The first day of school was last Wednesday. We are getting into a learning routine and together, we are slowly setting up our classroom.
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| Photo by Mrs. Yollis |
1. Read the whole time.
2. Stay in one spot.
3. Read quietly.
4. Get started right away.
5. Work on stamina.
Each day, we have a few rounds of Read-to-Self, and we chart our growth in minutes. We are up to 15 minutes of Read-to-Self time!
Today, we organized our class library!
We took all of the books out of all of the boxes and sorted them by genre. Genre is a fancy word that means we sorted them by kind or category. Some categories were:
FICTION
realistic fiction, mystery, fantasy, poetry, adventure, sports, and picture books
NONFICTION
informational text/science, informational text/animals, informational text/social studies, biographies, how-to books, math, and field guides
Some books were sorted by series because we had at least FIVE in a series.
Finally, it was time to shop for books! Students were allowed to take a reasonable amount.
What makes for a reasonable amount of books for one week?
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Students enjoyed working on their reading stamina. In our room, the Learning Lounge, you can read in a variety of places! Read at a table. |
Read on the rug. Read on a bean bag.
Read in our class library.
How did you contribute to the great library sort?
HOMEWORK Due by September 4, 2015
Leave a comment about the book you are reading that provides:
1. Your book's title (Remember to capitalize book titles!)
2. The book's author (Remember to capitalize names!)
3. The genre of your book. (realistic fiction, historical fiction, mystery, fantasy, nonfiction, biography, history, or another genre)
4. Any additional information you would like to share about your book. (How many have you read from this series? What reading comprehension skill are you working on? Any predictions you'd like to share?)
Hi, this is Keya!
ReplyDeleteI contributed to the great library sort by putting the books in the right series pile, like the American Girl series, The Magic Tree House series, and some of the Fairy books.
I put three Fairy books in my book box because they interest me. I like the endings because the fairies find their magic objects.
My favorite author is Daisy Meadows because she writes my favorite books, Rainbow Magic Fairies.
Your student,
Keya
@ Keya,
DeleteThanks so much for sorting the various series books. I like how you gave some examples of a few series. Those types of details help a reader picture what you are talking about. Well done!
You mentioned that you put three Fairy books in your box. How did that work out? Were you able to read all three in the week or was it too many?
Which fairy is your favorite and why? Are the fairies miniature?
Your book-loving teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Hi Keya,
DeleteIt's me Abby.I read fairy books too! My favorite is Lindsay the Luck Fairy, which one is your favorite? In the book, the girls have no luck at all, but then they meet Lindsay. Have fun reading!
Your friend,
Abby
Dear Keya,
DeleteThank you for your question. I would guess I have read almost 20 books. My favorites were Dinosaurs Before Dark, The Knight at Dawn, and High Tide in Hawaii. I really enjoy the series. Have a great day!
Aloha!
Kate
Dear Abby,
DeleteMy favorite fairy book is Rosie the Honey Bear Fairy because there are friendly bees that help Kirsty, Rachel and Rosie find Rosie's magic objects.
I also like it because Rachel, Kirsty and Rosie find a baby bear cub with Rosie's honey bear key chain. The mean goblins try to hide it, but Rachel and Kirsty and Rosie found it.
Your friend,
Keya
Hi Mrs.Yollis
ReplyDeleteThis is Kate. Today in the great library sort, my role was to sort chapter and picture books. I selected the Magic Tree House for my box because the characters go on adventures. I enjoy author Mary Osborne because she makes her stories very interesting and exciting.
See you tomorrow,
Kate
Dear Kate,
DeleteI like the Magic Tree House books, too! I think they are adventurous, too.
Love,
Andrew
@ Kate,
DeleteI like the Magic Tree House books too. They are a mixture of fantasy and historical fiction. Historical fiction is a type of fiction that takes place during a real time in history. For example, one book takes place during the Revolution War. I would agree with Andrew, they are also adventurous!
Which Magic Tree House is your favorite and why?
Your book-loving teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI put two bird fact books in my book box because I like studying animals. I have seen crows, hawks, eagles, pigeons, doves, vultures, sparrows, puffins, and blue birds. One of my favorite authors is Mary Pope Osborne who wrote the Magic Treehouse books. I read almost all of them.
From Andrew
@ Andrew,
DeleteI am a bird lover too! Were either of your bird books field guides?
One of my former students started a bird blog. His name is Troy, and his blog is in the sidebar. It is called Troy's Tail Tales. He'd love a comment!
Your book-loving teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteI am reading a fabulous fantasy called The BFG. It was written by the creative, yet wacky writer named Roald Dahl. In the book, he makes up all kinds of unusual words that are funny. For example, on p. 60, he is talking about snozzcumbers. The reading comprehension skill I am working on is checking for understanding.
Rayhan, I know you are reading a Roald Dahl book too. Does he make up words like he does in The BFG?
Your student,
Panda
@ Panda,
DeleteI'm reading a Roald Dahl book too, and it's called Matilda. In my book there are funny words too, for example, Trunchbull.
Your classmate,
Abigail
Dear Panda,
DeleteI am also reading a amazing book called Esio Trot by the wacky writer Roald Dahl. He was talking about tortoises on page 48. Did you know a fun
fact that if you spell the title backwards it is spelled tortoise. Have fun reading.
Your classmate,
Rayhan
Dear Mrs.Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI read the book, Greek Myths, by Usborne. The genre is mythology. Mythology is basically things like the ancient
Greek Gods and monsters like hydras, harpies and the
manticore. I really like this book because I am Greek
and because most of the book's stories are very
well written. For example,when Heracles goes to the
temple of the gods and is asked to be a slave for
King Eurystheus, it tells you what the tasks were,
not just,"He went to the temple to be a slave."
Will, I know your on the Percy Jackson book Lightning Thief,
how do you like it? Both series of Percy Jackson are awesome!
Now, I am going to sound like a teacher Will, but keep reading.
Your student,
Kostaki
@ Kostaki,
DeleteI noticed that you are very interested in mythology. When did you first start reading it? I also liked your detail sentence about King Eurystheus. Details help bring writing to life.
Great direct address of Will. I know that Will will get back to you soon!
Your proud teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
@ Kostaki,
DeleteThe Percy Jackson books are very good. My favorite
monster is the hydra. I love the hydra because it has a cool name, and when you cut off one of its heads, two more grow back.
Your student,
Will (Kostaki and Jock)
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI am reading Coco the Cupcake Fairy. The author and the illustrator is Daisy Meadows.
This is a wonderful fantasy book because there are talking fairies. I have read 50 of the Rainbow Magic fairy books. I am building my stamina. I like that you can see what is going to happen right on the first page.
Kate, how many Magic Tree House books have you read? Do you like the Magic Tree House books?
Your student,
Keya
@ Keya,
DeleteI noticed that you are a big fan of the fairy books. Daisy Meadows certainly has a lot of readers! I wonder if her real name is Daisy Meadows. It is an unusual name.
You mentioned you are working on your reading stamina. How many minutes can your read at home without stopping? How do you keep track?
Excellent direct address of Kate. I look forward to her reply to you!
Your proud teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
DeleteI can read a book for 15 minutes without stopping. I keep track by looking at the time on the clock. When I am done reading, I look at the clock to see how many minutes I read for.
What kinds of books do you like to read?
Your student,
Keya
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI'm reading a fabulous book called The Tail of Emily Windsnap and the creative author's name is Liz Kessler. It is a fantasy book because it has colorful mermaids and interesting because a girl is half mermaid. This is my first time reading this book and so far I really like it. I can not wait to read the second book!
Your student,
Abby
@ Abby,
DeleteI have seen Liz Kessler's book, The Tail of Emily Windsnap, but have never read it. You said the genre is fantasy, and I agree. Mermaids qualify as fantasy!
Are there any realistic elements? For example, does she live in the Pacific Ocean? Atlantic Ocean?
Your mermaid-loving teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
George,
ReplyDeleteI'm reading Justice League Unlimited, Defenders of the Planet and Dimensions. This book is a fictional based book. I love this book because it has one of my favorite things in the world which is Super Hero's! My absolute favorite super hero is named The Flash. I like him most of all because his super power is super speed. I enjoy reading about all of these super hero's because they stand for things that are important to me, they equal strength, power and courage!
@ George,
DeleteI have never heard of Justice League Unlimited, Defenders of the Planet and Dimensions. It sounds like it is a super hero book which is adventure and fantasy.
If you could have a super power, what would it be? I know what I'd want!
Your proud teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
@ Mrs. Yollis,
DeleteMy power would be to have super healing factor power like the wolverine in the Marvel comics and movies.
Your student,
George
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI am reading a spellbinding book called The Lost Hero, written by Rick Riordan. He writes one of my favorite genres, mythology. This book is the first book in the series, The Heroes of Olympus.
I like this book because it is based on Greek and Roman mythology. What I like most about this genre is that there are epic battles between monsters and demigods.
I first became interested in Greek mythology when my mom and I read Book of Greek Myths by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'aulaire's. I then read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.
Kostaki- Who is your favorite demigod in this series? Can you please reply soon.
Sincerely,
Aaron
@ Aaron,
DeleteYou have an astounding vocabulary! I love the word spellbinding that you used to describe The Lost Hero. I bet you learn a lot of new words by reading. What do you do when you encounter a word you don't know. Can you give us some strategies to figure out the new word?
What is your favorite demigod and why?
Your proud teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
@ Aaron,
DeleteI have no favorite demigod, I all like Jason, Percy,
Annabeth, Piper, Nico and Leo. The demigods you have not read about are Octavian, Dakota, Hazel, Frank and
Reyna. Those demigods are Roman.
Your friend,
Kostaki
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteMy book's title is The Gumazing Gum Girl! Chews Your Destiny. My book's author is Rhode Montijo, and the genre of my book fantasy. This book is a stand alone and is not part of a series. However, I would encourage the author to write a second book called, The Guamzing Gum Girl! Blows into Action. This book helps me improve my vocabulary and my fluency when reading. The book is hard to predict, but I think Gum Girl is going to save the day and her father will discover who she is.
Sincerely,
Kate
@ Kate,
DeleteI think Rhode Montijo has a good sense of humor. The word chews is used in two ways in the title. One is chews like she CHEWS a piece of gum. Second, is a bit of word play with CHOOSE your destiny. Do you hear that they sound the same? I love word play!
Does the main character chew a lot of gum? Does gum help her in some way?
Your proud teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
@ Kate,
DeleteI have also read the Gumazing Gum Girl Chews Your Destiny. I think it would be awesome to have the power to stretch like Gabby, don't you?
Your classmate,
Kostaki
Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI'm reading a book called "Shark School." The author is Davy Ocean. It is a series of four "fin-tastic" books. "Shark School" is a fantasy because sharks don't really talk or good to school in real life. The book is funny, and I think you would enjoy it too.
What is your favorite book? Who wrote it? Do you think I would like it?
Have a superb day!
Ari
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI am reading A Katie Kazoo Christmas by Nancy Krulik. The genre is realistic fiction. This is my first Katie Kazoo book. I like the book and look forward to reading other Katie Kazoo books.
Love,
Andrew
@ Andrew,
DeleteYou mentioned that you like the book, Katie Kazoo Christmas. What is it about the book that is so enjoyable? Can you give us an example or two?
Curiously,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI am reading a book called Mythlopedia Oh My Gods, and the genre is Mythology. It's by Megan E. Bryant. The book is funny. For example, on the page about Hermes, he gets a speeding ticket.
@ Kostaki, I know, you are reading Greek Myths. Is it funny too?
Your friend, Sawyer
@ Sawyer,
DeleteI like how you gave a detail sentence to support your statement that Megan E. Bryant's book is funny. Well done!
What is Hermes know for?
Your curious teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
@ Mrs. Yollis,
DeleteHermes is the messenger (like a mailman) of the Gods.
His sandals are winged which make him able to run super fast. He also guides dead souls to Hades, the God of the dead. Hades owns the underworld, a place where dead souls go. In the underworld a judge chooses if you go to Tartarus, Elysian Fields or Asphodel Meadows.
I hope you are having a nice weekend!
Sawyer
Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteI'm reading a realistic fiction book called Ramona and Her Mother. It was written by Beverly Cleary. In my opinion, I think Beverly Cleary writes the best books because she makes it so interesting and funny. I have read four books from the series. So far, they are all really fascinating. The reading skill I am working on is comprehension. I have a prediction. I think that Willa Jean (Ramona's next door neighbor) is going to like the present that Ramona is going to give.
Has anyone read any Beverly Cleary books?
Your book loving reader,
Karissa
@ Karissa,
DeleteI love Beverly Cleary books! You might not believe this, but I used to read them when I was your age! Beverly Cleary is a gifted writer.
Do you know how old Mrs. Cleary is? See if you and your parents can find out. Predict first! She must be an older woman at this point. Evidence: Mrs. Yollis used to read them when she was in elementary school.
Your Beverly Cleary loving teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
@Karissa
DeleteI have all the Ramona Quimby books. I agree that Willa Jean is going to like Ramona's present.
I think Beverly Cleary writes very funny books. I like Ramona because she is a jokester. She likes to pull pranks sometimes.
Have you read Beezus and Ramona yet? That one is my favorite.
Your friend,
Lily
@ Mrs. Yollis,
DeleteI predict that Beverly Cleary is 65-70 years old. When I looked up the internet, I figured out that she is 99 years old!!! Beverly Cleary was born in 1916 so when you subtract it from our year 2015, it will make 99.
@ Lily,
DeleteYes I have read Beezus and Ramona. So how many Ramona Quimby books do you have? My favorite so far is Ramona Quimby Age 8 because we are the same age now.
Your friend,
Karissa
@ Karissa
DeleteI have 9 of the Ramona books.
Which character is your favorite? I like Ribsy.
Your friend,
Lily
Dear Mrs. Yollis
ReplyDeleteI have been reading the fairy Bell sisters. It is a fantasy book. The author's name is Margaret McNamara. I really like to read about fairies.
Your student Bailey
@ Bailey,
DeleteI am happy that you like the Fairy Bell Sister books. Fantasy seems to be a very popular genre.
What is it about the Fairy Bell Sister books that you like? Can you give us some details?
Your fantasy-loving teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
@Mrs. Yollis
DeleteI really like how the Fairy Bell Sisters were celebrating Christmas because that is my favorite holiday. I also like how there were five sisters, and they were always working as a team.
From,
Bailey
Hi Mrs Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI am wondering if you received Will's book review, twice? The first time he hit preview and it vanished so he did it again and just hit publish and again it vanished. I'm hoping it's safe to assume that you have received them! As you are monitoring these "comments" I also hope this is an acceptable way to communicate with you regarding this matter ; )
I love how he is using details to convey his thoughts. This is a new skill and one that makes communication so much more interesting! If only his 17 year old brother used these skills.
Thank you very much for all that you do!
Christina, Will's mom.
@ Christina, Will's mom,
DeleteUnfortunately I did not get Will's comment. Sometimes a comment disappears as you press publish. :-( Yours came through, so I'm not sure what's happening.
I used to have comments disappear when I used the Chrome browser. I'd switch to Firefox, and it would work. I had the tech guy from our district look at my Chrome browser settings and he fixed it.
I encourage everyone to save the comment [command + C] before publishing. That way you will still have the comment on the clipboard.
Blogging really improves literacy. The constant practice with quality writing really pays off!
Warmly,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI have been reading a book called Matilda by Roald Dahl. I love this book because the main character, Matilda, enjoys reading just like me. My favorite part of the story is when Miss Honey, her teacher, asks a math question on page 71, "What is two times four hundred and eighty seven?" Then Matilda says the correct answer, "Nine hundred and seventy-four." It is very interesting how Matilda knows that much even though she is only four years old.
The genre of my book is children's fiction. There is also a movie based on the book, and I love them both.
Love,
Abigail
@ Abigail,
DeleteThis is Kostaki's mom, Maria. I was wondering, did you know that Matilda the Musical was playing this summer at the Ahmanson Theatre? Did you see it? I didn't, but I saw the Tony Awards last year, and they performed some excerpts from the Matilda Broadway production. I love live theatre and was especially watching the awards because one of my former teachers won a Tony Award for scenic design! I was so happy for him!!!
Parts of Matilda in the musical production they showed on the Tony's were creepy. I was wondering, was that the same in the book? Were there any spooky parts, or do you think that was that just the director increasing the stakes for a stage production?
Curious,
Kostaki's mom, Maria
Dear Mrs. Yollis
ReplyDeleteI read the book The Candymakers. It is by Wendy Mass. The genre is realistic fiction. It is an awesome book for kids that love to eat candy because it takes place in a candy factory. It is very mouth-watering. While I was reading it, I had to ask my mom for a piece of candy. And luckily, she said yes. The book is about a contest among four children. The winner of the contest will be awarded the title of Candymaker. There is a funny sentence where a visiting Candymaker says that Logan, the Candymaker's son, has some mighty big footsteps to follow. The Candymaker replies "hey my feet aren't that big."
Your student,
Lily
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteThis is Maddie. Over the past few days, I have been reading a great autobiography by Alex Morgan, Breakaway Beyond The Goal .
Alex Morgan is a World Cup soccer player. What I like about this book is that it shows me that hard work really pays off.
It inspires me to work hard for what I really want. What inspires you?
Hi Mrs Yollis,
ReplyDeleteHopefully this blog entry works!
The book that I read is called The Lightning Thief which was written by Rick Riordan, The genre of this book is mythology and fantasy.
My favorite part of the book is at the beginning when he says, "Look, I didn't want to be a half blood. If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is:close this book right now. I think it is funny because he is telling the reader not to read the book!
The reading skill I am working on is fluency because I want to get better at reading out loud.
The Lightning Thief is the first book of this series and so far it's the best.
Hi Kostaki. I thought The Lightning Thief was very good and I like Hydra becuase when you cut off one of it's heads two more grow back!
Sincerely,
Will
Dear Mrs Yollis and class ,
ReplyDeleteThis is Héloise. Over the summer I read a superbe, realistic fiction book titled Anastasia Krupnik, written by Lois Lowry. I liked this book a lot because the story is about a little girl and I liked that the girl always changes her mind. For example at the beginning of the book when she learned that she was gonna have a baby brother she thought she would hate him but at the end of the book she loves him. I also liked that Lois Lowry 's writting is easy to understand for me.
The reading comprehension skill I am working on is checking for understanding.
Sincerely,
Heloise
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI published 2 blog comments yesterday but somehow the comments did not show up.
I had fun organizing our library with my classmates. We sorted out chapter books, picture books, poems, fiction and non-fiction books. I am going to start reading a new book by Roald Dahl called The Twits. I know you like this writer. I can tell by looking at the cover that it will be wacky. I will let you know more after I finish reading it.
Your student,
Rayhan
Hi. I'm testing to see if my comments work.
ReplyDeleteYour Student,
Stella
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI finished reading Roxy the Baking Fairy today. The author is Daisy Meadows. It is a fantasy book because there are talking fairies and fairies are not real.
One thing I like about the series is that in every Rainbow Magic book there is Jack Frost. Jack Frost is a bad goblin. In this book, he took the cookie cutter from Roxy the Baking Fairy. That made her loose her magic to cut cakes and cookies. But in the end she and her friends work together to get her magic cookie cutter back. That was a good ending.
Your student,
Stella
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI am reading a book called Fire and Ice by Shannon Hale. Fire and Ice is the fourth book in my favorite book series called 'Spirit Animals'. I have read a total of four books in this series.
I love this series because it is fantasy about animals and children. I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves animals!
Your student,
Jock
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI have read Curious George, I like when George puts the man's big yellow hat on because he looks silly with the yellow hat. I like the end because he is holding the balloon he flys.