I’m enjoying reading about the main character, Georgia Walker, because she has lot of guts and is very creative. Her passion for yarns and knitting touches me because I feel that way about quilting. I love the idea of creating something that will be used by a loved one. However, it makes me sad that so many of the characters are not happy with their lives.
I’ve enjoyed reading Matilda with the reading classes. It is fun to see students laugh and enjoy the funny situations that Roald Dahl creates. I’ve also liked seeing students understand that it is o.k. to stand up for yourself when others are mean to you. As an adult reader, it makes me realize that adults can have an enormous impact on children.
One of the best things about going to Cattleman’s is seeing students enjoy themselves in a setting away from school. The hayride, searching for rattlesnakes, and seeing a real tank were new experiences for many. I enjoyed listening to the conversations about topics ranging from vegetarians, to ghosts in El Paso and the delicious food. Mrs. Werthman’s ghost stories were once again a highlight of the trip. Mooo!!!
Literature Response to
The-Not-Just-Anybody Family
by Betsy Byars
I enjoy books written by Betsy because I feel that she presents situations and ideas that are representative of actual experiences, although some of the situations her characters find themselves in are a little wild.
When Betsy Byars writes about Junior waking up in the hospital and feeling so alone it reminds me of being in the hospital when I was about nine years old. I had had surgery on my left eye, so I had bandages on my head. I can remember waking up and being totally disoriented and trying to figure out where I was. Although my mom came to visit, our house was over an hour from the hospital and my mom had to be at home to take care of my brothers and my father. Junior’s feelings of loneliness and abandonment touch my heart because I felt that way myself when I was in the hospital.
The bickering between Vern, Maggie and Junior make me realize that the fights my brothers and I had as we grew up are typical of most families.
This is an example of a character sketch. You will be completing a character sketch about a character from the book you are reading. The more details that you include, the more interesting your sketch will be.
Little Red Riding Hood has impressed me as a character that is self-sufficient and caring. The author says that this is a small girl who helps her mom by taking food to her grandmother. She wears a long red cape with a hood. She is brave to walk through the woods on her own. When she gets to her grandmother’s house she notices that her grandmother does not look the same as usual. She tells her grandmother that she has large teeth and a big eyes. When she realizes that the wolf has eaten her grandmother she has the common sense to run to get her father who saves her grandmother.
An article that I was reading this summer stated that the biggest reason students don’t read is that they don’t know what book to read next. As a child and even as an adult, I am sometimes overwhelmed by the number of books to choose from when I walk into a library or a bookstore. However, I have found several techniques that help me choose books. I hope these will help you, too.
- Find a series of books that you like such as The Magic Tree House, The Babysitter Club, The Berenstein Bears, Animorphs, or the Harry Potter Series. There are lots of series at every reading level.
- Look for books written by an author you have enjoyed. Some possible authors you might be familiar with are Betsy Byars, Roahl Dahl, Beverly Cleary, Gary Paulsen, or J.K. Rowling.
- Ask your friends what books they have enjoyed lately.
- Read the blurb on the inside of the book.
- Look for a book that is in a genre that you enjoy such as a mystery, adventure, or fantasy book.
- Pick a book that is a length that seems reasonable - not too long and not too short. Also check out the print in the book. Is it easy for you to read or is it too crowded?
- Try reading a page. Are there five or more words that you don’t know? Too hard. Does the book seem interesting to you?
My goal for this year is to inspire each of you to find books that you like to read. Once you can do that reading is fun. What do you think?