Our Class Simile Poems

My a.m. class wrote the following poem this morning using similes, humor, and rhythm. Enjoy!

Walmart

As chaotic as a zoo,

As gigantic as an airport,

As filthy as a bathroom,

As full of crazies as an insane asylum,

As packed with toys as the North Pole,

With lines longer than a Burmese Python....

That's Walmart.

And here is my p.m. class's poem:

AMC Theater

As big as the North Pole,

As loud as a cannon's roar,

As frigid as the Alaskan tundra,

As messy as my bedroom,

As exciting as an earthquake,

With floors as sticky as tar,

That's AMC Theater.

Welcome Class of 2012!

As we begin the 2011-12 school year, I am reading "The Winter of Red Snow" to my classes. I love this historical fiction novel, which is part of the Dear America series. In it, Abigail Stewart gets an up-close look at the Continental army as they suffer through the winter of 1777-78 in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. If you're not crazy about social studies, this book helps you learn about the Revolutionary War without even realizing it. I use this book nearly every year with my classes, because I love it so much.

How disappointed I was when I learned that I could not order more copies, because the book is out of print! I hate it when this happens to excellent literature. For example, "The Great Brain" series is also out of print. My kids love to check out this series every year (partly because I push it on them), and the books are getting tattered. However, when they're gone, they're gone, because I can't find them anywhere. Heavy sigh......

What are some of your favorite titles?

Welcome, Class of 2011

Another school year equals another chance to get kids excited about reading. I have the usual mixed bag of students this year: Some of you already love to read and have checked out the books I recommended for you; some of you think reading is just O.K.; some of you loathe it. It makes me sad when a student dislikes reading, because I know what great joy books can bring to an adult's life. Not only will being a skilled reader help you in nearly any job you'll have, it helps while away time spent waiting in the doctor's office, dentist's office, driver's license office, etc. If you really use your imagination, reading can be even better entertainment than a movie can--and--if you check your books out from a library--they are free!

Just in case you threw away the yellow sticky notes I gave you Week 2 of school, here are some of my often-recommended books for fifth graders:

Adventure:

"Peak", by Roland Smith

"Cryptid Hunters", by Roland Smith

The "Everest" series, by Gordon Korman

Fantasy:

"Harry Potter" 1-7, J. K. Rowling

"Children of the Lamp", P.B. Kerr

Historical Fiction

"Standing in the Light", Dear America series

"The Great Brain Series"(which is also very funny), by Fitzgerald

Realistic Fiction

"Al Capone Does My Shirts", Gennifer Choldenko

Ghost Stories

"Wait Til Helen Comes", by Mary Downing Hahn

"All the Lovely Bad Ones", by Mary Downing Hahn

"Deep, Dark, and Dangerous"by Mary Downing--OK, you get the idea--anything by Mary Downing Hahn.

Hey--I just got an idea for my next post. You can't go wrong with some authors. My next post will list my favorites. Happy reading!

Book Review: "Slob", by Ellen Potter

I'm a sucker for novels with cool, one-word titles. (Think "Rules" and "Peak") I also love Oreo cookies. So the bright blue cover of "Slob" grabbed my attention immediately.

At first I thought this was just a hilarious, yet poignant, look at an overweight kid trying to survive middle school--and I loved it then. Deeper in, I realized that this book is about so much more--loss, grief, loyalty, and the misleading way things look sometimes. I'm only sorry I devoured this wonderful novel in one day. Now there's no more left, and I have an empty feeling in my gut that Oreos won't fill.

I loved Owen, a quasi-genius, from the start. He says things like, "You should never let stupid people know that you know they're stupid. Particularly when they are your gym teacher." He talks directly to the reader, a la C.S.Lewis, "I'm sure you've noticed that a lot of books start out with some kid's first day at a new school. You can see why, of course. It makes for great suspense." From page one I cared what happened to Owen, and I felt for him. His cruel, old-school gym teacher reminded me of some of the coaches from my own middle school. Let's just put it this way: I remember overhearing snippets from the boys' side of the sixth-grade gym and being supremely glad I was a girl.

A few chapters in, I realized that Owen had so much more to deal with than his weight. His weight, in fact, was just a symptom of bigger, more heartbreaking problems. Don't worry, though, "Slob" never turns into a pitty party. Owen's wit and inventiveness get him through some tough times.

I'll be reading this book aloud to my class. (Yes, it is that good.) What are you reading?

Character Bio-Poem from Gordon Korman's Everest: "The Climb"

We just finished our adventure genre unit, complete with lots of nail-biting action and wickedly jagged story maps. Each one of you will be writing a bio-poem on a character from the adventure book you chose. Our class effort was too good not to publish, so here it is. . .

Sammi

Rowdy, reckless, extreme, energetic

daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Moon

Lover of adventure, adrenaline, and high altitudes

Who feels jealous when she misses the avalanche and bored at base camp

Who needs crampons, oxygen, and an ice axe

Who gives encouragement to her teammates and threats to Tilt when he's being mean

Who fears losing her friends

Who would like to see the summit of Mt. Everest

Resident of the U.S.A.

Moon

Have I mentioned how smart and wonderful my class is this year?

"Bystander," by James Preller

My cousin gave me an interesting book titled "Bystander", by James Preller. (Thank you, Kerry!) If you read the Jigsaw Jones mystery series when you were younger, you have already read some of Mr. Preller's work. "Bystander," however, is grown up subject matter and is more appropriate for students about to enter middle school--you!

When 12-year-old Eric moves to a new town, he thinks his only problems are fitting in at his new school and dealing with his parents' separation. Boy, is he wrong. Eric gets mixed up with the local bully, Griffin, and goes from being a witness to a target in no time. Does Eric stay a victim? Can he do anything to keep others from becoming victims, too? You'll have to read "Bystander" to find out.

I liked this book, because the topic is timely; we just had a discussion about bullies the week before I received it. Mr. Preller includes a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King on the book jacket. It says, "In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." Then he writes, "Let's all make some noise." What do you think Dr. King and Mr. Preller mean?

Missing Volume Found!

Students: You will be thrilled to learn that I now have my hands on "The Great Brain Reforms." Actually, my son does. His grandparents looked high and low for the out-of-print book, and presented it to him as an early birthday gift. As soon as he finishes it, I'll bring it to our class library. We'll do a drawing among those kids who have read all of the others to see who will get the book first. Why did these books go out of print, anyway? I feel a letter to the publisher coming on. . .

Speaking of terrific humor books, I just read "43 Cemetery Road: Dying to Meet You, " by Kate Klise, recently. Written in letter format, with plenty of quirky illustrations, it was silent-cry funny. Have you ever laughed so hard that you did the "silent cry"? If not, too bad for you! Sounds like you need to check out one of the books mentioned above. Also, I hear Klise's other books, including "Regarding the Bees" are hilarious as well. There is a whole "Regarding the. . ." series, and I will buy up as many of these at next week's book fair as I can. As soon as we get finished with "Everest: The Climb," I'll read one of Klise's books to you.

I've heard "The Enclyclopedia of Immaturity" is a knee-slapper. I haven't read it yet, because I'm afraid I'll open it and find my photo in there. . . What great humor titles can YOU recommend?

Sequel Fever

Over the holidays, I read "Catching Fire", the sequel to "The Hunger Games." The first novel dealt with many heavy-duty moral questions while providing lots of action and a bit of romance, too. While "Catching Fire" delivered more of the same, the ending disapppointed me, because it left a huge, gaping hole. (Don't worry, there won't be any spoilers here.) I don't mind a story that leaves a question or two unanswered. Life is messy; so are most good story endings. What I do mind is having to wait until August to find out what in the world is going to happen to Katniss and her friends and family. I mean, the author has literally left our heroine hanging, or, to be more exact, hovering. (Read the book if you want to know what I mean!)

Does anyone from our class have comments on sequels? Do you know of any sequels that are as good as (or better than) the original book? Most often, I find sequels to be disappointing. I don't like any of the Narnia books as well as I like "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". The same goes for the "Twilight" series. I do like all of "The Great Brain" series. One where I liked all three of the books about the same was "The House of Power" trilogy. They were all good--not my absolute favorites, but readable. Hmmm. . .I'll keep thinking.

If you're in my ELA class, and you're checking this blog, you should know that there are several prizes for reading the most minutes over the break. See you January 5th!

Holiday Reading

To read, or not to read, over the holiday break? That is the question. I hope the answer is "to read".

I sent a reading log home with my kids today. Want to know what makes me smile? Many of the kids in my class would read much more than the minimum, reading log or not. In fact, some of my kids read thousands of minutes each week. That is one of the reasons, but not the only one, that we are having a FABULOUS 2009-2010 school year.

Today I received some Barnes & Noble gift cards, and I can't wait to spend them. Thanks, kids! I'll definitely be buying a copy of "The Hunger Games" and its sequel, "Catching Fire". What will YOU be reading over the holidays?

The Great Brain

Our class discussion about old-school fiction got me thinking about one of my favorite series from when I was 10(ish). "The Great Brain," by John D. Fitzgerald, and the subsequent novels were among my favorites, even if the main character was a boy and I wasn't. Reason? They are hilarious.

Set in Utah in the late 1800's, the stories tell of the shenanigans of the narrator's older brother, Tom, a.k.a., The Great Brain. The many ways Tom invents to pry pennies, nickels, and dimes from the neighborhood kids always made me laugh. Even when Tom does a good deed, he manages to make a profit doing it. In the first book, Tom helps the new kid, Basil, fit in. Then he sets out to set Mr. Standish, the new teacher and "meanest thing on two legs", straight. The Great Brain even helps rescue some kids lost in a cave. Doesn't he sound like a saint? Well, trust me, he isn't.

When I read this with my son, he was literally slapping his leg and laughing out loud. I, too, have been known to do the "silent cry" when a fit of Tom-induced giggles gets the best of me. If you like humor, and I know a lot of you do, check out a copy of "The Great Brain". Then comment and let me know what you think of it.

Sadly, some of these books are hard to purchase. However, check your local library. And if you're in my class, you're in luck. We have most of them.

*=We have it!
*The Great Brain (1967)
*More Adventures of the Great Brain (1969)
*Me and My Little Brain (1971)
*The Great Brain At The Academy (1972)
The Great Brain Reforms (1973)
The Return of the Great Brain (1974)
*The Great Brain Does It Again (1976)
*The Great Brain Is Back (Published in 1995 from loose notes after the author's death)

Happy reading!

Old School Titles

I have been reading "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," by Barbara Robinson, to my class. They love the story of the cigar-smoking, fire-setting Herdmans as much as I do. Earlier in the school year we enjoyed "Knee-Knock Rise," by Natalie Babbitt. Both books were published in the 1970's, when I was eh-hem, young.

This got us going on a discussion about the great children's literature from the 1960's and 1970's. There are so many titles worth reading from way back when there was one lunch choice in the cafeteria and we were immunized in school. Hey, I've got nothing against the Percy Jackson series, or the House of Power, but lots of my kids swallow books whole, and they're always looking for something new to devour (go, kids!).

Some of the books that turned me into a life-long book lover include: "The Cricket in Times Square" (1963), "Where the Red Fern Grows" (1961), "Harriet the Spy" (1964), "Bridge to Terabithia" (1977), "The Great Brain" series, and anything by Judy Blume. If you're out of reading material, and all of the copies of "Catching Fire" are already checked out of the library, try an old-school title. I bet you'll be glad you did.

"The Hunger Games"

Where do I turn when I need a good book recommendation? Very often, I turn to my students who are voracious readers. You know the ones. They have a new, large book every couple of days. They log thousands of minutes in their reading logs each week. Oh, and they know words like "obliterate" and "robust" without having to look them up in the dictionary.

This week's recommendation, "The Hunger Games," by Suzanne Collins, came from Rocco M., and it didn't disappoint. It's really a middle school/young adult book, but I have many students who read above grade level and can handle the subject matter. The plot of the "The Hunger Games" is driven by a contest in which kids 12 through 18 are thrown into an arena to fight to their deaths. There can only be one winner, and his or her family enjoys a life of luxury in a world where food and water are scarce.

I was glued to this book all day Saturday. I loved the main character, a girl named Katniss, and I just had to know what her fate would be. Super-tough, super-smart female characters who still have a heart and values are my favorites. If you read this book, I'm sure you'll be hooked, too. Remember, though, this is one of those books where once you're dead, you stay dead. No magic elixirs here.

After I take a short break to dip into another genre, as is my habit, I'll be sure to read the sequel, "Catching Fire". Do any of my wonderful students have a suggestion for what I should read next?

An "Ode" by Mrs. Graves' Class

Oh, hot chocolate!

You are a luxury in winter!

You are as warm as the sun!

You are a pool of creamy chocolatiness!

Your marshmallows glisten like tiny pearls!

Oh, hot chocolate!

People in Alaska bow down to you!

What are you reading?

I just borrowed a copy of "The Hunger Games," by Suzanne Collins, from Rocco M. I promise I'll take good care of it. This book is all the rage in middle school, but I'm going to preview it before buying a copy for our classroom library. I hope it is as good as Rocco says it is. He warns that it is heavy-duty, no rainbows and unicorns. The premise reminds me of "Epic," by Conor Kostick.

What are you reading right now?