Discussion Question # 3

Once again I am impressed with the amount of improvement many of you are making. Last week you showed that you can really share your thoughts and put forth a great effort when doing so. I am pleased with your hard work and look forward to reading your responses this week!

The question this week is about making predictions. Good readers are always making predictions about what they think will happen next in the story they are reading. When you make a prediction, you are challenging your brain to try and tell the future. Even though none of us have the ability to magically tell what is going to happen in the future, when you use all the information the story has already given you, often times you can correctly predict what will happen next. It is always fun to try, and there is no penalty if you are wrong. One of my favorite moments any time I read is when I predict something that is going to happen and i get it right!!

Your mission this week is to make a prediction about the story you are currently reading. As always, write the author and the book title. After you make a prediction, share 2-3 sentences from the book that helped you make your prediction.

example: I am currently reading "Sluggers: Magic in the Outfield" by Phil Bildner (who is also the visiting author at BHE this week!). It is a story about a traveling baseball team and the struggles they go through to make money and survive on the road. My prediction after reading the first chapter is that Uncle Owen (the main characters great uncle) will be murdered soon and force Griffith (his oldest nephew) to take run away with his brothers and sisters. The reason I made this prediction is because of a conversation Uncle Owen has with one of his nephews named Griffith. "Uncle Owen lifted his hand and placed it on Griffith's cheek. "Griff, great danger lies ahead." What kind of danger?" Griffith's eyes met his uncle's. "An unspeakable kind". Uncle Owen choked on his words."

Remember: Try your very best in everything you do.

PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION,

Mr. Dickson

Discussion question #2 - summarizing

Let me just say first and foremost how PROUD I am of you for last weeks responses! I thought the majority of you did a wonderful job of following the example and really sharing your thoughts. I know your responses will continue to improve and I can't wait to see what you'll write next!

This week we've been working on summarizing. Summarizing is the art of taking A LOT of information from a story or article and shrinking it down to point of the most important facts. We use summarizing all the time to give information to people quickly. Your assignment due Thursday is to write a one paragraph summary of the book you are currently reading at home.  For the purpose of this assignment, your paragraph should consist of 5-7 sentences. Remember, focus on the "need to know" instead of the "nice to know" information.

Example (as always, include the book you are reading and the author's name):

I am reading Lone Survivor: The eyewitness account of Operation Redwing and the lost heroes of SEAL team 10. It is a true story, that like many books about the Navy SEALs, starts out right in the middle of the action. There is a bit of a lead up to this and it starts with Marcus Luttrell, the lone survivor, going through his tough, country style upbringing in Texas. At a very young age Luttrell decides he wants to become a Navy Seal, seeking out help and training from a former Green Beret named Billy Shelton. The difficult challenges that he faces while training to become a SEAL are shown in a lot of detail from the physical, mental, and emotional point of view.


I'm looking forward to your responses. Remember, we just began learning how to summarize, so don't get upset if you don't get it exactly right the first time. PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION!!

Mr. Dickson

Discussion Question # 1

In class we have been discussing the importance of descriptive writing. When an author uses a good desription to paint a picture in your mind, it really helps you enjoy the book. In the book that we are currently reading in class, "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George, the author uses wonderful descriptions of the wilderness and the mountains to make the reader feel like you are surving in the wild along with the main character, Sam Gribley.

Here is an example from the book, where Sam is describing his tree house, "My bed is on the right as you enter, and is made of ash slats and covered with deerskin. On the left is a small fireplace about knee high. It is made of clay and stones. It has a chimney that leads the smoke through a knothole. I chipped out three other knotholes to let fresh air in. The air coming in is bitter cold. It must be below zero outside, and yet I can sit here inside my tree and write with bare hands. The fire is small too. It doesn't take much fire to warm this tree room."

Your assignment this week is to find a description from the book you are currently reading, and post it on this blog. Explain in several sentences why you chose the description. Be sure to include the title of the book and the author.

Have fun!!

Mr. Dickson

Welcome back to another great year 2011-12

Dear parents and students,

Welcome to our classroom blog! The purpose of this blog is to share what we have been working on in class with friends and family at home. Your students will post on here once a week for a reading discussion question. When we have big classroom projects or video presentations, we will be posting those as well. There is also a challenge club that poses 100 seperate challenges for the students. Their progress will be monitored in class. It is optional, but I always encourage your kids to really go for it and challenge themselves, even outside of the classroom!

I look forward to an amazing year, and can't wait to see all that your children accomplish!

enthusiastically,

Mr. Dickson