Blog #3: Character Friend

11/12/2017

Many stories have some really amazing characters that feel very realistic --and likeable! Some characters have all of the qualities we wish we could have in a friend. Hey, wouldn't that be awesome?

This Week's Prompt:

If you could choose a character from a book you are reading or have read recently to be your friend, who would you chose and why? 

What you will need to do is:

Describe the character's desirable traits.
Support what you say about the character with evidence about how he/she acts in the story.
Explain why those traits make him or her a good friend for you.

I look forward to reading your responses!

60 Comments

Finley

11/13/2017 05:30:39 pm

Dear Class,
I’m reading a book called Let’s Pretend We Never Met. This book is about a girl named Mattie, who moves to Pennsylvania from North Carolina. Mattie meets a girl named Angus who is very silly, but sometimes very weird. I would want to be friends with Mattie because she is considerate. I know this because when Angus is being weird, Mattie doesn’t make fun of her. One example of this is when Mattie and Angus go shopping for paint. Angus starts reading the names of the paints in weird ways, and hops everywhere instead of walking. But Mattie doesn't say, “Angus, stop it you're being embarrassing,” even though that's what she was thinking. I would like to be friends with someone who is considerate because I would never be offended by what my friend said.
Another reason why I would want to be friends with Mattie is because she is not uptight. I know this because she does crazy things with Angus, even though she shouldn’t. One example of this is on New Year's Eve. Mattie and Angus go out in the hallway of their apartment building and drink fizzy water, make wishes on sparklers, and blow bubbles. I would want to be friends with someone who isn’t uptight because I could have more fun. Uptight people would never go in out in a hallway and do crazy things on New Year's Eve! So they would miss out on all that fun!
My third reason why I would want to be friends with Mattie is because she is creative. I know she is creative because she does a lot of art projects. One time Mattie was creative was when she was painting and decorating her room. Instead of having someone paint her room for her, she painted her room herself. She also used a bunch of glow in the dark stars to make constellations on her roof. Another time she was creative was when she was painting with water colors. Paint and chalk got all over her clothes, and she didn’t even care! I would like a creative friend because I could paint and make crafts, without being judged. To summarize I would like to have Mattie as a friend because she is considerate, not uptight, and creative.

From
Finley

Gabe The Great

11/30/2017 07:49:31 pm

Dear Finley,
I really liked the way you put examples of all the claims you stated. Also I liked how it was easy for anyone to fully grasp what you were saying. Which awesomely included someone like me who has never read the book. Another thing that you did very well on was how you made different paragraphs to help the reader follow everything. And it was just simply and truly great overall.
But from reading your reading response blog, like all people who read pretty much anything I have some questions. First, when the main character went to the hallway in their apartment building and did crazy things, did they get caught? I mean, they were doing some pretty mindless things. In my mind an adult would notice them and complain. Second, how did Mattie become friends with Angus and why? What I mean is that I don’t exactly understand why Angus is such a good person to be around at all. Third, why did Mattie move to Pennsylvania? What I mean is, you did not put in any information of as why she moved in the first place. Lastly, are Maddie and Angus the same age as me and you? It would be very weird if Angus and Mattie turned out to be teenagers.
Finally to push your thinking, if you were actually friends with Maddie in real life what would it be like? By this I mean if you lived in Pennsylvania what would your life be like? And also what do you think would happen to Angus. What I mean by this is would you be mean to Angus and only be friends with Mattie. Or instead would you be friends with both Mattie and Angus. Thank you so much for reading.

Sincerely,
Gabe

Luca

11/30/2017 08:49:49 pm

Dear Finely,
You did amazing on your blog three. Excellent job describing your friend Mattie. One praise I will give you is, that you elaborated on the important parts like when you said in the text, she is considerate because when Angus is being weird, Mattie doesn’t make fun of her. One other praise for you is, you did really well on giving examples so it made it easier to understand. One last praise for you is, you did really great on summarizing the story, as you said in the text. To summarize I would like to have Mattie as a friend because she is considerate, not uptight, and creative. One question for you is would you also like to be Angus’s friend or not? Finally to push your thinking, if you were in Mattie’s point of view would you be a different person or not? In summary, your response was detailed and your friend sounds very interesting.
Sincerely, Luca

DeAngi

11/13/2017 06:12:09 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball,

Hello! Just checking in to see how the class is going, also first term is almost done so I can't wait to see what my grades are! I see that they're not any early birds to the comments, yet, and I cant wait to see what they have been written. I read the last one, and I was impressed by there work, even though school has just started! Hopefully, I can visit you one day and see the test subjects go to work, see you soon!

Sincerely,

Your best, favorite, most smart, most charming student
DeAngi Partovi

Ms. Kimball

11/14/2017 05:04:03 pm

Dear DeAngi,

Greetings! It's so nice to hear from you! I'm so glad you still check the Reading Response Blog.

To address your compliment on this class's work, this year I've been doing things a little differently than when you worked on the RRB. The students now write back to each other instead of me writing back to them. Also, I have a more formal grading system for the blogs, so everyone knows specifically what I expect. This might be why you've noticed how impressive the responses are. Lastly, I make kids re-do their responses if they don't proofread. I refuse to approve the responses if they don't meet most expectations. (I know, I'm mean!)

On another note, good luck on your report card! I hope you get everything you expect, plus a few pleasant surprises. One of these days you'll have to stop by for a visit and tell me all about seventh grade. I only get to hear about 6th grade :)

Keep in touch!
Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Jack

11/15/2017 03:22:30 pm

Dear DeAngi,
Thank you for responding to my blog. It really means a lot to me. You seem really nice and I look forward to meeting you next year.
Sincerely,
jack Almeda

David

11/13/2017 06:21:44 pm

Dear Class!

I pick Hermione from the Harry Potter Series, as my friend from a book. I picked her, because she is a very nice, open, and straight-forward girl, just like I am. except I'm a boy. She knows all her homework, and she is eager to help her friends. I wish she could help me with my blog, and
my homework projects. if she would, i would definitely get the best grade on it!

She is studying at Hogwarts, the Britain school of wizardry. But her family is not a wizard family at all, and they probably seem very strange and unusual in the eyes of some wizard families.

I study in a American school, but my family is not a standard American family. They came to America not long ago, from Russia and Ukraine, and they too, probably seemed awkward and unusual in the eyes of American families.

That makes me and Hermione have something in common, and that's why I choose her as my friend from a book.

Like she's saying: "At least no one on the Griffindor team had to buy their way in. They got in on pure talent."

I am looking forward to my journey with Hermione, and I can't wait until she tells me: "No, David, listen, we're coming with you. That was decided months ago - years, really."

Paoli

12/1/2017 08:33:27 am

Dear David,
I completely LOVED your response! I loved how at the end, you said that Hermione would be saying that you two were meant to be friends since a year ago. I also liked how you explained much you and Hermione would be great friends. You said things that you guys had in common. And one of my questions is that why do think that Hermione is so nice? Did she do something to help somebody? Or just do something to be nice for no reason? And to push your thinking, maybe you could also add why hermione is so smart. Did she get possessed by some creature and became smart? Or is she just naturally smart? I hope you can answer my questions a soon as possible. Thanks for doing this with me!

Sincerely,
Paoli

David

12/7/2017 05:25:37 pm

Dear Paoli,

Thanks very much for your questions! You must have been putting a lot of thoughts to produce them.

Hermione is a really smart and talented girl, and a fact that she is not from wizard family made her even more organized and willing to learn as much as possible in a short term - she practically wanted to catch up and learn things that wizard kids would take for granted. She is a real hardworker, and a perfectionist - and that make her going. Also, wizard-born kids aren't like her. they are lazy and they often do not put any hearty thoughts about the cirumstances, causes, and possible outcomes, like she does. She is also very allerted - probably because not so many kids think she is nice. Many kids that are not from her bunk would think (especially, girls) that she is arrogant, egoistic and too much into the boys. Boys, however, would think that she is smart, nice and ready to help. Boys do not get jealous, but rather - admire her bright brain and her knowledge. Yes, Paoli, to me - She is very smart - naturally, and she is a very nice girl who is always eager to help... even without you asking for help. But she is also sometimes pushi - she loves things to be her way if she think they are right. Exactly as I do!

Sincerly, David

The Hazel

11/13/2017 07:30:54 pm

Dear class,
The book I recently read over the summer is BFG. BFG stands for: Big Friendly Giant. I would want BFG to be my friend. Here is a quick summary: This book is about a little girl who gets captured by a giant, but a friendly one. The giant, named BFG, takes a girl from an orphanage to his giant house and they talk. There are mean, 100 times bigger than BFG giants that eat human beans.
You are probably wondering why I just said human beans, giants always squiggle up words any way they want to. For example, instead of "human beings" it's "human beans" or another example is " hippodumplings and crocodowndillies",but the right way is " hippopotamus and crocodiles." One more thing is that BFG says you, is ,and I weirdly. For example, he says, "I is BFG." I find his words very funny.
If there was one or two traits I had to describe BFG it would be smart and funny. I think he is smart because in the text BFG always is telling the little girl about the all the mean big giants, and much more. I think that BFG is funny because whenever I read this book and think about how BFG is talking, it makes my fall of my chair because I laugh so hard! In the book he says, "The giants likes to eats human beans because they think they're scrumdiddlyumptous!" I remember cracking up reading that sentence. I like funny, smart people, I think BFG is smart, and funny, therefore, I like BFG as a person and a friend. I can imagine me and BFG eating Pina-coladas at a tropical beach in the Bahamas, snorkeling and looking at sea turtles, everyday. That would be the best days ever! BFG and I would always be together, at parties, playdates, and big, big dance. If he is nice to me, I will be nice to him, and we can be best friends!
That is why I think BFG would be a good friend because he is smart, funny, and nice. I also think it would be fun to live in a giant house with an gigantic giant. I can’t wait to hear from the class.
Sincerely,
Hazel

Jack

11/29/2017 04:06:56 pm

Dear Hazel,
To me, the BFG, sounds like a great friend. I think you did a great describing how he would be a great friend. I also have a couple questions. So, let’s get to it.
To start off with, I am going to compliment your writing. First of all, I loved how at the start you gave a quick summary of the book. This can help the reader understand the book and it gives them some context. Another thing I loved about your writing was that it was very funny. This can keep readers engaged, and, who doesn’t like to laugh? Also, I liked how you would state something, and then back it up with information. This shows that your claim is actually true and, it adds a lot to the text. For example, you told us he was funny, and then you told why he was funny. I also noticed how mostly everything is explained in your writing and you don't leave readers puzzled. That's very important to know how to do because sometimes I get so confused when I'm reading an article or something. Finally, I think you had a very good formant to your writing with a clear, intro, body, and conclusion. In conclusion, your writing was very well done.
Now I'm going to ask you some questions about your writing. My first question is why did the BFG capture the girl even if he is nice? Isn't that a mean thing to do? Wouldn't you be mad? My next question is what makes the BFG smart if he tells the girl about the other giants? Is he very knowledgeable about them, is he just plain smart? Last but not least, if you could do one activity with the BFG, what would it be? As you can see, your writing made it pretty hard for me to ask questions (that’s a good thing.)
Now let's try to push your thinking. If you were captured by the BFG what would you do? Would you try to escape, would try to become friends with him? Another question is if you could be a giant like the BFG, would you or would you not, and why. To sum it up, I hope it will be hard to answer these questions.
In conclusion, I loved your writing, I am thrilled to find the answer to my questions, and I hope I pushed your thinking. I'm excited to hear what you have to say.
Sincerely,
Jack

Hazel

12/7/2017 06:22:16 pm

Dear Jack,
Thank you for your response, I can't wait to answer your questions, but not yet. First, I liked when you you said, "As you can see, your writing made it pretty hard for me to ask questions (that’s a good thing.)" It made me feel good about my blog. You used transition words a lot, which is good. You had some questions, and I have some answers. If I did not answer a question or two, I probably didn't understand it well enough.
The answer to your first question: Why did the BFG capture the girl even if he is nice? The answer is that he had a boy that he took as a friend because all of the other giants were mean to him. Eventually, the boy got killed by the other giants, he took the girl, as a new friend. Your second question was: If you could do one activity with the BFG, what would it be? I think that I explained that in my blog, but if you don't think so, I will explain it in more detail. I would probably go to a tropical beach, snorkel, make sand castles, and drink coconut water! One of your last questions were: If you were captured by the BFG what would you do? If I were captured by the BFG I would hide and scream until somebody finds me. Once he brings me to his house, I would hide but talk in my hiding place.
Thank you so much for your praise and question. I hope I gave you most of the answers to your questions.
Sincerely,
Hazel

Alex

11/14/2017 05:59:12 pm

Dear Class,

Recently I’ve been reading the book, The Tale of Despereaux. It’s about this mouse named Despereaux who loves this princess named Pea, and goes to find her. If I were to pick a friend from the book it would definitely be Despereaux. My first reason I would pick Despereaux as a friend is because he’s brave. Despereaux is brave because he has to defend himself from Roscuro. Roscuro is a mean rat that is way bigger than Despereaux. This means Roscuro has an advantage because he stronger. But why does Despereaux have to defend himself from Roscuro? Despereaux is in love with Pea so when Roscuro decided to trick her into going in the dungeon, Despereaux knew he had to save her. This shows that Despereaux is brave.
Despereaux character trait of being brave makes him a good friend for me because we could do adventurous and risky things. Some things we could do together would be rock climbing and zip lining. You could get hurt rock climbing or zip lining and if Despereaux and I did these things I know he would have my back. This is one reason Despereaux is a good friend for me.
Another reason Despereaux is a good friend for me is that he is smart. A normal mouse thinks Despereaux is dumb because he doesn’t like to eat. Eating in the mouse world is the best. But, instead of eating a lot like other mice, Despereaux can read. The text states, “Despereaux looked down at the book, and something remarkable happened...The shapes arranged themselves into words, and then spelled a delicious and wonderful phrase: Once upon a time”. This shows that Despereaux is a smart mouse because he is a mouse that learned how to read. Reading makes you smart and the more you read the smarter you will become. Despereaux’s trait of being smart makes him a good friend for me because he can teach me cool things about the world from all the books he has read.
Lastly, Despereaux is kind. He is kind because he has a kind heart. Despereaux has a kind heart because he would try to save Pea and do anything for her. He knew it wouldn’t be easy, but was willing to take a risk. Despereaux would be a good friend for me because usually kind friends with a kind heart are the friends I like. If I would ever get stuck Despereaux is the one who can help me.
In summary, Despereaux is a good friend for me because he’s brave, smart, and kind.

Anthony

12/3/2017 07:27:21 pm

Dear Alex,

I think you chose a nice character for a friend and you did a good job describing because you did not only describe your character but you described the setting in the story and the other characters too. But I have some questions. how did Despereaux learn to read? And does Despereaux and Roscuro have some past experience together? This sounds like an interesting story maybe I will give this book a try. And also are Despereaux and Pea just friends or are they in love? And how did they met each other? I think that is all I have to say.

Sincerely,
Anthony

Alex

12/5/2017 06:28:45 pm

Dear Anthony,

The feedback you gave me was very helpful to me. It was helpful so next time when I’m writing my reading response blog I will think of things I forgot write. This will help improve my reading response blog. Also, I notice your praise was really thought out. Instead of writing “I think you picked a good character” you really elaborated on the important parts of the response.
Despereaux learned to read when he was hunting for food with his siblings. His mother and father wanted him to eat more like his siblings and to have a bonding experience with other mice. On the way searching for food Despereaux found a scrap of paper. The scrap said “Once upon time”. Despereaux said these words to his siblings. Of course they didn’t care because they’re ordinary mice. When you asked about Despereaux having any past with Roscuro the answer is no. But the book starts in the future but then tells tales from the past. Roscuro is in one story from the past. Towards the end of the story they all hooks together and Despereaux is against Roscuro. Although Roscuro has never been a nice rat.
Secondly, Despereaux is in love with Pea. From the beginning right when Despereaux saw her he was in love. Throughout the book Despereaux is always trying to save her. When all the mice figure out he’s in love he has to go to the dungeon because the mouse rule is that mice cannot be near humans. Despereaux cannot get married to Pea because mice can’t marry people. Also, Pea doesn’t love him but she does like him.
Lastly, Despereaux was the one who found Pea. All mice should stay away from humans. Despereaux didn’t listen and went adventuring and ran into her. Then he started to talk to her. But what he didn’t notice was that his brother was watching him. This is how Despereaux found Pea and met.
Thank you for push my thinking and asking questions about my book. It really helps me get a deeper about the book. Your response was very good and gave me a lot of challenging thinking.

Silas The Boss

11/15/2017 04:35:21 pm

Dear class,
I’m reading a book called Allegiant. If I had one friend in that book, it would probably be a person named Tobias. Even though that he is around 19 years old, that wouldn’t stop me from being friends with him. Although, if I got to be friends with him, there has to be a reason, and there are many, but here are only three.
First, he has a sense of humor, but at the same time, he can be mean. And that is the same with me. Throughout the book, he is constantly being funny, and using sarcasm, which I have a huge habit of using too. Although it may get dangerous if we start doing pranks on each other, it would probably still be fun. Secondly, he is runner, or he runs a lot, especially long distances, just like me. I run races, and I run just for the heck of it. Even though Tobias may not enjoy running as much as I do, I’m pretty sure that he likes it. Like maybe we could run a race together. Lastly, Tobias is caring, meaning that when something sudden happens, he is always there, even if the situation is good or bad. Let’s say that I fell and split my knee open, he would come to me and try do something about it to help me. In summary, Tobias would be a great friend for many reasons.
Sincerely,
The Silas

Ava

11/30/2017 08:31:35 pm

Dear Silas,
Tobias seems definitely like an interesting person. My praise for your response is how you chose very good reasons for why that person would be a good friend and described them nicely too. The question I have is why is Tobias always running? Above you said he didn’t enjoy it that much, why not? Lastly to push your thinking are there any other qualities about Tobias that you would also enjoy or just those three?

Sincerely,
Ava

Silas The Boss

12/4/2017 04:48:17 pm

Ava,
Your feedback was helpful and useful. First, to answer your question, Tobias is running all the time because it is typically from the Erudite. The Erudite is one of the five factions, that decides on how you live the rest of your life. The Erudite faction is a evil faction, or it seems to me. They use a ton of serums, which is a liquid that controls you in a certain way. There are many of the serums. Aside of that, the Erudite are trying to inject a certain serum into Tobias and Tris, the main characters. Also, when I wrote in my blog “Even though Tobias may not enjoy running as much as I do, I’m pretty sure that he likes it.” what I was trying to emply was that I love running, a lot. Tobias on the other hand may not like it as much, but I’m sure he likes it at least a bit. Lastly, I think the three traits that I listed about him are the biggest ones, here is a small one though. Tobias could be my friend because he like to be sneaky, just like me.I try to sneak around and spy on my parents, and he likes to be sneaky by trying to spy on the faction Erudite to see what naughtiness they are up to. I summary, youer feedback to me, Ava, was great, and of course, helpful.
Sincerely,
Silas The Boss

Matthew

11/15/2017 07:20:54 pm

Dear Class,
The book I’m reading is called Treasure Hunters Danger Down The Nile by James Patterson. If I were to pick a character from the book for a friend. I would pick Tommy the older brother of Storm,Bick, and Beck. First, I would pick Tommy because he is brave. For example, one part of the story they were getting chased by bad people. He stayed calm and kept driving and lost them. Another reason is that he is a fast thinker. One example is that he was at a prep school and was with his brother and sisters. When they were about to sneak away to find treasure. They got caught at night and the security guard asked what they were doing. Tommy said “We are getting pencils,” and then said “Run,” and they ran away from the prep school. Those traits make him a good friend because he can think fast and is brave to do things. An example is if I were to get hurt and the teachers were not around he would get a teacher. Another example is if some one got picked on he would be brave and stand up to the bully. Those are the reasons that I would pick Tommy as a best friend.
Sincerely,
Matthew

Lilah

11/26/2017 03:35:16 pm

Hey Matthew,
You did an incredible job responding to the third blog. Outstanding job explaining your character friend, Tommy, from Treasure Hunters Danger Down The Nile by James Patterson.
First, some praise I have for you is, nice job giving specific examples to prove traits of Tommy to the reader. For example, you wrote “in one part of the story, they were getting chased by bad people, Tommy stayed calm, kept driving, and lost them.” You gave a specific example instead of just moving on to the next trait. Also, you addressed the prompt well. For instance, you chose a character from a book and you explained why you would want him as a friend.
Second, some questions I still have are, when Tommy was at the prep school trying to find treasure with his sisters and brother, did they ever find the treasure? Also, did the security guard catch them? I hope they got the treasure because they went to all that trouble for nothing if they didn’t find the treasure. Additionally, when bad guys were chasing Tommy, who were the bad guys and why were they chasing Tommy? Were they robbers or kidnappers?
Lastly, to push your thinking deeper, if you were Tommy when they were at the prep school and the guard found you, what would you do, would you be a fast thinker too? Also, If you could choose any traits in friend would they be staying calm and a fast thinker, why or why not?
I hope you like my praise, questions, and questions to push your thinking deeper, you definitely did a great job of responding to blog three. I enjoyed writing to you.
Sincerely,
Lilah

Matthew

12/6/2017 07:22:33 pm

Dear Lilah,
Thank you for responding to my third RRB. First, thank you for the praise. I like how you said “I addressed the prompt well.” That made me feel like I did a good job on my RRB.
Next, for your questions. To answer your first question, yes they did find the treasure at the prep school. To answer your second question they did get away from the security guard. The security guard was also around 50 years old. For your next question, the people who were chasing them was the other people that wanted the treasure. They were also other treasure hunters with weapons. In addition your question to push my thinking was very good. To answer your question to push my thinking I would try to be a fast thinker. I would also just run away as fast as I could. The last question you wrote was a very good question. To answer that question I would pick the traits you wrote in your RRB. Because they all fit Tommy’s personality.
Thank you so much for you praise, questions, and question to push my thinking deeper. They were awesome.
Sincerely,
Matthew

Jack

11/15/2017 09:59:32 pm

Dear Class,
Have you ever thought what it would be like to know or even be friends with a character in your book? Well I have. I am currently reading a book called "The Mysterious Benedict Society." In this book there is one character named Constance. Oddly, I would like to be friends with her.
The first reason why I would like to be friends with her is because she is two, and almost as smart as me. This is a great trait because intelligence is very helpful. For example, she could help me with my homework, and make what I’m doing right now easier. As you can see, one reason I would like to be Constance's friend is because she could help me in ways that involve intellect.
Another trait that Constance has that would make me want to be her friend is because she is sassy in a funny way. I know that if you are funny in any way your friends will never get bored. Also, when I'm laughing I'm in a good mood and also, I just LOVE to laugh. To sum it up, Constance would make my life a lot less boring.
Second to last, one great trait Constance has, is being brave. One example of her being brave in the book was when she went into a mind controlling machine, that could've made her forget who she was, to save her friends. In addition, she ended up making it so that the machine couldn't control her. One way a brave person could help me in life is doing all the embarrassing stuff for me. Also, she could give me pep talks if I was scared to do something. All in all, a brave person (Constance) could help me in many ways.
Finally, I would like to be Constance's friend because she can predict the future. For example, in the book she knew when the Captain of the ship that they were on was going to come into their rooms long before he did. One way she could help me is by telling me the future if it's bad and then I could try to change the future. Also, it would just be kind of cool to know the future. To conclude, it would be both helpful and cool to have a friend who could predict the future.
So, I would obviously want Constance as a friend. Some great traits that she has is being smart, being brave, being sassy funny, and being able to tell the future. That's why I would want to be her friend. In conclusion, Constance would be a great friend for me.
Sincerely,
Jack

Hazel

11/30/2017 05:32:51 pm

Dear Jack,
Outstanding job with your work! Your work was interesting, entertaining, and easy to follow. You did a thrilling job on not explaining to much, but also writing an “essay looking” writing piece. Also, I thought that it was fascinating that Constance is 2 years old, and almost as smart as you! There are a few things I noticed though. First, you had some run-on sentences. For example, you said, “ Another trait that Constance has that would make me want to be her friend is because she is sassy in a funny way.” To be honest, I could not breathe right when I read the words “....friend is because….” I think you needed a comma after the word,“friends”. Moving on, I have a few questions that I hope you will reply to. First, I would like to know about the book a little because when you mentioned the controlling machine, I didn’t know how she got there or why. Second, when Constance could predict the future, is it some sort of power? This next question you may or may not answer. It is something you did not have to do in the blog, but here it is: If you and Constance went on vacation together, where would you go? I had trouble finding questions for you. Which is a good thing for you. Second to last, I thought you used good transition words like first, next, then, second, third, lastly, etc. Fantastic job in your blog. I can see why you want to be friends with her, I would too. As I said, fantastic job and I can’t wait to hear back!
Sincerely,
Hazel

Jack

12/6/2017 03:44:30 pm

Dear Hazel,
After reading your response I am very excited to answer your questions and, I thought you did a great job on your writing. Also, I liked how you also gave me some advice.
To start off with, to answer your first question, it was not really that important in that piece, but Constance was on a mission to stop a "bad guy." This "bad guy" had a machine where if you sat in it, you would forget all your fears, get addicted to the machine, forget your past, and, obey the "bad guy." So, Constance purposely put herself in the machine, and when the machine started to ask her hypnotizing questions, she was able to ignore the questions and broke the machine. Secondly, Constance can predict the future whenever she just gets a "vibe." For example, one time she was in a deep sleep and then she just woke up and said, "The Captain's coming." Ten seconds later the Captain walked into the door. Also, currently no one knows why Constance can predict the future. Finally, if I could go anywhere on vacation with Constance it would be Tahiti. This is because I feel like Constance and I both need a break, and isn't that what Tahiti is for? And, I'd want to go now, not when I'm like forty, because all middle-aged people do is "tan," nothing fun. So, I hope you liked the answer to your questions.
In conclusion, I think you had some great questions and I hope you enjoy my answers. Also, thank you for your polish and praise. I'm excited for you to read my response!
Sincerely,
Jack

Selina

11/16/2017 07:34:54 am

Dear Class,
This week I’m reading a book called Nightfall. It was recently published by Shannon Messenger on November, 7 , 2017. It is part of the series, Keeper of the Lost Cities. I recommend you not read this book before you read the rest of the books in the series. The first book is called, the Keeper of the Lost Cities. But, most important, I’m here to talk about a character in the book that I would like to be my friend.
First of all, I would like Sophie Foster to be my friend because she is sensitive, protective, and brave. As it says in the text, she starts to get protective when her friends or family members get hurt.
“‘You’re not going to Nightfall,’ Sophie interrupted. ‘You’re doing bed rest until Elwin says you’re better.’
Keefe smirked. ‘It’s cute that you think that.’
‘I mean it, Keefe .’” Sophie said, while stamping her foot. This shows that Sophie is protective because she wouldn’t let Keefe, her friend go to Nightfall, a dangerous place with thousands of killer monsters. She knew that Keefe would get easily killed there because he wouldn’t be fast enough because he is injured. Also, she thinks that he would get killed by the ogres, too. Another reason she is a good friend for me is because the text shows that she is sensitive about her family and friends.
“‘Please,’ she begged when her sister collapsed. ‘She’s going to need me. You can’t erase me from her life again.’ Keefe lunged to help Sophie, but only lasted a second before he went down. Fitz followed a second after that. Sophie’s knees gave out, but she crawled for her sister, pleading with Alden to change his plan. ...She hated this feeling, hated Alden for putting her through it….
'Please,' she said again as her face sank against the carpet. "Please don't take my sister away from me. Not again.’...
Through her hazy eyes she saw Alden crouch beside her, his lips mouthing, I'm sorry. Then darkness swallowed everything."
This shows that she is really sensitive about her family because she doesn't want them to get hurt like her friends get hurt. And it shows that she doesn’t want her human family to forget about her all over again.
Another one of her traits is that she is brave, "'Are we in Ravagog?' Sophie asked. …….
'This is called the King's Path,' Lady Cadence explained. 'It brings us to the restricted portion of the city, where Dimitar realized this boat was too wide to fit through the main gate. If I wasn't wearing this,' she pulled her Markchain out from under her cape, 'the battalions stationed in these foothills would've blasted us to splinters by now.'
Cold sweat trickled down Sophie's spine as she scanned the hills again. No matter how carefully she searched, she couldn't spot a single ogre. But she had no doubt they were out there, weapons trained and ready to fire.” This shows that she is brave for coming the capital city of the ogres without thinking that she would get killed or blown up.
All of this shows that she is a good friend for me. I’d like to have a friend that is protective of me, and sensitive like me, brave.
Sincerely,
Selina

Adie

12/5/2017 06:22:37 pm

Dear Selina,
I totally agree with you that Sophie Foster would make a really great friend. I would want Sophie to be my friend. For example, if I were injured but I still would want to go to nightfall, she would protect me a lot. I liked how you organized the blog that is in a step by step way. For example, first, you introduced your character. Second, you explained why you want Sophie as your friend. Last, you elaborated on Sophie's actions. I have some some questions for you. Who is Elwin,Keef,Alden,or sophie's sister? What is Sophie's sisters name? I am a little confused. To push your thinking, instead of gust stating a character's name, and not tell us anything about that character, you could say. Alden is a boy or girl and she/he is Sophie's best friend, or something like that. But overall the blog was amazing!
From,
Adie

Selina

12/7/2017 04:40:50 pm

Dear Adie,
Thank you for all your praise. First, I will answer your brilliant questions. Elwin is Sophie’s elvin doctor at school. She’s the one that holds the record of the most Elwin visits, so Elwin is one of the minor character that appears more often. Keefe is one of Sophie’s best friends. He is ALWAYS on an adventure with Sophie. Alden is Fitz’s father, and a father- like figure for Sophie. For more information, Sophie doesn’t know her genetic parents. Sure, she has human parents and adoptive elvin parents but they aren’t actually her parents. Sophie’s human sister is called Amy/Natalie Foster/Freeman. She has two surnames and last names because she had a memory wipe and the elvin world doesn’t want Sophie’s human family remembering her because they want to protect Sophie in the elvin world. They want to protect her in the elvin world because there’s a group of traitorous elves that want to capture her and use her for their nasty plan. Lastly, Alden is male. Alden isn’t one of her best friends. Her best friends are Biana, who is a vanisher, which means she can turn invisible, Fitz, Biana’s brother and a telepath, which means he can read people’s mind, Keefe, empath, which means that he can sense people’s feelings, Linh, a hydrokinetic, which means that she can control water, and Tam, Linh’s twin brother and a shade, which means that he can control the shadows around him. Thank you for replying!
Sincerely,
Selina

Will

11/16/2017 06:22:23 pm

Dear Class,
I have read The One and Only Ivan. I would want to be friends with Ivan because he is very thoughtful. When Ruby the elephant came Ivan was nice and protected her. He is also a very good artist. He draws pictures with Julia, the janitor's daughter. It would be cool being around someone who is very creative. Ivan is intelligent and uses his wits and creativity to save Ruby and himself from their sad lives in the mall. I would appreciate being around someone who cares about me enough to help me find a better life.
Sincerely,
Will

again, Braydoni the great

12/5/2017 02:18:54 pm

Dear,Will
First I love the structure you used. It was well placed information. I assume you made a well thought out plan.I think this because you had a beginning,information with elaboration, and a little ending to wrap it up. Now my questions, first how well did Ivan draw her? Explain how he drew so well.What colors did he use? Next how is Ivan creative? You didn’t give me enough information besides the one drawing, so please tell me other ways he’s creative. Another question is, why are their lives sad in the mall? You never explained why there lives are sad in the mall. Why in the mall? Is their lives sad outside of the mall? Lastly why is he thoughtful? Like the second question you didn’t give me enough information, to come to the conclusion he’s thoughtful. Just to push your thinking, do you think Ivan would like you? Also please explain why.
Sincerely,
Brayden

Will

12/6/2017 06:31:29 pm

Dear Brayden,
Thank you for the thoughtful feedback. Thank you for telling me what I did right and wrong. Ivan drew apples and bananas so well that they would sell them at the mall. He drew with a lot of different colors. Ivan uses his creativity to paint a big picture of Ruby, the elephant at the local zoo with the words home on it. This thoughtful act saves their lives when the news station sees it and finds a new home for them at the zoo. Their lives were so sad at the mall because they live in cages and are mistreated by their owner Mack. Also Mack let Stella the prize elephant die because he was too cheap to take her to the vet. This made them very sad. Yes I do think Ivan would like me because I love animals and can draw decently.
Sincerely,
Will
PS-There were some proofreading errors in your response.

Brayden

11/16/2017 08:11:30 pm

Dear Class,
My book that I’m reading is called the Mysterious Benedict Society. The person who I would like to be friends with is Reynard or as he prefers Reynie. One reason why I would want to be friends with him is, he is very nice. One reason he is very nice is, when ever someone is being not positive or not nice he’ll not get mad. When Constance says, “oh, we’re all going to to fail.” Reynie says in response, “we’re all smart we can do this.” This shows that he is positive and nice because he could of got really mad at Constance bye saying, Show a little faith! Instead he said it calmly. He’s positive because, he made the best out of the bad situation.

My next reason why I would want to be friends with reynie is he’s smart. One reason he is very smart is he could pass all the tests. All those test were also insanely hard. When also even talks with good vocabulary, “much to my disappointment, I have concluded there is no such thing as perfect control…” This shows he is smart because he was using words many kids would not say. Would you be friends with Reynie too?

Sincerely,
Brayden

Will

12/4/2017 06:07:12 pm

Dear Brayden,
Awesome response dude! Reynie seems like a great friend. Nice job really telling me who Reynie really is. Helps me mold a picture in my mind. Another thing you did great was using quotes. Proves to me that Reynie is really a great person. You also used the dialogue rules all correctly. My first question is what is the Mysterious Benedict Society? Is it a school a club? Is it a school in a small town like Sherborn? How many people are in it? Is there only 2 people or is there 15? Do you need to be ridiculously smart to be in it? Or can you just be a normal person? My second question is when Constance says, “oh, we’re all going to fail.” What are they going to fail at? A test a competition? What would happen if they would fail would they die? Or was it a game they were playing with no threats? And lastly yes I would want to be friends with Reynie.

Sincerely,
Will

Brayden

12/7/2017 06:20:44 pm

Dear, Will
Thank you so much for the compliments. I do a lot appreciate your compliments. I’m not even sure if I did as well you described I did. Now to answer your first question, the Mysterious Benedict Society is the name of the group Renny’s in. The kids are Renny, Sticky,Kate, and Constance. Constance was the girl who named them the Mysterious Benedict Society which is surprising. You’ll realize why it’s surprising if you read the book. To answer your next question the school is in a little town like sherborn. It’s not much different besides the orphanage… well anyway it’s like sherborn. Also it’s not a club it’s a group of kids to save the world from an evil school which go to, to stop it. There’s about as many people there’s in sherborn as in their town. Next there are way more than 15 people in the town. Theirs about 2000-3000 people. Your next question is weird, because it was a test you had to take to get in, but only 3 out of the 4 people are smart, but 2 are insanely smart. Although you can’t be a normal person. To answer your final question it is a life or death situation. They all wondered out of the evil school and found out there were traps, and someone got stuck in one, so Constance thought they were going to die.

Sincerely,
Brayden

Lilah

11/16/2017 09:21:26 pm

Dear Class,
Having a good friend with characteristics that match you is very important. Recently, I have been reading Bridge To Terabithia with my dad. I have decided that out of all the books I’ve read recently, and all the characters in each book, that Leslie Burke one of the main characters of Bridge To Terabithia would be a great friend for me.
One reason why Leslie would be a good friend is she is she is extremely thoughtful. Thoughtful meaning she cares about others and is truly considerate of others. For example, in the story when the main character, Jesse Aarons and Leslie are exchanging Christmas presents, Leslie has an extremely awesome present that is just right for Jesse. Leslie put a lot of time into finding a good present. Thoughtfulness is a good trait in a friend because when a friend is thoughtful they are more caring about your feelings and that helps friends get closer.
Another reason Leslie would be a good friend is she is imaginative. For example, Leslie turns the woods into a whole kingdom. When Leslie and Jesse are walking, Leslie stops and says, “We need a place just for us-- It would be so secret that we would never tell anyone in the whole world about it… It might be like a whole secret country.” Leslie’s imagination will create a whole kingdom someday and it gives the friends a place where no one can bother them. Having an imagination is a good quality in a friend because when there is nothing, they can always make something.
Last, Leslie would be a good friend because she is courageous and adventurous. For example, when Jesse and Leslie are in the woods, Leslie is always leading and Jesse lags behind and is more nervous that something might happen. Leslie is the one hoping something will happen. Courage and adventure is important in a friend because they will lead you to experience more and do more.
Having a good friend with interesting characteristics is clearly very important. Leslie Burke is a great friend for me and is a truly amazing character because she is thoughtful, imaginative, courageous, and adventurous. I hope to someday become more like her.

Matthew

12/1/2017 02:04:45 pm

Dear Lilah
Reading your 3rd RRB was so much fun. First, I like how you said what book you were talking about. I also think you addressed the prompt very well. Next, I think you did a job with saying why Leslie Burke would be your best friend. You also gave me good details about Leslie Burke. I also like how you included more characters other than Leslie Burke. My first question is, are there any times when you don’t like Leslie Burke? If so why? Another question I have is would you like Jesse Aarons to be your friend too? My last question is why do you want to become more like her. You did such a good on your 3rd RRB I can’t wait until you write back to me so I can find the answer to my questions.
Sincerely,
Matthew

Lilah

12/3/2017 02:37:24 pm

Aloha Matthew,
Thank you so much for writing back to my blog. I really enjoyed reading your praise, questions, and questions to push my thinking deeper. Marvelous job using the PQP strategy.

First, your praise was fantastic, for example, you wrote, “You also gave me good details about Leslie Burke.” Now I realize that it is definitely important to elaborate on my ideas and give details about the point I am proving. I will keep trying to give good details when I am writing. Also, thank you for writing that I addressed the prompt very well, I definitely tried and read the rubric very carefully to learn how to follow the prompt.

Also, to answer your questions and questions to push my thinking deeper, you asked, “are there any times when you don’t like Leslie Burke? If so why?” I haven’t finished reading Bridge To Terabithia yet, so I won’t know till the end of the book, but so far I have liked Leslie the whole time. Leslie would be such a good friend she is thoughtful, imaginative, courageous, and adventurous. Also you asked, “would you like Jesse Aarons to be your friend too?” And as a result, yes I would love to have Jesse Aarons as my friend too. Jesse is an extremely sweet boy and would be a great friend, the more friends the merrier. Last, you asked “why do you want to become more like her?” My answer is, the biggest reason why I would like to become more like Leslie Burke is because she is so amazing when it comes to using her imagination. My imagination is not my strongest quality, maybe someday it will be.

Thank you so much for the spectacular comment on my blog, your praise, questions, and questions to push my thinking deeper were unbelievable. I have really enjoyed writing and responding to you, you were a great partner.
Sincerely,
Lilah

Amari

11/16/2017 09:22:34 pm

Dear classmates,
The person I would most like as a friend is a character named Hazel Grace, from The Fault in Our Stars. The reason I would admire her becoming my friend is because of how brave she is. The reason for this thought is because Hazel has IV thyroid cancer. But she always has a tremendous amount self esteem and her courage never wavered. Also another reason I would want to be friends with her is because she makes people laugh at themselves without hurting their feelings. I think this one of the greatest skills a friend can have. I think this because it allows you to be yourself and most likely not get your feelings hurt. And that my friends is why I’d want to be best buds with Hazel Grace.
Sincerely,
Amari.

Sanat

12/3/2017 07:42:27 pm

Dear, Amari
I like how you you started with a solid intro. You stated the character, the book and why you wanted to be friends with the character. But I think you should explain more on why you wanted to be friends with Hazel Grace. I think you could come up with maybe one or two more traits that you like about Hazel Grace. I think that you should explain a bit more on why you would be friends with her a little bit more to say some traits you like about her instead of say things she is good at. Are there any traits that you think you like about her? Lastly I would like to know if you were her friend what would you have in common and what would you do together? All in all You did a great job.
Sincerely, Sanat

The Luca

11/17/2017 06:51:59 am

I picked Bob from The Simpsons because I think he is a cool and fun guy to play with. One trait about bob is he is a reporter in his town and I think that is pretty awesome if you ask me. Bob is a reporter because when he was a teenager he always dreamed of being a reporter. One other trait is, Bob always pulls jokes on his friends. Bob does this because his friends never thought he was funny so he plays around with them but the thing is his friends like it. One last trait is, Bob loves to eat donuts at the donut shop. Bob does this because when he was a child he did not get to have any treats. Bob eats them now because he really likes donuts. This why I think Bob is a good friend.
Sincerely,
Luca

Ms. Kimball

12/4/2017 04:53:45 pm

Dear Luca,

Bob sounds like a pretty interesting guy to be friends with. Something I liked about your response is how you described three of Bob's traits in detail. You explained why he loves being a reporter, that he likes to pull jokes on his friends, and how he enjoys donuts.

One question I have for you is: why are these traits that Bob has ones that you would desire in a friend? I mean, if I had a friend who liked to pull jokes on me, I'd be a little hesitant about being his/her friend! Also, I'm wondering, is Bob a professional reporter for the town through a newspaper or special organization?

Lastly, to push your thinking, if you were to do something with Bob --such as a playdate or something-- what would you do with him and why? He seems like the type of friend that potentially enjoys being silly. What would you guys do together to have fun?

I look forward to reading your reply!
Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Adie

11/17/2017 07:51:32 am

Dear Ms.KImball,
I am reading an autobiography and it is written about Michaela Deprince. Michela she lived in a poor town in Africa. Later when she was about three years old her parents died. Michaelas dad died by getting shot with a gun. Her mom died with Lassa fever. She was sent to the orphanage by her mean uncle Abdullah. He had like 9 wifes and 14 children. When she was at the orphanage she met a girl who became best friends. Later in the year it was time for adoption and Michaela want going to be adopted. But she struck her head tall and kept going. When Michela and her best friend was meeting her new parents the new mother said you are going to be sisters. She said that to both of them.
In the story Michela was very sad when her parents died and when she had to go the orphanage. But throughout the story she stayed positive . When she started ballet she wanted to be in a hard class but she made it to an even harder class. That happened because she believed in herself and worked hard and she even got her point she's at the age of 8 years old.
Machela would make a great friend for me because she has a positive attitude like me. Even when she had her ups and downs she went through it. And also when her teacher Sara died she tried to protect her. So she strikes up to her friends even the hardest times of her life. That is why Michela would be such a great friend.

From,
Adie

Selina

11/20/2017 05:47:29 pm

Dear Adie,
You did a really great job on writing about the book. I liked how you mention that it was a autobiography. If you didn't then I would be confused. I also have a few questions for you. Who is Michaela Deprince? Is she a real person or fake?What do you mean when you say,"So she strikes up to her friends."? It makes no sense to me. Lastly, who is the girl that is her best friend? What's her name? Also, do they stay best friends the whole entire book or they break up? I would appreciate it if you answer. To push your thinking, what happened to Sara, the ballet teacher, who was trying to protect who? I was really confused by that because they are both shes and you also mentioned Sara before that. All in all, I think you did a great job.
Sincerely,
Selina

Adie

12/11/2017 07:40:47 am

Dear Selina,
I will answer some of your questions. The first question. Who is Michaela Deprince? Is she a real person or fake? She is a real person, and she is also a professional ballerina. Second question."So she strikes up to her friends."? What I meant to say is sticks up to her friend. The last question. Lastly, who is the girl that is her best friend? Her best friend became her step sister. Sorry, I don’t have the book with me at home right now but I will get back to you at school. I hope this answered most of your questions.
From,
Adie

Paoli

11/17/2017 08:41:44 am

Dear Ms.Kimball,
A book I have recently finished is Wonder. Personally would want to be a good friend with the main character August. He may have a deformed face but I don’t care! On reason I like is because he is very attached to his parents for a fifth grader! Most kids are just all “yeah. Sure.” they never love their parents and hang out with them as much as August does. And trust me, I love my parents and hang out with them a LOT! To prove that August does this because August is a lot of the time in his parents arms and he gives them hugs hugs and especially when August's father calls August Auggie doggie. It’s really cute! I also think August is very generous and nice. Like when his ex friend Jack Will texts him and asks him if they can be friends again. Like when he says, “Hey August. It’s me, Jack Will. i noticed i’m not on your friends list anymore. Hope you friend me again cause i’m really sorry. I just wanted to say that. Sorry. I know…”
And then August replies nicely and says things like he is sorry and things like that.
After a couple of emails and texts they eventually make up. To me, August doesn’t care if one of his friends get mad at him. He can make up quickly unlike some people I know! The thing is, I love having friends that aren’t always sensitive and always don’t have to be getting mad at ME!
To be truthful, I would probably be best friends with August if I knew him.

David

11/29/2017 03:03:50 pm

Dear Paoli,

What a nice book you've been reading! Have you also seen the movie? Which one did you like more - the book or the movie? Does this movie tell about exactly the same story as the book? What's different between the movie and the book? Have you read the book first and then went to the movie? Or the other way around? If so, how far is between what you imagined to yourself while reading the book with what you saw on a big screen?

You've done such a great job addressing your opinion regarding this boy. But can you describe August in more details? I haven't read this book, and I haven't seen the movie, so I have so many questions for you. The first two questions would be: Why is his name August. That's a strange name for a boy, don't you agree? Also, what was wrong with his face? Why would he be ashamed of it?

You said he spends too much time with his parents for an average 5th grader. Well, I don't think it's so uncommon. I, for example, spend a lot of time with my parents, and go to different places with them. In fact, I spend more time with parents than without them, outside of school. In addition, I love both my grandfathers very much! Perhaps, even more than my parents! I think that 'imperfections', such as face/figure issues, disabilities, or English as a second language, lean to their parents more than a regular american 5th grader, because they feel around parents much safer. Also, Parents won't remind them about their issues, they would try to keep this subject out of the conversation, or they would try to help out, if something doesn't go as expected. Parents don't get mad at their kids just because there is anything wrong with the kid, anything that cannot be simply fixed by that kid. In addition to that, parents would be always eager to help out, no matter what and would try to take their kids side. Of course, it's a safe harbor for any kid that doesn't seem natural with other kids in the given environment.

And Paoli, from your post, I did not really get the story. I understood that August has forgiven his ex friend for being mad at him, and that this boy is in general very open, like me, and like to have more friends, and don't mind to forgive them, as long as he has won them back again. But I don't understand why would his ex friend leave him at the first place? What happened? Was it the main story of that book, or was it just an episode in the book? Can you please elaborate further on that?

At the same time, why do you think you and August could be good friends? Do you have friends that are different from an average 5th grader?

I also appreciate your help and looking forward to hearing more about that Wonderful book.

Yours Truly,
David

Paoli

12/7/2017 07:08:56 pm

Dear David,
Thank you for your support on my response. I LOVE how well you said I addressed August very well. And yes, I did watch the movie. And I liked it. Also, I liked the book better than the book. And I suggest you read the book before you watch the movie. The reason is, you’ll have more information about the story then the movie. For example, they talked in the book about Augustus hearing aid. But in the movie, they didn’t. And while I was reading the book, I thought of Augustus face like it was REALLY scary! But after seeing the movie, I thought Augustus face looked fine. And I’m sorry I didn’t describe August enough. Well, August also loves his sister Via. Via is one of those girls that don't have much friends knowing a bunch of the family friends moved. The only person that is one of Vias friends that didn’t move is Miranda. But, Miranda has moved on and she starts acting differently and Via and Miranda aren’t as good as friends anymore.
No one knows why August is named August. But I think that is because the month August is kind of like a month with flowers or something like that. And the reason August looks like this is because he had a problem with his cleft palate after he was born. No one knows why he looks like this but I think it’s because of a certain jean August's mom. And he is ashamed of it because he thinks that people will think that he looks weird and they will tease him or, you know. And the reason I put in my other blog about why August hangs out with his parents so much is because I know for a FACT a lot of kids in our class allways would hang out with their friends rather than their parents! I’m not saying you’re the only one that hangs out with his parents. I do too! Don’t feel left out David.
The reason Augusts really good friend Jack Will left him was because during halloween, August heard Jack talking to his other friends and telling them that he would KILL himself if he was August! He said that he would look in the mirror every day and cry! This made August SUPER sad!
And yes, it was just an episode in the book. There was a couple chapters of some really sad things happening like when Jack told his other friends about August and then when they made UP! Super emotional. And I think I could be friends with August because he is super nice and generous knowing his whole family. And I’m the same way too! And yes I have different friends than an average fifth grader. You know, ANDY! Our buddy!he is a first grader. Which is definitely not a fifth grader. I don’t want to get too off topic and start talking about our buddy so… I’m really excited to see how you think of my response! (And tell me if I did good because I really want to know!)

Your really good friend,
Paoli.

Gabe

11/17/2017 08:00:23 pm

Dear class,
I finished reading a book with the title of wonder. And one character in the book stuck out to me as I started to recall the characters in that book. The character that stuck out to me was a character named Jack.
I think Jack is brave because he stood up for the main character Aggie. How he did this is becoming his friend which no one did because he had some face complications. What I mean by “ he had some face complications” is that aggie when he was born was very messed up, by that I mean he had a lot of problems with his face. All in all this shows he is brave because no one was brave enough to be friends with Aggie except for him hence showing he is brave.
I also think that Jack is perplexing. I think this because before he did not care that people were being mean to aAggie and him. But he definitely cared when the whole school thought he had emotional problems because he punched someone in the face. To me that is quite crazy to me because it was like he was being bullied more when he was friends with Aggie. In conconclution Jack is perplexing because he is ok with something and not with something similar.
Another thing is that I think Jack is very attracting and fun to be with. What I mean by that is that he is generally a fun and great person to be with. I think this because he was very popular and he is funny and just a good person. In conclusion he is very fun to be with
Finally I think Jack would be a great friend because he is brave, perplexing and fun to be around. I think this because I love people who are brave and not afraid to do the right thing. Also I love it when people are a mystery to me and it is my job to know them very well. Lastly I love it when people are just nice to be around and it just brightens your mood. In conclusion Jack would be a good friend for me. Thank you so much for reading my response.

Sincerely,
Gabe

Finley

11/20/2017 05:17:55 pm

From
Finley
Dear Gabe,
I was very impressed with your conclusion! I like how you restated and unpacked each character trait you thought Jack had. It gave me a reminder of why you would want Jack to be your friend. A question I had was when you said “But he definitely cared when the whole school thought he had emotional problems because he punched someone in the face.” I don’t understand this because I don’t know what him punching someone has to do with Jack and Auggie being friends. Did he punch someone because of something someone said to Auggie? Also, I don’t know how Jack punching someone shows that he is perplexing. Another question I had was when you said “In conconclution Jack is perplexing because he is ok with something and not with something similar.” How is Jack being friends with Auggie, and being made fun of because of them being friends, and punching someone similar? Did something else happen that was similar to Jack being friends with Auggie and being made fun of that was perplexing? Lastly, to push your thinking, if you were friends with Jack, would become friends with Auggie too? Why or why not?
From,
Finley
P.S I just saw the movie of the book Wonder! It was really good!

Gabe The Great

12/6/2017 06:09:31 pm

Dear Finley,
I think your response was really good! I really like that you did not assume anything and and asked really good questions. And now I will answer your questions, you asked “A question I had was when you said ‘But he definitely cared when the whole school thought he had emotional problems because he punched someone in the face.’ I don’t understand this because I don’t know what him punching someone has to do with Jack and Auggie being friends. Did he punch someone because of something someone said to Auggie?” so to answer this, yes a person was being mean to Aggie so Jack Punched that person. Next, you said that “Also, I don’t know how Jack punching someone shows that he is perplexing.” To answer that, he is perplexing because by punching someone he got publicly humiliated. But the same thing happened when he was with Aggie but he didn’t care even though there was the exact same consequence. After that, you said “Another question I had was when you said ‘In conconclution Jack is perplexing because he is ok with something and not with something similar.’ How is Jack being friends with Auggie, and being made fun of because of them being friends, and punching someone similar? Did something else happen that was similar to Jack being friends with Auggie and being made fun of that was perplexing? So to answer this, well in both instances Jack gets publicly humiliated but in one he get upset and the other he is fine with. And also there were so many different storylines in the book it was hard for the writer to get far in all of them, so that means that was the really the only thing that jack did that was perplexing. Thanks for reading!

Yours truly,
Gabe

Ava

11/19/2017 10:34:14 pm

Dear Mrs. Kimball,
I was finishing the book “One of the Murphy’s.” In the book the character named Carley Conners seemed like a very good friend for me. One of the reasons is because she’s tough. She can handle a honest opinion without bursting into tears. She can also handle being without her mother for about four or five months. My evidence from the text to prove she’s tough is when she tells Mrs. Murphy. “My mother told crying is a sign of weakness.” After reading that I started to think maybe she’s too tough for her own good but she handles herself very well. Another reason she’d be a good friend for me is because she’s nice. In the texts she helps Daniel become better at basketball. She says “you know, you actually have talent.” She told Daniel. Even though she was lying to not hurt his feelings. That’s why I think Carley Conners would be a good for me.

Silas The Boss

11/20/2017 03:44:17 pm

Ava,
This reading response blog was really great, I think better than mine. Okay first, for my praise, your blog was well structured, and it had good detail. It didn’t have to many quotes or examples. Next, for my questions, is who is Daniel? Is he Carly's brother. I know who he is, but people who have not read the book may be confused. You also mentioned that she can stay away from her mother for four or five months, where is she all that time? Lastly, to push your thinking, if you were Carly, what is one trait that you think that she would like about you? In summary, for your 3rd reading response blog, this was astonishing.
Sincerely,
Silas

Ava

12/5/2017 09:09:38 pm

Dear Silas,
Thanks for the compliments. I always love reading those. To answer your question about who Daniel is he is one of Carly’s foster brothers. He in her opinion isn’t always the nicest. To answer your other question Carly’s Mom is in the hospital. She’s there because she got such a horrible beating from her husband, Dennis. The doctors were suprised that she even lived. So she was in no condition to take care of and eleven year old. To answer your last question I think Carly might like the sympathy in me. Because in one of the chapters Carly doesn’t tell her friend she’s in a foster home. So when her friend finds out she is not very happy. But if found out then I would understand why she didn’t tell me and try to work it out.
Sincerely,
Ava

Sanat

11/20/2017 08:42:19 am

Dear Class,
I am reading this book called the fourth stall by Chris Rylander. If I were to choose a friend from this book it would be Joe. Joe is a 7th grader that Mac hired to be security guard for the business. Joe is a loyal friend because he stuck with Mac even when the business was falling apart. Even when Mac's best friend broke up with Mac, Joe stayed with him. Also when Staples threatened all of Mac's employees Joe still stayed with Mac. Joe is also trustworthy because he was not a rat. He didn't help Staples ever. That is why I would want to be friends with Joe. He is Loyal and Trustworthy.
Sincerely, Sanat

Amari

11/30/2017 08:39:38 pm

Dear Sanat,
I loved your choice for a best friend, even though I haven't read the book yet I think Joe would be a great pick anyway. I was very impressed with your reading response because you had A lot of elaboration. For example when you said that Joe stayed with him when Mac separated with his best friend. This helped because it gave me more evidence from the text that Joe is a good friend. However something that you could potentially add is some more information about Mac. I think think this because all I know about Mac is that he most likely runs a security company, his best friend separated from him, and that Staples is out to get him. Also something to push your thinking is if you were Mac’s friend would you have ditched him if so what are some reasons why?
Sincerely,
Amari

Sanat The Boss

12/7/2017 04:28:18 pm

Dear Amari,
Thank you for the feedback. I real appreciate it. First to answer your questions about Mac. First He does really run a security business. Maybe I was a little unclear about it but he runs a business that helps people fix problems. Some problems include getting a person and their date to the movie their parents will not allow the to see. They are usually R movies and the customers are usually 7th and 8th graders. These are just common problems but there are bigger ones like getting teachers of students backs. Then there are huge problem like when the janitor need to find a person called “ the graffiti ninja”. Mac also needs pay so it is either money or a favor. Lastly if I were in Mac's best friends I would be mad that Mac is blaming me for things that I didn’t do. Any way thank you for writing to me.
Sincerely, Sanat

The Amazing Amari

12/7/2017 09:06:31 pm

Dear Sanat,
I loved your reading response blog and thought it is very well planned out. Also I loved how you expanded super clearly that Joe helped Mac against Staples. One of my questions is why is Staples attacking Mac’s company in the first place? Did he steal something from them or did Staples go after Mac for no reason. Also why did Mac’s best friend break up with him, I’m assuming that they got into a argument, another possibility would be they just separated. I don’t know cause I haven't read the book. And finally to push your why do you think Joe acquire these traits and if Mac has a main trate why do you think he aquiredthat one?
Sincerely,
Amari

Anthony

11/20/2017 01:52:09 pm

Dear Class,

If I were to be friends with a character from a book I would be friends with Harold Hutchens from Captain Underpants. Harold likes to play pranks, make comics, and play video games. I think it would be fun to be Harold’s friend because he could help me make better comics and we could play a bunch of video games together. The only bad thing is Harold might pull pranks on me and he pulls off the best pranks of all. Another reason is he is brave because he goes on all these epic adventures like when he stood face to face with the Wegi Women. Another reason is that Harold is really good at disguises so he could help me trick my mom. That's all the reasons I can think of.

Sincerely,
Anthony

Alex

11/29/2017 06:18:15 pm

Dear Anthony,

It was very impressive reading your response. There was a lot of elaboration in the certain parts of your response, like “Harold likes to play pranks, make comics, and play video games. I think it would be fun to be Harold’s friend because he could help me make better comics…” This shows that instead of writing “I think it would be fun to be Harold’s friend” you elaborated and added another example. This made your response more interesting. Another thing I think you did well on was comparing not only why Harold should be your friend but also why he could be a silly friend to have. For example, you wrote about how you were afraid Harold may pull a prank on you. That made me think that maybe Harold can be planning evil ideas when he’s thinking of a prank. This shows that you gave good examples of why Harold would be a good friend and why he would be a silly friend to have.
Secondly, here are some questions I have. Does Harold ever play too many video games? If so does he ever get in trouble for not stopping? I know in some books I’ve read the character’s have to go outside and play. Another question I have is are his pranks dangerous? If the pranks are dangerous, has he ever done one on one of his family members? I know that I’ve seen movies and books where kids are pranking parents and even get into trouble sometimes. These are some of the question I have for you.
Finally, to push your thinking if you were Harold, and Wegi Woman wanted you to prank your mom, what would it be? Also if Wegi Woman said it had to be an explosion, what materials would you use? Then how will your prank work? Your response was well written and thought out. Thanks for sharing.

Anthony

12/7/2017 08:03:53 pm

Dear Alex,

thank you for all the compliments, that was a lot of compliments for one small paragraph. And for the questions. First Harold plays way too many video games but Harold plays them in his tree house and his parents never go in their. Next Harold's pranks can be dangerous like when he tricked the lunch ladies into flooding the whole school, and simple like the classic flower spraying trick. Also Harold has never pranked his family. Now for the push your thinking part. So if Wegi Woman wanted to prank my Mom it would be something dangerous and deadly, usually it's so dangerous it doesn't even exist. Which is why I would not have any idea what the name is. And if Wegi woman said it had to be a explosion prank it would probably be that old cartoon prank where there's a bomb in a present. She would need to have something to tell the bomb to explode when the present is opened and a very strong box. I think that's all i need to say.

Sincerely,
Anthony

Finley

12/4/2017 05:11:40 pm

Dear Gabe,
Thank you so much for the praise! To answer your questions, Angus and Mattie did get caught doing crazy things in their hallway by Matties grandmother. But Mattie’s grandmother is very kind and go with the flow, so she didn’t care very much. In addition to that question, you asked, how did Angus and Mattie become friends. After Mattie moved and she was unpacking, Angus just barged into Mattie’s apartment and started talking to her. Nothing actually happened that made Mattie want to be friends with Angus. They just started hanging out since they lived next to each other. Another question you asked was why did Mattie and her family move to Pennsylvania. Mattie and her family moved to Pennsylvania because Mattie’s grandmother was getting old and needed more help. As well as those questions you asked are Mattie and Angus the same age as us. Yes, they are the same age as us. Also, if I were friends with Mattie, my life would probably be a lot calmer. I think this because there wouldn’t be so much drama since she’s a pretty go with the flow person. And to answer your last question, I probably wouldn’t be friends with Angus if I had the chance, but I would still be friendly, unlike other kids who make fun of her. Thank you for reading my response and writing thoughtful questions.
From
Finley

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.

Blog #3: Character Friend

Leave a Reply.

Reading Response Blog
For
Ms. Kimball's Grade 5 At Pine Hill, 2017-2018

Archives

Categories

Automation Setup

Blog #3: Character Friend

Leave a Reply.

Reading Response BlogFor​Ms. Kimball's Grade 5 At Pine Hill, 2017-2018

Archives

Categories

Automation Setup

Reading Response Blog
For
Ms. Kimball's Grade 5 At Pine Hill, 2017-2018