February 8: All Rebecca Caudill responses are due.
February 18: The Rebecca Caudill Voting Party!
Keep reading and responsding!!
Mrs. Cook
The 2010 Rebecca Caudill books are ready and waiting for you in our GMS Library! Many of you probably remember, from past years, that Rebecca Caudill did not write the books on the list. Instead, each year Illinois students across the state vote to honor an outstanding author with the award, which was named after Rebecca Caudill (an Illinois author) because of her contributions to literature for young people.
I hope you are looking forward to:
•Quick Talks Your English teachers will “lend me your ears” for one class period, giving me an opportunity to share what I like about each of the twenty books on this year’s list. I will, as I do every year, go out on a limb to predict the winner and, yes, I will also honestly tell you if, and why, a book is not my favorite.
•Blog Responses Remember those paper response forms? RCYRBA at GMS is going “green” by eliminating paper responses. You will be able to use this blog to log in your reading responses. Please remember to answer the questions completely and to always use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation; you are publishing for the world. Also, if you would like to generate discussion on any of the books, you can comment on other students’ responses. Note: Click on “Older” at the top of page 1 to get to other other pages of response questions.
•The Voting Party Who doesn’t like doughnuts, prizes (books and other goodies), and time with other classmates who love to read? Read and respond to just six books on the RC list to qualify for the February 2010 voting party. Right now, that means reading just one book each month!
All the Lovely Bad Ones is not just a ghost story. It is also historical fiction about a very sad episode in our past. List five things that you learned about the poor farms that existed in the early 1800s.
What was the condition for Paolo’s father allowing him to play the violin in his presence? Why did Paolo Levi finally decide to answer the “Mozart Question?”
Always feel free to add your opinion and/or recommendations of the book you are blogging.
What was the condition for Paolo’s father allowing him to play the violin in his presence? Why did Paolo Levi finally decide to answer the “Mozart Question?”
I loved getting to know Joseph in Kimchi & Calamari. Pretend that you are Joseph and complete the following statements based on your knowledge of the book.
Other people think that…
What I really like is…
One day I will…
I really dislike…
I like people who…
My favorite thing to do is…
Jeremy Fink in Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life is one of the most likeable characters I have encountered. Try to “capture” Jeremy in a cinquain, a five line unrhyming poem that follows this pattern:
Line 1: One word (use the name of the character).
Line 2: Two words (adjectives that describe the character).
Line 3: Three words (action “-ing” verbs that relate to the character).
Line 4: Four words (indicate a feeling related to the character).
Line 5: One word (a noun that summarizes the character named in Line 1).
In Elephant Run, Roland Smith develops several life-lesson themes throughout the story. Choose ONE of the following themes and use specific examples from the novel to connect events and characters to the theme you have chosen. Choose one of the following themes: Sacrifice or Power or Honor or Prejudice. (Your response should be at least five sentences long.)
Imagine that you are either Peter or Thea from First Light and write a diary that the character may have written. Choose an exciting or interesting event for your diary entry. (The entry should be at least five sentences long.)
Use a story pyramid to describe important information from Dragon Slippers, such as the main character, the setting, and the major events in the plot. Carefully choose your words in order to provide a precise description. You may wish to use a dictionary and a thesaurus. (Do not use a, an, or the.)
Line 1: Name of the main character.
Line 2: Two words describing the main character.
Line 3: Three words describing the setting.
Line 4: Four words stating the problem.
Line 5: Five words describing an event.
Line 6: Six words describing a second event.
Line 7: Seven words stating the solution.
Write a thirty second radio commercial persuading your fellow students to read The Wednesday Wars. Remember to use specific examples from the book to convince your listeners.