Monday, April 30, 2012

Reading a Whale of a Tale... It's Oceans of Fun!

Here are tickets for our next field trip…  and I promise you’re all going to have a whale of a good time!
Fourth Grade Reading Road Trippers are setting sail with Ms. Frizzle and her students on The Wild Whale Watch by Eva Moore.  They've been finding their sea legs and completing projects relating to the Magic School Bus science chapter book. The book is full of Blue Whales, Gray Whales, Fin Whales, Humpback Whales, Orca Whales, and Beluga Whales… all in all, a whale of a tale!

The Wild Whale Watch by Layla C.
Mrs. Coleman's class joined Ms. Frizzle's class on The Wild Whale Watch, reading and illustrating two Douglas Florian poems, The Whale and Whale Tale:


The Wild Whale Watch by Anya D.

Friendship: Phineas Listerman MacGuire Has It down to a Science

Mac. Mac. Mac.  Scientifically speaking, it’s a pretty lonely sound….
Phineas L. MacGuire, also known as Mac, considers himself to be an accomplished scientist.  He intends to win the fourth grade science fair.  Those ambitious plans may be ruined, however, when his best friend Marcus moves away and Mrs. Tuttle assigns new kid Mac R. as his partner.
Fourth graders are reading Phineas L. MacGuire… Erupts! by Frances O’Roark Dowell,  tallying points for Reading Road Trip teams… and analyzing Mac’s scientific experiments, including A Very Simple Volcano, Microwave Marshmallow Roast, and Exploding Film Canisters.  In celebration of Phineas L. MacGuire, lets take a look at Elements, an original poem by Reading Road Trippers who say that science rocks!

Mac and Mac R. share the same name, but they are very different.  Mac R. quickly alienates the whole class with an obnoxious personality and quirky behavior.  But in time, Phineas discovers that the new boy—his real name is Ben—is a talented artist and a good guy, and he works to help Mac R. get a fresh start at school.

Running, Running, Running with Maniac Magee

Sure, two hundred miles is a long way, especially on foot, but the year it took him to cover it was about fifty-one weeks more than he needed—figuring the way he could run…. 
After his parents die in a trolley accident and after living with his unhappy aunt and uncle for eight years, Jeffrey Lionel Magee decides to run— not just run away, but really truly run.  And so the legend of Maniac Magee begins: a mythic and truth-filled story, full of astounding athletic feats, amazing accomplishments, and big changes in a racially-divided small town.  Fifth graders are reading and completing astounding and amazing Reading Road Trip projects relating to this memorable 1991 Newbery Medal winner by one of Lafayette's favorite authors, Jerry Spinelli.

That's when the running started... and that's when a group of Reading Road Trippers got together and performed Running Song by Marci Ridlon:


Maniac Magee: Rap Poem
by Jane B. and Emily A.

Maniac Magee
has no family
He went to the Beales
and had really good meals
He ran away
night and day
Then he met Grayson
while he was racing
Soon Grayson died
and Maniac cried
Then he went to the McNabs
and they acted like crabs
Then he found Mrs. Bar
and he didn't go far
because he found a friend
around the bend
He went back to the Beales
and had more meals
He stayed there forever with his family
The Beales really loved Maniac Magee. 

Maniac Magee Wordle

Maniac Magee Cartoon by Liam D.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Dragonlings, Folklore, and Other Fantastic Things

Once when there were no rivers on earth, the Jade Dragon was in charge of clouds…. Fifth grade Reading Road Trippers are exploring Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, a Newbery Honor fantasy filled with Chinese folklore and fairy tale elements.  Hoping to bring new life to Fruitless Mountain and Jade River, Minli, a brave girl from a poor rural village, buys an enchanted goldfish and embarks on an epic journey with a dragon that cannot fly.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Justine S.
Minli's Rice Bowl by Zoe P.
Meanwhile, fourth graders are reading The Dragonling, a popular Reading Road Trip chapter book filled with endearing dragons, believable characters, and fantastic adventure.  After rescuing an abandoned baby dragon, Darek risks disapproval and death as he attempts to return the creature safely to the Valley of the Dragons.

The Dragonling by James M.
What happens when Reading Road Trip combines a dragon story, an Author’s Day visiting poet, and… Kung Fu Fighting?  We get a video performance of The Princess and the Dragon by Brod Bagert:

Friday, April 20, 2012

Traveling by Poem with Reading Road Trip Friends

April is National Poetry Month, and it's time for Lafayette students to find a just-right poem: to write an original poem, to perform a fantastic poem, or to share a favorite poem with family and friends. Reading Road Trip joins the celebration with a suitcase full of beautiful haiku and bouncy limericks, long poems and short poems, silly poems and serious poems, slamming poems and jamming poems... thirty wild and wonderful days of word play and imagery, similes and metaphors, rhythm and rhyme!

Go by yourself or invite a good friend,
But traveling by poem is what I recommend. --J. Patrick Lewis 

Many of our poems connect to Reading Road Trip titles and will appear in blog posts about the books.  Other poems will be posted at our world-famous Poetry on Parade blog site. And some of our poems will appear right here, but in classic Reading Road Trip style, they'll be all over the map!


Our first poem, from A World of Wonders: Geographic Travels in Verse and Rhyme by J. Patrick Lewis, explores an adventurous attitude at very high altitude.  Pack your parkas and gather up your mountain gear! Duncan C. is performing poetry On Top of the World:

Monday, April 16, 2012

A Peach Is Not a Funny-Looking Apple: Life beyond the Rules

What is normal? Lafayette fifth-graders are reading Rules, a Newbery Honor book about feeling different, finding acceptance, and discovering happiness beyond the rules. Living with an autistic brother is challenging, and twelve-year-old Catherine finds herself simply wishing for a “normal” existence. Family life revolves around David’s disability, and Catherine spends a lot of time trying to teach her brother rules that will bring an end to his "embarrassing" behavior.
Rules Pennant by Katelyn T.
Things begin to change, however, when Catherine meets Jason, a paraplegic boy and Kristi, the friend she has always wanted.


We can visit with Cynthia Lord and learn more about her books and her writing. Click on the red-highlighted words to get started.

Poster Project by Colleen R.

Rules for David
Poster by Sophie A.

  
Explore LMC titles with an autism connection: Sometimes My Brother: Helping Kids Understand Autism through a Sibling’s Eyes by Angie Healy.  In nonfiction picture book format, three-year-old Foster shares how he feels about his autistic older brother Gavin.

Poster by Jane R.

Research Project by Sarah D.


Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifter Choldenko.  In this Newbery Honor historical fiction novel, twelve-year-old Moose moves to Alcatraz Island with his family in 1935, when guards’ families live on the island.  Moose must learn to accept the challenges of his extraordinary new home... and life with his autistic sister.
Diorama by Heather