Reading

We have had a great couple of days in reading already this week!  To work on identifying cause and effect, we read parts of a book called "Mistakes that Worked".  The book tells all about how everyday objects, and well-known artifacts were invented or created by accident.  We read about cheese, chocolate chip cookies, aspirin and even the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  Today the children chose their own to read about and learned about all sorts of things from Post-It-Notes to Coca-Cola to Doughnut Holes.  Ask your child to tell you more about the fascinating item he/she learned more about!

We also read a very interesting story about how books are distributed to children in remote places around the world!  It tested our geography skills and our imaginations as we learned about how some villages have books delivered by boat, by minibus and even by camels!  Ask your child to tell you more about these fascinating places.

As we work on developing our skills of using context clues to understand the text, I've introduced the children to a poem that I learned about in England.  "Jabberwocky" was written by Lewis Carroll.  He is best known forAlice in Wonderland, so we discussed before we read it that we may encounter some fantasy style creatures and events.  This poem, full of nonsense words, had the students baffled after the first reading.  See how you feel:

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and throughThe vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

 After a few readings, the children felt much more comfortable though and even began retelling the story in their own words.  Today, we watched the Muppets' interpretation of this classic poem: Jabberwocky

"Oh frabjous day!  Callooh!  Callay!"