Wednesday, May 23, 2012

We Think Mice Are Rather Nice!

A motorcycle fit for a mouse… Close up the motorcycle looked even better than he expected.  It was new and shiny and had a good set of tires.  Ralph walked all the way around it, examining the pair of chromium mufflers and the engine and the hand clutch.  It even had a little license plate so it would be legal to ride it….
A mouse on a toy motorcycle… sounds like the start of a Reading Road Trip adventure!  Fourth graders are revving their reading engines and earning points for their teams with The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary, traveling with reckless Ralph, a young mouse who befriends Keith, a boy in room 215 of the Mountain View Inn.  Together, they discover true friendship, awesome escapades, and the joys of motorcycling.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle Poster by Emma D.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle Flip Quiz by Evie M.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle Sketch by Peter H.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle Diorama by Ally F.
We can visit the wonderful world of long-time favorite author Beverly Cleary.  Click on the red-highlighted words to get started.
Ralph S. Mouse by Sofia D.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle:
Book Review by Layla C.

My favorite part in this book is when Ralph, the mouse, gets permission from Keith, the boy, to keep the motorcycle when Keith leaves the hotel.  I like this part because it shows how much Keith and Ralph bonded with each other.  Even though Ralph lost the motorcycle once, they found it, and Ralph got to keep it.  This connects to my life because once I won a big, inflatable, bright green monkey at a fair. My younger brother Alex really wanted it, and I decided that, in the end, I should give it to him.  I absolutely loved this book!

This story begins within the walls of a castle, with the birth of a mouse.  A small mouse.  The last mouse born to his parents and the only one of his litter to be born alive…. 
Fifth grade Reading Road Trippers are exploring The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread, connecting to this charming 2004 Newbery Medal winning fairy tale about Despereaux Tilling, a tiny mouse with big ears and an even bigger heart.  Despereaux’s unusual talents and decidedly un-mouselike behavior bring disappointment to his family and earn him a trip to the castle dungeon.  As we follow the tale—and the tail—of the mouse, we meet the kidnapped princess who Despereaux loves, a servant girl wishing to be royalty, and a sneaky rat who is conniving to ruin them all.

First, let's take a peak at a video book review by Yumtso:


We can learn more about author Kate DiCamillo and her other books. 
Click on the red-highlighted words to get started.

Take a look at this Despereaux puppet show, created and performed by Victoria, Cameron, and Emily:



The Tale of Despereaux Poster by Sasha J.

Here's another Tale of Despereaux puppet show, created and performed by Izzy and Lauren:


The Tale of Despereaux Diorama by Olivia

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Exploring Esperanza Rising and Poemas en Español

Our land is alive, Esperanza, said Papa… This whole valley breaths and lives.  Esperanza can’t imagine living anywhere other than El Rancho de las Rosas.  She has spent the first twelve years of her life as the pampered only child from a wealthy family in Aguascalientes, Mexico.  When her Papi is murdered, Esperanza and her mother must flee their privileged life to find work in Southern California labor camps, where they experience hardship, discrimination, and harsh working conditions on the eve of the Great Depression.
Fifth graders connected Esperanza Rising with Trees/Arboles, a poem written by Alma Flor Ada and performed beautifully both in English and en Español by Lana and Rodrigo:


We can visit with Pam Muñoz Ryan, the author of Esperanza Rising, Riding Freedom, Becoming Naomi León, and many other Lafayette favorites.  Click on the red-highlighted words to get started.

Esperanza Rising Diorama by Caroline Yu

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Sideways Stories and Nickname Games

Todd got in trouble every day… until he got a magic dog.  Ron dared to try the cafeteria’s Mushroom Surprise… and somehow lived to tell about it.  Kathy likes to see bad things happen.  Her favorite song is “Wayside School is Falling Down.”  And it gets worse-- because everything is weird at Wayside School! 


Wayside School Movie Poster by Peter H.
Pigtail Rescue by Charlie C.
Fourth grade Reading Road Trippers are reading Wayside School is Falling Down by Louis Sachar, a sequel to Sideways Stories from Wayside School.  The in-a-class-by-itself story features humorous episodes from the wacky classroom on the thirtieth floor of Wayside School, where students learn to tango, develop a bad case of the sillies, and study a hobo during show-and-tell.
Check out Early Pickup Worries, written by Brod Bagert and performed by Sideways Fourth Graders from Lafayette School, Aidan B. and Ryan C.


Hercules?  Mr. E. Normous?  But nothing seemed just right.  And if there was anything the two nicknamers of  6B knew for certain, it was that a true nickname had to fit perfectly….  Eleven-year-old best friends Jeff and Wiley like to create nicknames for their classmates.  They’ve dubbed their own class The Dim Bulbs, their large-eyed principal Deer in Headlights, and their enormous new English teacher Mr. Huge.  Fifth graders are calling The 6th Grade Nickname Game by Gordon Korman A RRT Winner!

The 6th Grade Nickname Game by Tessa A.
Lafayette School by Brynn C.

The 6th Grade Nickname Game by Waverly C.