Thanksgiving Paragraph

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate our family, friends and what we are most thankful for.  Your assignment is to choose one of your favorite things to do on Thanksgiving and explain why it is your favorite.  Be sure to have a bare idea which should include what your favorite thing is, extensions (who, what, where, when, why or how) and an elaboration (specific example and lots of "action" words.)  End your paragraph with a feeling or a thought. 

I can't wait to read your responses!  Have fun!

My Favorite Candy

With Halloween just around the corner, I am sure everyone is thinking about all of the yummy candy you will be getting.  I want you to think about your favorite candy.  Think about why it is your favorite.  How do you feel when you take a bite?  Where do you get the candy from?  Write a BEEF paragraph explaining why you chose this specific candy as your absolute favorite.  Have fun and be sure to use many descriptive words.

Don't Tell...Show!

Your writing comes alive when you show not just tell about an event. When you "show" you use vivid word choices with lots of descriptive adjectives and strong verbs. Sentences are longer and filled with detail.

Tell- The party was fun. There were balloons everywhere. The food was great and the music was awesome.

Example: Show- Red, yellow, and blue balloons drape across the bright colored streamers that surround the room. Children giggle as they twist and turn to the vibrating music. Steaming hot pizza and ice cold sodas wait to be devoured.

Now it's your turn. Change this telling sentence to showing sentences. Be sure to add vivid word choice, descriptive words, and lots of detail.

 

SHIPWRECK Island Series

The characters in novels make the story come to life.  Think about the main characters in Shipwreck, Luke, Will, Charla, Lyssa, Ian and J.J. and how they each contribute and are important to the story.  Without these key characters, how interesting would the novel be?  Their personality traits affect the main events in the story.

Now your job today is to pick one of these main characters to describe in detail. 

1.  Describe this characters personality using detail given in the book. 

2.  What is your opinion of this character?  Explain why you feel that way!

My Favorite Book

One of my favorite books is Things Not Seen, by Andrew Clements. This book is about a boy named Bobby who wakes up one morning and discovers he's become invisible! After convincing his parents he still exists, Bobby is forced to remain at home and keep his "condition" a secret. Bobby and his new friend Alicia work together to find out how this happened and how to fix it before his parent's get arrested. A boy can't just disappear without first his school and then Child Protection and the police getting involved. My student's in the past have always loved this book as well!