Make it a Great Day

Where is Your Homework?

Here's an excuse for not having your homework, Reading Workshop students. Feel free to use it any time.

Or, you could just do your work and be successful.

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KP Talks about Awesome Girls

What Happened in the Book You are Reading?

Students had to write about what happened in the book they are reading. The assignment was to describe what they read last night in as much detail as possible. 

Hallie set a standard of excellence:

The book I read last night is The Chronicles Of Narnia. I'm currently reading the 3rd book in the series, The Horse And His Boy. Shasta's adoptive father wants to sell Shasta into slavery. Shasta went outside the night before he was being sold and was petting the horse. He wished the horse could talk. And the horse talked. The horse said it was from Narnia and that he was going to run back to Narnia one day. The horse invited Shasta to come with him on his quest to Narnia. Shasta asked the horse's name, but he couldn't pronounce the horse's name. So he and the horse agreed on the name Bree. Shasta hopped on Bree and they were off to Narnia.

On the first day of riding they heard a lion roar. Bree ran faster, but the lion roar sounded again. Shasta saw another horse following close behind them. The lion roar sounded again. Bree went right while the other horse and rider went left. Bree and Shasta found a place to rest for the night when the other horse and rider showed up. The horse said it's name was Whin. They are both on their way to Narnia, like Bree and Shasta. The group has to walk through the desert for many days. While the group was is a town, Shasta gets pulled away by royal guards who think he's the missing prince. While Shasta is in the castle he hears a bunch of important war related stuff and how another town is planning to take down Narnia. When Shasta goes into his bedroom for the night the real prince hops in Shasta's room through the window.

The prince and Shasta switch places and Shasta sneaks out the window to get back to Bree. He finds his way to the point they were headed to next. he finds them. He tells them about the war and how they have to warn the kings and queens of Narnia. They take off very quickly. They have to beat the town trying to take down Narnia. On the way Whin and his rider get attacked by a lion. Shasta shouts a the lion and it goes away. Whin and Bree are too hurt to keep walking so they stay with Whin's rider in with a man on the way to the castle of Narnia. The man tells Shasta that he has to run in order to get there before the town does. He tells the kings and queens of Narnia about to town.

Have a Good Day

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Stay Focused

 

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Are You Writing a Great Story?

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Do You Dare to Dream?

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Reading a Good Book?

PUGS

Thank you to Chris Pirillo for allowing the editing and use of this video.

Writing a Conclusion

When writing a closing paragraph, you summarize what you have written about in your essay. The first step is to think about the main point that you want to get across to your reader. You can use your introduction as a guide saying something similar with different wording. Restate the topic sentence/main idea. End in a way that lets the reader know it is the end by "wrapping up" the essay.

You may also want to look at what each paragraph says. Use this information and restate key points from the essay. You can end with a question, thought, quote or opinion that gives your reader something to think about or consider.

Good conclusions usually do one or more of these:

• Restate the thesis or main point 
• Offer a suggestion 
• Share an opinion 
• Make a recommendation 
• End with a question 

Here is an example from Kylie:

I think readers will really enjoy this book; it is split up into short, easy–to-read chapters and often the chapters end on a 'dangerous' note. I also believe it might make the kids who read it think twice about the consequences before they break any rules and to think before they do! Micheal Northrop also made all kinds of different books in case you guys want to check them out. I really like this book and I highly recommend you guys to try it out!.

Here is an example from an essay about character in a book.

I would definitely recommend this book to others because I think a lot of girls could really relate to the main character, especially most of my friends. Also, I would recommend this book to boys, because even though it's a girl's book, it's not about being girly, and all about girls. Some boys may be able to relate to the three boys in the story! The book Spells & Sleeping Bags is one out of my two favorite books. I think Sara Mlynowski is very talented because I can really get inside the character's mind, and really get into the book as if I were the main character. 

Good Monday!

She Doesn't Know

She hates to read. She only does it because she has to for school. Reading is hard for her. She feels like she is suffering during SSR(Sustained Silent Reading). At the beginning of the year, she was fake reading a book that she didn't understand. 

She doesn't know what she doesn't know. There's a story inside of books, and excitement and adventure, and mystery, and drama, and happiness, and sadness. Books take you places that you have never been and let you go to places that you dream. Books let you meet people--some that you like and some that you hate.

I know reading is not easy for her, but it is so worth it. If only she knew. There's just so much to know about the magic in books.

I wonder if anyone ever told her things a book should do?

1) You should enjoy reading the book. You are glad you picked it up. You don't want to quit reading when SSR is over. You want to take the book home and read some more.
2) You have pictures in your head while you are reading.
3) You can hear the characters' voices while you are reading.
4) You can read most of the words on each page.
5) You know what the book is about.
6) It might be a book a friend recommended.
7) It might be a subject you want to learn more about.
8) The book is by your favorite author.
9) The book is part of a series and you can't wait to read the next one.
10) You want to talk to friends about the book and share about it on your blog.

Do Your Job Well

How are you doing at your job Reading Workshop students? Are you working to be a successful student?

Writing an Introduction

Students are working on a recent project, Problems Make the Book. A few were having trouble with the introduction. Hallie has a great example in her blog post.

A Long Walk To Water is based on a true story by Linda Sue Park. The main characters are Nya and Salva. They both live in Sudan, Africa and are suffering from droughts and wars. Both of these people's stories take place in 1985 and 2008. Nya walks 8 hours a day to go to the pond to fetch water for her family. Salva Walks away from his war-torn village. Salva is destined to cover Africa on foot to find his family and safety after his village is burned to the ground.

If you want a great example of a W's introduction pattern yours after the one above and you will do well.

It's Not Third Grade Anymore

Do You Know When to Use Apostrophes?

Image from @Grammarly 

Don't Wait to be Great!

Are You Wearing Your Glasses?

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Problems Make the Book

Today's assignment is to write about the problems in the book you are reading. In all good fictional stories, the characters face problems. This is what gives the story life and excitement. Your task is to write about the problems in the book you are reading. Please use the essay below from Megan, a student from last year's Reading Workshop. Her organization and use of specific details makes this easy to read and understand. 

This is about The Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins. This book is really good. It's one of the best books that I have read.  The Mockingjay is more about problems, so if you like books with problems this is the book for you. The main characters are Katniss, President Snow, Peeta, Gale and more.

One problem is when Katniss was in the Hunger Games she and a couple of other people were building something. Then the people with Katniss abandoned her when something went wrong, so she had to try to do something and when she did, it made something go wrong with the districts.

The second problem is . . .

The third problem is. . .

Another problem is. . .  

A last problem is. . . 

There are more problems in the book, but you would have to read the book to find them out. I think that the Mockingjay  is a good book for everybody. It's not only a girl book and it's not only and boy book it's for boys and girls. I think if you read the Mockingjay you will want to read the first and second book of The Hunger Games but if you don't you might want to read other books by Suzanne Collins. I think that everyone that reads this book will want to read it over and over it again. It's not only about problems it's also about adventure and a little bit of a mystery.

You can read the entire post at Megster's Life.

This essay is a good example of Write with Your Hand. It is organized beginning with an introduction, paragraphs in the body with specific details, and an ending that wraps up the essay. As you write your post, use this format so the reader will be able to understand your post.

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Be Awesome

Be awesome to yourself. Be awesome to everybody else. Now everything is awesome. Thanks! @iamkidpresident