A Visit with Margaret Peterson Haddix

March 25th, 2011 by tinakamo

 


On Friday, 3/18 we were very fortunate to participate in a writing workshop with Margaret Peterson Haddix, the author of Dexter The Tough, The Girl with 500 Middle Names, the Missing series and many other books.  She talked about how to develop characters in your stories.  What did you learn from her that you think is important to remember?  How do you think she applied her ideas for character development when she wrote Dexter The Tough?  How can you use what you learned from her in your next story?

Posted in General Discussion, Literature Discussions | 15 Comments »

Androcles and the Lion

November 17th, 2010 by tinakamo

Today we watched a wonderful play written by Aurand Harris and performed by Keaka Kamehameha.  What do you think are some of the big ideas of “Androcles and the Lion?”  What makes you think that?

Posted in General Discussion, Literature Discussions | 17 Comments »

Cowgirl Peg

November 3rd, 2010 by tinakamo

Today we explored Cowgirl Peg’s website in preparation for her visit.  What did you learn?  Any wonderings?  What questions do you have for Cowgirl Peg?

Posted in General Discussion, Literature Discussions | 19 Comments »

Got Books?

October 14th, 2010 by tinakamo

What a fabulous book fair we attended today!  There were so many wonderful books to choose from!  How do you select the books you buy at the book fair or the books you borrow from the Hi’ilei Media Center?  What kinds of things do you consider?  Why?  Can you provide an example?

Posted in General Discussion, Literature Discussions | 22 Comments »

Bookin’ It

September 14th, 2010 by tinakamo

We’ve talked a little about some of our favorite books and authors.  Tell me more.  What do you like best about reading?  Why?  What are some of your favorite reading experiences?  Why?

Posted in General Discussion, Literature Discussions | 23 Comments »

Secret of Zoom

September 1st, 2010 by tinakamo

If anyone had peeked into our room over the last couple of weeks they’d have heard us asking:  “What will happen to Christina and Taft?  What is going on at the orphanage?  Will Christina ever get to experience the world outside?  Where does the secret tunnel lead?”

So many questions!  Lynne Jonell has us wrapped up in an exciting story that keeps us reading and thinking.  Share your thoughts about the story. What connections have you made?  What can you infer?  What do you wonder about?

Posted in General Discussion, Literature Discussions | 63 Comments »

ish

May 4th, 2010 by tinakamo

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Today we read “ish” by Peter H. Reynolds.  What do you think were some of the big ideas?  What connections did you make to Ramon?  Have you ever been ready to quit? Did you overcome the feeling?  How?

Posted in General Discussion, Literature Discussions | 22 Comments »

Listen to the Wind

April 12th, 2010 by tinakamo

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Today we heard the story of Greg Mortensen and the friends he made in Korphe.  We talked about some of the big ideas: Appreciation, Helping/Giving (We all have something to give), Being Resourceful, Moving Forward and Teamwork.  What are your thoughts about this true story?  Any questions?  Connections?  Do you think there are some other big ideas we didn’t discuss?

Posted in Literature Discussions, Social Studies | 21 Comments »

An Illustrator’s Visit

January 19th, 2010 by tinakamo

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Wow!  What a wonderful visit we had with Robin Racoma today.  Share your thoughts about her presentation.  What did you learn that you think is important to remember?  Were you left with any wonderings?

Posted in General Discussion, Literature Discussions | 23 Comments »

Those Shoes

December 3rd, 2009 by tinakamo

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Today we talked about the big ideas in “Those Shoes” by Maribeth Boelts. Some of the ideas we talked about were WANT, NEED, POPULARITY, SHAME, TEASING and KINDNESS. What important ideas did you think of when we read this story? Do you think you would have given Antonio those shoes? Why or why not? Why do you think Jeremy wanted those shoes so badly? What connections did you make?

Posted in General Discussion, Literature Discussions, Social Studies | 19 Comments »

The Magician’s Elephant

October 13th, 2009 by tinakamo

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We’ve just started reading Kate DiCamillo’s intriguing new tale. The story began with Peter Augustus Duchene using his only florit on the answer to ONE question he asked a fortuneteller. If you could ask a fortuneteller only one question, what would it be? Any other thoughts on the story so far?

Posted in General Discussion, Literature Discussions | 29 Comments »

What books are you “fall”ing into this break?

October 4th, 2009 by tinakamo

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We have lots of time to sink into some great books during our Fall Break.  What are you reading?  Would you recommend it to anyone else?  Tell us all about it…

Posted in General Discussion, Literature Discussions | 10 Comments »

FOX

October 2nd, 2009 by tinakamo

Fox

When we read Fox by Margaret Wild we had a lot of interesting responses to the story. Some of the big ideas we identified are GREED, ENVY, LOYALTY, FEAR, TRUST, and RESPECT. What is your response to this powerful story?

Posted in General Discussion, Literature Discussions | 22 Comments »

Ron’s Big Mission

September 23rd, 2009 by tinakamo

Ron's Big Mission

We’ve been discussing the book, Ron’s Big Mission, by Rose Blue and Corinne J. Naden.  Some of the words that came up in our discussions are POWER (who has it?  how do they get it?), MONEY, FAIR  (is this the same as “equal?”) and CHANGE.  Ron felt so strongly about his mission that he stood up to adults, including police officers, to complete it. Is there any “mission” (real or imagined) you feel that strongly about? Please explain.  You may also comment on our class discussions about this topic.

Posted in General Discussion, Literature Discussions, Social Studies | 32 Comments »

Janell Cannon

September 2nd, 2009 by tinakamo

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Today Janell Cannon visited our school. How lucky were we! After reading Pinduli and Verdi and hearing her speak, what comments and questions do you have?

Posted in General Discussion, Literature Discussions | 30 Comments »

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