Comparing Characters

Our study of Tomie dePaola has led to some great, in class discussions. Students have held whole group and small group discussions about Tomie's books, characters, and story themes. Guiding questions included:

What is your favorite Tomie dePaola book? Least favorite? Why?
Who is your favorite character? Least favorite? Why?
What character do you most relate to? Give examples.
What character would you most want to be friends with? Why?
What is the theme of Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs? What evidence supports your interpretation?


Our discussions about characters led to a more focused conversation about the characters Big Anthony and Strega Nona. These characters appear in many of Tomie's books including Strega Nona, Big Anthony, Strega Nona Meets Her Match, and Strega Nona's Magic Lessons just to name a few. After much discussion about the characters, students were asked to list five character traits that best represent each of them. The results of their lists have been compiled in the Wordles below (click the Wordle for a larger view). The larger the word, the more often the word was seen on students' lists.

Our first Wordle represents Strega Nona:


Our second Wordle represents Big Anthony:


Take a look at the largest words. These were the most popular traits according to our students surveys. Do you agree with our interpretations? Let us know! We can't wait to hear from you as we continue to explore Tomie dePaola!

Our Tomie dePaola Author Study

We have begun our author study of the wonderful, Tomie dePaola. He is the well known and loved author and illustrator of over 200 children's books! Some classic favorites include:










We are so excited to explore the worlds Tomie dePaola creates in his many books. We have already discovered that Tomie's books fall into a variety of genres including fantasy, realistic fiction, folktales, legends, and memoirs. We are anxious to discover the crafts Tomie utilizes as an author, and see if we can apply those crafts in our own writing!

To learn more about Tomie dePaola, you can visit his website.

The Powers of Persuasion!!!

This month, our class explored the world of persuasive reading and writing. We began by studying and creating printed advertisements. Next came commercials. After thorough research in class and at home, we began crafting our own commercials. This activity fit in perfectly with our most recent Book of the Month, Big Chickens, by Leslie Helakoski.


Students worked in pairs to choose a persuasive topic based on the book. Topics ranged from persuading the audience to read the book, to persuading characters within the book to make certain choices. We are pleased to present a few of our commercials for your viewing pleasure, but we warn you, our powers of persuasion are strong!


Poffersons Persuade the Big Chickens from Lauren Morgan on Vimeo.

America's Biggest Bedtime Story

Today we helped donate books to kids in need. We did it without even leaving our classroom. Would you like to know how? All we did was visit the Book It! homepage to read a bedtime story with John Lithgow. When we got there we saw that it was more than him just reading us a story. When you sign in, you tell the website how many people are in the room watching. If more than 60,000 people tune in, then First Book will donate $10,000 to kids who need books.

The story was really funny. We even got to sing along with him! That's right...sing! If you want to hear the story at home and sign a bedtime story contract with your parents, go ahead, but be sure to post a comment and tell us all about it. In fact, you can watch the story and sing along as much as you want...just be sure to do it before the 21st. That's the last day it will be available. Enjoy!

TOMS Shoes...a chance to help those in need!

Once upon a time there was a guy named Blake who decided to try to make a difference. He had traveled all over the world, but could not forget about the children he saw in Argentina. They were sweet and kind but they had a big problem...they didn't have any shoes. Maybe you're thinking this is no big deal. Maybe you're thinking, "Gee, I would love it if I didn't have to worry about wearing shoes...no time wasted tying those pesky laces...I could run around the yard and feel the grass between my toes...that sounds nice."

The thing is...these kids didn't have shoes at all. Ever. But they still had to walk miles to get water and food and do other chores. Sometimes they were walking on nice soft grass...but they also walked on mud and sticks and rocks. It hurt their feet and it even made them sick.

Now, this guy Blake just didn't like this. In fact, it bothered him so much that he decided to change all of that. He started a company called TOMS Shoes. He made a rule called "one for one." You're probably wondering what that means. It's like this...he designed some simple shoes in lots of colors and if you buy a pair, he gives a pair to a child in Argentina who doesn't have any. Then, they can go to school (you can't go barefoot) and do their chores and play, without getting sick.

And Blake doesn't just mail the shoes down or drop them from a plane and let the kids fight over them. He gathers up groups of his friends and other people who just want to do something nice, and they go down together and meet the kids in the villages. Then they help them find just the right size and put the new shoes on their feet.

So far, Blake has given away over 140,000 pairs of shoes, but he wants to give away a lot more. In fact, he made a goal to give away over 300,000 just this year! But he needs our help. Maybe you can't buy a pair, but you can do something. You can come to school with SOCKS and shoes on Thursday, April 16th...then slip your shoes off in the classroom for a day without shoes. We can support the cause by letting all our friends and family know about this special opportunity to make a difference in South America.

A Rocky Friendship: Chet's Rock Collection

Even though I'm in Pakistan with Rida right now, I'm still trying to keep up with all the things you're learning. I heard you were learning how to classify (sort) rocks based on their properties or characteristics. You guys sure are learning a lot of new science words. It's hard for me to keep them all straight. I had Miss P and Miss Hoffmann send me a list of the new vocab words you've been using to discuss rocks and I'm a little overwhelmed.
I have a bunch of pet rocks in my collection, and I'm working hard to classify all the rocks I see according to the following properties: color, texture (ex. rough, smooth, bumpy), luster (shiny, dull, metallic, glassy), density (heavy or light), hardness (how solid is it...do small pieces crumble off on your hands...what would it take to scratch your mineral), and streak (by rubbing your rock across an unglazed piece of tile, does it leave a streak mark...what color is the streak). I am having a lot of fun sorting the rocks based on one or more properties at a time. It's just like "Guess My Rule," from Math Workshop.
I also heard that you learned about the three types of rocks: Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic. I have a favorite rock over here. It's very small, but it has different shades of brown in it. It looks kind of like the inside of a candy bar. A dark layer, then two lighter layers, and another dark layer. When I'm really hungry, it's hard not to take a bite! Good thing Rida is here with me to hand me a real candy bar instead, so I don't ruin my teeth! Being the geologist in training that I am, I was hoping you could help me figure out if it is Igneous, Sedimentary, or Metamorphic. Which one do you think it is?

Also, if you have extra time, enjoy this game about rocks and solids. Just follow the directions to grab a rock and drop it on the tester. Then make a mental hypothesis about whether it will sink or float and watch what happens! Let me know how it goes. :)

Head in the Clouds...

Hiya fellow meteorologists! Chet here to remind you of a special extra credit opportunity. Today we talked about Cumulus, Cirrus, and Stratus clouds. We read descriptions of them, looked at pictures of them online, and made sketches of them. We also looked at our previous cloud drawings and observations to practice classifying clouds. Tonight, take a moment to pull out your cloud booklet and read it with someone in your family. Then, take a walk and look up at the sky (try to do this before sunset for a better view). Talk about the clouds you see and what type you think they could be. Have an adult sign your cloud booklet to earn an extra credit point in science.

When you're done, try this cool game! Leave me a post to let me know how your cloud walk went...or what cloud you drew in the game. I love sitting back and relaxing outside, gazing up at the sky, looking for fluffy cumulus clouds that look just like me..."beary" cute and cuddly.

So long for now...

Chet Bear