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November 27, 2009: Flag #32
Romania has been represented by a visit to our website. This makes the 32nd nation from around the world to see our pages. Click on the Flag Counter to learn more about this country.
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November 26, 2009: Lighten Up
Remember to bring your flashlight to class starting Monday. We will need to practice our cave tours in the dark soon – providing you know your part.
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November 25, 2009: Preparing the Stage
Mr. Culbertson and I spent more than seven hours at the school today (on our day off!) decorating the stage for the upcoming Christmas program. We used torn paper to create a North Pole mountain range for the background, complete with glow-in-the-dark stars and another added special-effects surprise you will have to see to believe.
We added snow covered icicles, hanging from the front edge of the stage to complete a three-dimensional look, and I must admit, the stage is looking more and more like a Christmas card.
Half of the fourth grade chorus will be on the stage, with the other half will be on risers on the auditorium floor. This will allow us more flexibility to do the acting on the stage, get part of the chorus into the audience, and sing two-part songs. These, along with special lighting, strobe lights, emergency lights, a disco ball, and for machines, will round out the coolest holiday program our school has ever seen.
Look out, Branson!
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November 14, 2009: Holiday Homework Competition
Since I will be out of town at the state teachers meeting, there will be no homework this week, and since we are out of school for three days the next week, there will be no homework then either.
HOWEVER, on November 23, I will be sending home a page announcing a Thanksgiving Break Homework Competition. This fun page of items is not an official assignment, but will be worth a free homework coupon to the student(s) who earn the most points on the paper. This will be a contest in which you can involve your entire family.
Until then, of course, my lips are sealed about this.
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November 12, 2009: Flag #31
It’s hard to believe, after all this time, that no one from Mexico has checked out website until now. Mexico, just south of the U.S. border, is finally represented by a flag in our Flag Counter.
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November 10, 2009: Showing Feelings
Here is another post from Mr. Salsich’s class in Stonington, Connecticut:
A good way to help the reader visualize is to describe the feelings of the people in your story. If you just write, “I was mad” the reader might not be able to really picture it. Here are some examples of “showing” that same feeling:
I was so mad I felt like steam was coming out of my head. I was as red as an apple. I crossed my arms and stomped my feet. – Nicholas P.
My face was red hot. There was steam coming out of my ears. I wanted to shout. I was stomping my feet and I broke every pencil I could find. – Lucy
I could feel my face getting steaming hot. I was as hot as lava! I was so furious my head felt like a pot on a stove. I clenched my teeth. – Nick R.
I was pounding my fist. It felt like fire was going to come out of my ears. I growled and showed my teeth. I burst out screaming in anger. – Caitrin
Picture This
Here are some more descriptions of other strong feelings. Try to picture the character and guess what they are feeling.
I was yawning. Under my eyes was as purple as a grape. I flopped down on my bed and didn’t bother to pull up the covers. -Benjamin
After recess on a warm sunny day I was sweating bullets. I felt like boiling steam was coming out of my mouth. I ran to the water fountain to get enormous gulps of water. Then I said, “Ahhhh!” -Gabby
It was night and the rain was coming down. There were no lights. Suddenly I jumped because the door opened but there was nobody there! -Abdullah
I had the sniffles and tears were rolling down my cheeks. I was very miserable. -Grace
My teeth were chattering and I felt like a giant popsicle. -Joseph
I was walking down the hallway with a tray of cupcakes. A first grader saw me and was hopping up and down with his arms over his head like an Olympic winner. He said, “Yes! Cupcakes are really good!” He kept following me wherever I went. Finally he said, “So who are those for?” with his hands behind his back. I told him they were for the teachers. Then he immediately went to a sad puppy face and walked away with his arms drooping in front of him. -Graham
I was blushing. My face was as red as a raspberry. I looked down so I couldn’t see anyone. -Nathan
I was shivering and my lips were blue. -Ireland
I was sweaty and my face turned red like a strawberry. I was panting. I felt like the Ghost Rider with flames on my head. -Kyle
He threw his arms up in the air and screamed “Yipee!” at the top of his lungs. -Mateo
My stomach growled. I looked at my piece of cake and licked my lips. I knew it was going to taste so good! -Madison
I looked away and closed my eyes. I covered my head with my hands and dropped on the floor in a ball of terror. -Cole
Do these descriptions help you understand “show don’t tell”?
Did we “paint” clear pictures?
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November 9, 2009: Flags 29 and 30
Our website had a visitor from Oman recently.Oman is a country about the size of Kansas. It borders Saudi Arabia.
We also had a guest from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnia and Herzegovina declared their independence in the 1990s. This nation is located in Europe.
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November 7, 2009: Descriptive Language (Updated)
With the reading of Hatchet, we’ve been talking about ways to improve your writing. We really want it to come alive, be interesting, and to POP! Mr. Salsich, a third grade teacher in Stonington, Connecticut has put some great examples from his students on their class website. I’ve copied it here for you:
We have been learning a lot about writing with specific details. We want to use words and details to “paint a picture” in the reader’s mind. Good writing can make the reader imagine exactly what is happening. “Show Don’t Tell”
One way we have been trying to add details to our writing is by using “Show Don’t Tell.” If you are asking yourself, “what does that mean?” here are some student explanations:
Telling means just saying “then this happened, then that happened.” Showing means you say some details about it – Benjamin
“Show don’t tell” means you can’t just write a list down, you have to put details in your writing so the reader will be interested. – Gabby
You show them with your words so they can picture it. – Brianna
Don’t just write “I hit a home run.” That’s just telling. Add more details to it so the reader can make a mind movie. – Lucy
Maybe we should stop telling you what it means and show you! Here are some great examples of writing with details so the reader can visualize what is happening. Try to picture these scenes:
It was pitch black in the room. My legs were shaking and my teeth were chattering. – David
I was about to have dinner. I was carrying the plate of pasta. I was looking back at my brother and all of a sudden…Wham! I wasn’t looking where I was going and I hit the wall. The pasta splattered all over the dining room. It looked like an atomic pasta bomb went off! – Karin
The tiny dog was the size of a “five dollar foot long.” His name was Jacoby. Jacoby’s eyes were like two marbles changing colors. He had such white teeth that he was in the world record book. – Sean
I walked up to the batter’s box. The pitcher pitched the ball, it looked like it was going 100 mph. “Strike One!” the ump called. He pitched again. “Strike two!” I had one more chance. I was sweating like crazy, it felt like it was raining. He pitched the ball and I swung my bat. CRACK! I hit the ball so high I couldn’t see it. I ran to first. I watched the outfielder going back for the ball. “No!” I yelled. I looked away. Then I looked back. I saw the outfielder diving for the ball. BOOM! He hit the wall. So I looked at the ball and it went over the fence. “Yes!” I screamed. A home run! – RJ
My dog has the softest tummy ever. He has medium sized marble eyes and a small wet nose. He has a diamond collar with a light blue strap. The collar says “woof” in bubble letters. He loves when people rub his tummy, but he barks when cars come in the driveway. – Tia
The giraffe’s big round teeth chomped on the juicy leaves. Then the teeth suddenly stopped. Its big glassy eye as big as a grape stared right into my little blue eyes. It looked like it had mini brown stop signs all over its body – Caitrin
The last two minutes were intense. Once we fired the pulse cannon it was all downhill for the enemy craft. The pulse cannon was a direct hit. Now all we needed was enough power to generate the laser cannons. Luckily we had just enough power to fire all the laser cannons. Whether they would hit counted on the gunner… – Nick B.
