Welcome, Guys,
to Your Summer Book Club.
Welcome to Summer,
And dirty feet,
And grilled meat,
And a hot car seat.
Welcome to staying up late,
And forgetting the date,
Climb the trees,
Swim and freeze,
Time to think,
And boy, you stink.
Welcome to Summer.
Hey, Chase, Grant, Doug, James, Jaden, and Bennett,
I hope you're all having a blast so far. Most of you are nearly done with Time Twister 3-- Journal of a Cardboard Genius, by Frank Asch. (For people who are just checking in, in this series, Alex builds some cool stuff out of cardboard -- like a time machine. He also crafts some cardboard goggles that allow him to see all the invisible time travelers who are visiting us from the future, walking around among us , and we just can't see them.)
I am posting questions every day. Please try to write one comment per day.
Your choice: Either answer my question, or pose your own question to the rest of us, or make a comment about someone else's comment.
Next Book: Sable by Karen Hesse. Finish it by this Thursday.
Upcoming Book: Night of the Twisters by Amy Ruckman. We'll be reading it from July 15th to July 30th. Why not check around in libraries and at Barnes and Noble or Amazon now.
That's it for now. Can't wait to hear from you.
-Mr. Bolger
59 comments:
I remember digging some clothesline rope and a few pulleys out of the barn when I was ten. I set up the rope between my neighbor's and my bedroom windows. We hooked a bucket on it, and we sent messages back and forth at bedtime. It was fun to see that bucket arriving through the night -- wondering what was going to be in it.
Doug said...
I remember i made a garage for my brother James for his NASCARS. I also made a robot suit for me and I could not get it off
James said...
I make NASCAR tracks out of cardboard. My favorite one is "Bristol." It is the only one I've made that is in color. It's green, black and blue. Bristol is the smallest NASCAR track. It is in North Carolina.
I made a sled out of cardboard, but it didn’t really work. Last year I made a fort out of cardboard. It was pretty big. I also used a cardboard tube to make a Rube Goldberg. A marble went down the tube and hit a domino, witch knocked down a whole bunch of other dominoes.
Doug that's cool how you made a robot suit. Good idea. How did you finally get of?
Hi. Does anyone know who the youngest NASCAR driver is?
Joey Lagano is currently the youngest nationwide series NASCAR driver. He drives #20 Hone Depot car. Brad Coleman (18) is currently the youngest driver for the Sprint Cup. Kyle Busch is the youngest driver to win the Sprint Cup.
Yes, I have used stuff around my house for projects. My friend, Davis and I, made a bubble bomb. The ingredients we used from my house were: vinegar, hot water, baking soda and a zip-lock bag. We put all the liquid ingredients in the bag along with the baking soda and sealed it shut. When they mixed together, it caused the bag to explode!
Oh yeah, refrigerator or oven boxes make good forts too;)
chase,I think It is cool how you solved that nascar driver problem
I made a house out of cardboard. It had a door, windows, roof and a cardboard pool. We painted it to look like our camp Honey Hollow.
James, do you still have the Bristol track at your house? I'd like to see it if you still have it. I made some jumps out of Lincoln Logs yesterday and drove my #88 car off them.
Well it took a long time so i cut it.
James said...
Joey Lagano is the youngest Nascar sprint cup driver. Mark Mark Martin is the oldest Nascar sprint cup driver.
James, I did not now that Bristol is the smallest NASCAR track.
Question of the Day (July 9th):
In Chapter 11, Alex uses Jonathan's Time Goggles. What does he see? Kids, write at least three sentences. Please post your response on the blog by tonight).
-- Mr. B
There was a old man standing next to a to tree. Alex was weirded out because every time he put the glasses on he saw the man. When he took them off, the man was gone.
sincerely,Jaden
Good Work, Jaden. A follow-up question for everyone else now: Who was this man? Why does he appear and disappear?
The man is a time traveler. The reason he appears and disappears is because you can only see time travelers with the glasses on.
Sincerely Chase
Question of the Day (July 10th):
Hey, guys, your first assignment is to wish me happy birthday. Yes. Today, Mr. B turns 108.
Well, really, I turn (1/2 of 108) minus (3x3) + 6. = ?
Assignment #2:
In Chapter 12, Alex, Zoe, and Jonathan go looking for "invisible" time travelers. They do something to a time traveler. What do they do? And would you do the same thing if you were them? Why or why not?
Write at least three sentences. Please post your response on the blog by tonight). Good luck :)
-- Mr. B
Mr. B's daughter, Sadie said...
happy birthday, dad... rrr.. Mr. B! <3 ya. so anyways, lets see... 1/2 of 108 is 54, and 3x3=9, so 54-9=45, and 45+6=*51!! I did it. so, Happy 51st birthday! I can't answer the second question because I havent read the book yet, but I will! :)
you turn 51 today!!!!! sorry I need to get caught up I have been with my cousins.
Doug says...
He sees an old man that looks like he is in his thirties. He was in a blue jumpsuit and pulled something out of his bag that looked something like a phone. He was pushing some buttons they said that it looked like he was making a call.
Happy 51st Birthday Mr. B! Hope your day was super fun.
Alex, Zoe and Jonathan take her white bag because they are trying to find a time traveler machine. They go home and try all the things in her bag. I would do the same thing so I could see the future and be able to travel forward and backward in time.
Sincerely, Chase
Doug, What do you mean, "An old man that looks like he's in his thirties..." Hmmmpf. :)
Hey Chase, but isn't that poor time-traveler woman going to FREAK OUT because she's stranded in time and doesn't know that Alex is nice and will try to return her time machine? I just feel bad for her.
But maybe in her "future" there is a number that time travelers like her can call if they lose their time machine, and the time-travel department will send them a new time machine in over-night mail or something. I guess in the future, they'll be so smart that they will plan for problems like people stealing people's time machines.
I love Chapters 11 and 12! Brains floating around, robo-dogs, and thoughts about time travel like, "What if you went back in time and accidentally caused the death of your grandfather..." That's so cool to think about.
Question of the Day (July 11th):
In Chapters 12 and 13, Asch, the author, describes many of the time travelers Alex sees. One time traveler is examining a fire hydrant with a magnifying glass as though it were a piece of art.
If you could go back in time or go forward in time, where would you want to go? What would you want to see? Would you feel scared?
I would want to go 2 years, 5 months, and 10 days into the future because I just saw the movie 2012 and I would want to see if what they said could really happen. I would teleport back to my time and warn mankind about it. And, yah, it'd be pretty scary to time travel.
Hey Mr. Bolger's class-
I love what you're doing with this blog! Keep up the good work,
Ms. Birdsall
Thats what they say in the book.
Doug
They see someone and they poke her and she wakes up. They take her bag and they run. So I would not do it because that will be stealing.
Doug
I would want to go to the future because I would like to see all the robots.I would be scared if I did not know that I was going to the future but if I did know I would not be scared.
Question of the Day (July 12, 2010):
"'Wait,' said Zoe. 'If it is the time machine and you turn the wrong dial, we could disappear into another century.'
'That's a chance we'll have to take,' I replied, and turned the dial clockwise ten notches.' Instantly, both of us slipped into a tiny time warp. Time stopped going forward in the usual way. Instead, we found ourselves back in time nearly ten seconds ago...'"
Question #1: On which page do you find this quote?
Question #2: Interview 3 people (NOT in your immediate family) like cousins or friends or grandparents or the cashier at your General Store.
Ask them this: if you could go back in time ten minutes, and you were not allowed to do anything differently, but could experience something for a second time, what would you choose to relive?
Report back with your results.
Hi Mr. B,
I finished The Zack Files book “How I Fixed the Year 1000 problem” by Dan Greenburg. It was a good book. I liked when they saw the dragon because it was scary. But in the end, it was a dragon named Emily who saved Zach from being eaten by a t-rex while he was back in the Jurassic period. It was like in the movie Jurassic Park. So it was a good thing they got to know the dragons.
Your Reading Friend, Grant
Hi Grant! I love the Zack Files because they're funny and clever.
I thought it was cool how in this one, you have Zack and also some guys from the Dragon Slayer's Academy.
Have you read any of that series (The DSA)?
You made several thoughtful comments in your post: 1) Emily actually saves the day! 2)You saw the connection between this book and the movie, Jurassic Park, and you knew that it was really good, after all, that they got to know the dragons.
A few times in my life, I have not wanted to get to know someone. Then, when I did get to know them, I found they were different from what I had expected. I was glad to know them.
Thanks for the great entry, Grant.
Mr. Bolger
Question of the Day (July 13th):
So Time Twister comes to a close with Alex, Zoe, and a miniature Jonathan flying the cardboard Star Jumper space ship into outerspace, looking for another cool planet to land on and explore. The book concludes with this:
"According to the data, X-9 is teeming with all kinds of highly-advanced life forms! Time to wake up Zoe and go exploring! And maybe, just maybe, time to let Jonathan out of his jar..."
So, as I put the book away, I wonder to myself, "Did Alex learn anything through this adventure?"
It doesn't seem like he does.
Ok, so you have to ask yourself, "Why did the author write this book? What message is he trying to get across to us readers?"
What does Frank Asch want us to think about? What does he want us to do a little differently in our lives now that we've read Time Twister?
I'd love to hear what you think.
(ps: please read to pg. 37 in Sable by tomorrow evening. I hope you like it!)
I think Frank Asch is trying to say that your little brother or sister can help you so you don’t need to be mean to him or her. Now that I’ve read the book, I will treat my brother nicer and make something cool out of cardboard like something that I could attach to my bike and pull someone. Maybe my brother Grant will have an idea I could use in the design.
Sincerely, Inventor Chase.
Ps Did you know that there making the book THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET into a movie! ? ☺ Thank you for telling me about the book.
Good points, Chase. Alex would not have figured out that you can see time travelers if it hadn't been for Jonathan and his cardboard glasses.
No, I did not know that Hugo Cabret is going to be a movie. Wahoooo!
Does anyone know when the movie is coming out? If you haven't read it, the rest of you, grab it and read it. Your parents will enjoy reading it too, so don't hog it.
-- Mr. B.
The Award for Most Blog Posts during our reading of Time Twister goes to.....Chase. If my math is correct, Chase narrowly beat out Doug, seven posts to six. Jaden was right behind them, and Grant and James were strong with their NASCAR posts.
But look out, everyone... Bennett is now in the house. There are reports that this burly right-hander is joining us for the second book. Folks! There is NO telling how the standings will be on the last day of Sable. Stay tuned...
Question of the Day (July 15th):
On the very first page, you can see that this is a book to read slowly.
Can you see how Karen Hesse describes things in such a way that you can imagine someone saying it. For example, can't you just imagine Tate's Mam saying, "Truman was as easygoing as a flat tire." And she talks about Eden, Mom's crimp-tailed cat, who slipped like gray smoke behind the fridge.
Oh, MAN! Now THAT'S some good writing!
So, here is my question: as you read, now, to page 49, find one or two more examples of Hesse's talent for describing her characters and her settings and her situations -- in such a way that it feels like a real live person is standing there saying it. Can't wait to see what you all come up with.
- Mr. Bolger
Hello everyone!
I know you don't know me but my name is Ms. Leah and I am spending the week with your teacher. We are talking about the best way to teach reading to kids. I am so impressed by this blog. What an amazing way to enjoy reading and talking about books. If you don't mind, I'm going to keep checking out this blog to see the amazing thinking, reading and talking that you're doing. Happy Summer!
Ms. Leah
Here are two examples of Karen Heeses talents: The shop smell tingled the inside my nose, like a sneeze coming. Her eyes shone like chocolate melting in the pan, all liquid and warm and sweet.
Here’s one I came up with this morning at breakfast: The waffles sizzled in the pan. The butter slid on the waffles like ice cubes on top of the wood stove.
Sincerely, Chase (on the way to NYC)
sorry Mr. B that i could not do math with you on Wed i had to drive home from Atlantic city N.J. of jetblue airways.
I liked how she described the dog's ears on p.9.
"They reminded me of the trim on the sweater Pap got for Mam one year."
and on p.22. how she described
Sable "For such a big dog, Sable weighed about as much as an a empty school bag."
- Doug
Doug and Chase,
You picked a couple of excellent quotes. She is such a gifted writer.
I like how it says on pg. 25, "Sable smelled like dried leaves and dust and pine trees."
Do any of you guys have dogs or cats or other animals? What do THEY smell like? I'm going to go over to the neighbor's and smell his dog and report back.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Mr. B
"I got close to my beagle Blue and can report that she smells like a pile of rotting dead owls." - James
"I think she smells ok, but it reminds me of driving through a cloud of skunk." - Doug
You guys are killing me.
I tried to smell our parakeets, but they wouldn't let me get close enough.
So, I went next door and sniffed Benny. He'd been lying in the sun, and he smelled like a hot wool sweater. A panting one.
Question of the day (Thursday the 22nd:
On page 78, there is a paragraph that has four very, very important sentences. What are they?
See you all at 4:00 in the Dorothy Alling Library!
Today's featured potato chips:
Barbecued and Ranch.
Bring a pic of an animal you love.
Anthony Palmerio and Mr. Bolger here.
Anthony is a buddy of Liam's here in Moretown, and he's going to read NIght of the Twisters along with us. He's a great guy, and he has a sick sense of humor. So stay tuned, guys for any comments Anthony makes over the next week or so. (And don't call the police.)
Let's all welcome Anthony!
-- Mr. B (and Anthony)
Welcome Anthony. I hope you enjoy NIGHT OF THE TWISTERS.
Also, did anybody see the damage of the storm on Wednesday? in Jericho, huge trees were down, power lines, and there were holes in house roofs where trees fell on them. We had hail here. Some people said they thought it was a tornado. In NY, my uncle said they had tornado warnings. it was like almost like night of the twisters in VT.
Good point, Chase. I always thought that Tornadoes couldn't appear in Vermont for the same reason that you can't spin a top on a bumpy, ripply floor. But I guess I'm wrong. Here is a link to a WCAX piece on a tornado that touched down in Craftsbury this year:
http://www.wptz.com/weather/23809465/detail.html
Jaden, you studied tornadoes. You're going to love this news article.
I wonder if any of you guys (including Anthony) have parents or other family members who have tornado stories.
Please share them.
Mr. B
Book-Reading Schedule:
We should all be up to about pg. 85 by now. That leaves about four days more until Thurday, reading about 15 pages per day. I hope you're enjoying the book.
Mr. Bolger
PS: On Thursday, we'll begin reading the next book, The Homework Machine. You may want to check for it in the libraries now.
Wow! I just finished Night of the Twisters. There is so much going on in this book, it's almost too much to absorb. And to think that it is based on a true story.
I have been thinking that in honor of this book, I need to do a fire drill with my family (practicing getting out of the house in the event of a fire). Those kids had practiced for tornadoes and it saved their lives! So, how about this:
In preparation for our Bookclub meeting tomorrow at the library (4:00 p.m.), please design an escape route from your house (maybe even from your second floor), and make a commitment to practice it sometime before school begins again. You could describe your escape plan in your comments here.
Good luck. See you tomorrow.
Mr. Bolger
ps: The featured Potato Chip:
Ranch Potato Chips. Oh my.
hi guys i finished secrets of alcatraz
Hi Mr. Bolger,
I'm reading The Twits and it's about how the twits are being very mean to each other. One of the mean things that Mrs. Twits did was she put worms in Mr. Twit's noodles. then Mr. Twits made Mrs. Twits walking stick longer. then the next Day the walking stick was longer and Mrs Twits thought that she was shrinking. love, carlie roy !!!
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