her brother, Hailstorm, is being trapped by Queen Scarlet of the Skywings. To be released, she has to kill the 5 dragonets of the prophecy. They have followed her into the rainforest and are currently being held captive. They have escaped and have started to look for this violent dragon. I am now going to infer. There is a dragon that can read minds and winter doesn't know. When moon, the dragon that can read minds, explains that she can read the minds of other dragons, he reacts like this. " NO." That was what he was thinking. " Thunder rumbled through the dark clouds like boulders sliding down a mountain. What had Moon seen in his mind? What did she know?" I am inffering that Winter won't be able to trust Moon anymore because she kept a very dark secret from him and his feelings are hurt. He doesn't know what to do anymore. Anything but trust Moon and the others. It was sort of confusing, but it's a good series of books.

Sincerely,
Anthony

Ms. Kimball

4/10/2016 11:29:07 am

Dear Anthony,

You book sounds very complex yet entertaining. I like how you made the connection to distrust in you inference. Winter doesn't trust Moon anymore. One thing I noticed in your quote is that the author described thunder rumbling right after Winter reacts to learning about Moon's dark secret. Have you noticed that authors (and movie makers) often make the environment reflect what is going on between characters? How do you think the thunder rumbling relates to Winter's situation?

Also, watch out for capitalization. Make sure to capitalize names, otherwise it can be confusing to read. Thanks!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Anthony

4/12/2016 06:15:27 pm

Thank you for your feedback, Ms Kimball. I really love how authors and movie makers often make the environment connect to the character's feelings. To answer that question of yours, the rumbling connects to Winter's situation because when he was shocked at the fact that Moon can read minds. When the thunder rumbled, it set Winters mind to dark and thundery setting of some sort.
PS. Sorry for all the punctuation errors. That was definitely a bone-head mistake for all I was worried about.

Sincerely,
Anthony

Tommy

4/7/2016 05:45:09 pm

Dear Mrs.Kimball,

I have started reading Boys On The Boat by Gregory Mone. It begins at The University of Washington. The story follows 8 oars men on the freshmen Rowing team. They made history winning gold at the 1936 Olympics in Germany. The main character is Joe Rantz, one of the 8 freshman Rowing team members.

One thing I had to infer from Boys On The Boat, was when the mother died. I had to infer because when the mother was coughing violently, and coughed up blood onto her handkerchief. Then, in the very next sentence, it said how the mother was lying in a bed infront of the church, and wouldn't get up. I had too put the pieces together with thinking how the mother was infant of the church, in a bed, and couldn't get up. But then I matched it with the bloody coughs, then I figured out she had died. Also, in the next part of the story, the dad got remarried.

What I think the hidden meaning, like I explained was when the mom was not getting up out of the bed infront of the church. I didn't really know what was going on, at first, but then I put the pieces together and figured out how the mom actually passed away, with a sickness when she laughed up blood.

Sincerely, Tommy

Ms. Kimball

4/10/2016 11:35:33 am

Dear Tommy,

Good job explaining your inference. It sounds like the author didn't want to directly state that Joe's mother died, but gave you the important pieces to string together a conclusion. Sometimes authors do this to add meaning and depth to the situation. When readers piece together the meaning themselves, it often has a bigger impact on them. Did you think Joe's mother's death was a powerful moment in the story?

Don't forget to proofread your response. You have a few strange phrases that feel like they got autocorrected, such as "with a sickness when she laughed up blood." Did you type this on an iPad? Always reread your response carefully before posting online. Can you find another strange mistake that seems like a bad autocorrect?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Tommy

4/14/2016 04:00:24 pm

Dear Mrs. Kimball,

Sorry for the mistakes. Also, no I did not do this on the iPad. From now on, I will proofread my response more clearly.

When Joe's mom died, It did play a powerful moment in the story. When the dad got re-married, the mom was very strict and made the family a lot more boring. For instance, she didn't like when they sang, and she changed that with a no music rule.

Sincerely, Tommy

Ryan

4/7/2016 07:03:35 pm

Dear Ms Kimball,
I am reading A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L' Eagle. The book is about a girl named Meg. When Meg is young her father goes missing. Later in her life, Meg uses the,"tesseract", to travel to another planet, where she must save her father. It appears to me that Charles Wallace has a special sixth sense. The inference is made as the story talks about how if Charles Wallace concentrated real hard he could practically read Meg's mind. Charles Wallace states that he only tries to read Meg and her mother's mind. Another piece of evidence to support my inference, is that at the beginning of the book, Charles Wallace is already waiting for Meg, with a midnight snack.

Sincerely,
Ryan

Ms. Kimball

4/10/2016 11:40:08 am

Dear Ryan,

I'm glad you're attempting such a challenging book! I'm pretending that I haven't read it before when I ask you some questions. You didn't explain who Charles Wallace is.

Also, it sounds like you inferred that Charles Wallace has a sixth sense where he is able to read people's mind. When you wrote, "Charles Wallace states that he only tries to read Meg and her mother's mind." What does that line mean in relation to what you said before it? Is Charles Wallace trying to hid the fact that he actually can read minds?

Also, what is a "tesseract?" Based on what you wrote, I would guess that it is a space ship.

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Ryan

4/14/2016 05:30:01 pm

Dear Ms Kimball,
Charles Wallace is Meg's little brother. Having a six sense relates to being able to read minds as they both are abnormal, especially for a 4 year old. I do not think that Charles Wallace is trying to hide the fact that he can read minds, as he states that he can several times. A tesseract is a way of being able to travel to places faster, (teleportation). In the story it talks about how the tesseract is the fifth dimension. Thank you for your comments.

Sincerely,
Ryan

DeAngi

4/8/2016 07:02:39 am

Dear Class,

I have recently read a series called The Sisters Grimm. My last book was The Everafter War.. It is about a group of Everafters trying to rebel the Scarlet hand. Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are part of this rebellion. They're with a army of Everafters trying to defeat the Scarlet hand. They are trying to find who the master is. That is when I infer. The back cover said " traitor", so I didn't know who it was. But when the master came obvious, I was shocked. He really was a traitor.

Sincerely,

DeAngi

Ms. Kimball

4/10/2016 11:44:31 am

Dear DeAngi,

I am a bit confused about what inference you actually made. You wrote, "They are trying to find who the master is. That is when I infer. The back cover said " traitor", so I didn't know who it was. But when the master came obvious, I was shocked. He really was a traitor."

You leave me with a lot of questions. Who is the master? Was it unclear when he was revealed to be a traitor? Was it just a plot twist that he turned out to be a traitor? (If so, that's not really an inference, just a plot twist).

To make inferences, you want to select a part of the text that implies something instead of explicitly stating it. Is there anything that the author wrote about the "master" that had hidden meaning in it?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Anthony

4/12/2016 07:02:22 pm

Dear DeAngi,
I think that your inference was a little bit confusing. I couldn't tell what your inference was. Can you be a little more clear? I was also confused on the master being a "traitor". What do you mean? Also, when you infered, I sort of messed up the whole conversation. Good job though with your summarizing. The Sisters Grimm seems like a good series.

Sincerely,
Anthony

DeAngi

4/13/2016 05:02:02 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball,

Thanks for the feedback! I really made a mistake on my response. Let me try that again.

One time I had to make an inference is who the master of the scarlet hand was. At first I thought it was Pinocchio because his rage for the Blue Fairy, the person who can grant any wish, has made him a boy forever. Plus he leads a army of minarets that he makes out of wood. It was obvious once I knew. It was Sabrina's best friend mirror. Everything was crystal clear. Of course Pinocchio is not the master. He was outraged but he was very wise. He knows the master can grant him every wish, so he joined Mirror.

Sincerely,

DeAngi

P.S Thanks for the Feedback!

Ryan

4/13/2016 06:28:55 pm

Dear DeAngi,
Nice job on your response! However, I do have one suggestion, and one question. My suggestion is to try to and explain a little about who the characters are. I had some trouble understanding what you were talking about, as I have never read the Sisters Grimm. My question is when you said, " but when the master came obvious, I was shocked." What did the master do, and why did it make you shocked?

Sincerely,
Ryan

August

4/10/2016 07:20:14 pm

Dear Class,

I am reading the book Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire by J.K. Rowling. Harry, the main charter, gets entered in the Triwizard Torament. I have read 2 of the tasks so far. While the Triwizard Torament is going on, Harry has been fighting dreams. Whenever his scar hurts he is all ways near Voldemort. But now when Harry is dreaming about Voldemort his scar is burning in his head. Soon Mr. Crouch, the Minister of Magic, goes missing. A mouth later Crouch is found talking to a tree, Harry runs up to go get Dumblrdoor. When they go down to go get Crouch, Krum, another student completing in the Triwizard Torament, is found lying on the ground stunned and Crouch is goon. That is what I have read so far.

The inference I am going to make is I believe Harry is going to tell Ron and Hermione about the instance with Crouch. I believe this because in the text it said "He need to tell someone about this." Harry always goes to Ron and Hermione first before anyone else.

Sincerely,
August

Ms. Kimball

4/12/2016 05:28:27 pm

Dear August,

I am glad you are enjoying Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It can be a complicated book!

I think that instead of making an inference, you made a prediction. An inference is when you "find the hidden meaning." A prediction is when you "tell what will happen next."

Is there are part in the text that had hidden meaning? A part where a character said something or acted a certain way, and that hinted at what he or she could be thinking?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

August

4/13/2016 03:37:17 pm

Dear Class,

Thank You.
I can not find a hidden meaning that hinted at what he could be thinking?

Thank You,

Sincerely,
August

Cordy

4/10/2016 08:15:01 pm

Dear class,
Recently I've been reading harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets By J.K.Rowling.In the book Harrykeeps hearing a vioce in his head, but no one else can hear it. I think this means he hears a snake or Dobby. I think the snake because he has the ability to talk to speak and understand the language. Dobby is a house elf destined to serve a wizard family for ever. One Day Dobby comes and tells Harry it's not safe. So Dobby might be trying to scare Harry out of Hogwarts.
Sincerely,
Cordy

kate

4/11/2016 07:45:01 pm

Dear Cordy,
I have some questions,
1. Why would Dolby want to scare Harry out of hogwarts?
2. Does the snake talk to Henry?
3. What is the snake over all?
4. What did you need to infer?

Sinceraly,
Kate

Cordy

4/14/2016 07:36:45 am

Dear Kate and Ms.Kimball,
To answer the first question. The book does not say, but I do know that dobby might have strict orders from his master.To answer the seconed question. Harry talks to the snake thinking he's talking to himself, but the snake answer Harry.
Sincerely,
Cordy

Ms. Kimball

4/12/2016 05:25:33 pm

Dear Cordy,

It sounds like you are enjoying the mystery behind Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I have similar questions to Kate, so if you answer her questions, I will have mine answered, too. It sounds like you inferred that Dobby is trying to scare Harry away from Hogwarts, but what makes you think that? Dobby may just be warning Harry of real dangers. What is the hidden meaning behind Dobby's actions?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Arim link

5/9/2016 04:40:26 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball

Sorry I haven't replied sooner I'm still very forgetful, I will go to school in England in 2017-2018 so in 2 years. I will play in a concert in June That could get me into the school so I'm really nervous. It's on my Clarinet. I went to a Fencing Competition a week ago and was 40th out of 60 so I'm going to train harder, though in a club competition I was 2nd and 3rd.

Do you Still have Roger and the chairs? What do you like teaching the most?

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