March 3

Yay!  We’ve read all of The Tale of Despereaux!  Thank you for reading this terrific tale, and for learning how to answer questions correctly!

Now we will work on a Book Critique for the novel.  This week do this:

1. Choose three of your favorite characters.
2. Write a 5-minute freewrite on each one. Just write anything you remember about the character…anything that you thought was unique or interesting…write if you liked the character or not.
3. Then, using your freewrite, write a paragraph. Start with a topic sentence which names the three characters.  Here is an example –

Gregory, Cook, and Miggery Sow were my favorite characters in this story.

4. Next, write 1-2 sentences about each of your characters:

Gregory was a mean, old jailer who oversaw the dungeon.  I liked it that Gregory turned out to be compassionate to Despereaux in the end.  Cook also turned out to be a caring person, as she gave Despereaux some soup before he went back to the dungeon.  And Miggery Sow, even though she wasn’t the princess type, turned out to be almost a hero because she helped save Princess Pea.

Also, remember that we learned about the colon?  A colon can do two things: it can announce stuff that comes later in the sentence.  It can also exclaim “I get it!”

Here are some more sentences like the ones we practiced with today.  Copy them onto a piece of notebook paper and finish the part that comes after the colon.

1. Tomorrow is a busy day:
2. Several strange animals sneaked by my window last night:
3. I opened the fridge and saw:
4. The secret to a perfect afternoon is simple:
5. Everything changed the moment I realized:

February 24

Let’s finish The Tale of Despereaux, shall we?

Read to the end of the story, including the “Coda” part.  Answer these questions correctly and with plenty of details!

1. Poor Despereaux. He’s lost his tale…er, it was taken from him.  How does the loss of his tail affect Despereaux’s tale?
2. How and why did Gregory help Despereaux? Did this surprise you?
3. This is a very interesting sentence: “The knight fought the dark.” Think about the words our author used here.  What’s contradictory about them?
4. Why did Roscuro chew through Gregory’s rope?
5. Why did Despereaux forgive his father?
6. What was the extraordinary, wonderful, admirable thing about the king?
7. What surprises us, the readers, about Cook? Name two surprises!
8. At the end of our story, the princess realizes what she must do to save her own heart. What was it?

February 17

Please read Book the Third, “Gor!  The Tale of Miggery Sow” from page 126-171.  Answer these questions…but first!  You must incorporate the question into your answer.  This means that you will begin by repeating the heart of the question before you write the answer to it.  See this example –

What color is the sky?

Don’t write – blue.

Instead, write – The sky is blue.

How did Miggery Sow get her name?

Don’t write – from a pig.

Instead, write – Miggery Sow got her name from her father, who named her after his prize-winning pig.

Okay.  Here are the questions for this section:

1. On page 127, the narrator speaks directly to us, the readers. She asks us to have empathy for Mig.  “Empathy” means the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.  What about Mig’s life should make readers feel empathy for her?
2. When Mig turned seven, she saw something that was perfect and beautiful. What did she see?  How did that affect her?
3. How did Mig get from Uncle’s house to the castle?
4. What are cauliflower ears? How do they affect Mig?
5. What do Mig and Princess Pea have in common?
6. Mig wants many things. What does she want the most? How does Roscuro promise to fulfill Mig’s desire?

If you would like to begin a fun project, draw a map of the castle.  Label key spots like Princess Pea’s room, the dining room, the kitchen, the stairs to the dungeon, Roscuro’s room, etc.  Remember how “light” and “dark” are key symbols in this story?  The castle should be light, colorful, cheery.  The dungeon – dark and filthy.  This is NOT an assignment you must do…but you are welcome to do it for fun.

February 10

This week, please read The Tale of Despereaux, Book the Second, Chiaroscuro, from pages 83-121.  Answer these questions:

1. What are the differences between Roscuro’s birth and Despereaux’s?
2. Who is Gregory? Describe him.
3. Look at the illustration on page 94. Explain in your own words why Roscuro is looking for the light.
4. Roscuro gets a new prisoner to torture. What was the prisoner’s crime, besides stealing cows?
5. What made Roscuro realize what he was – a rat – and what was his reaction?
6. Soup is very, very important in our story. Think about soup.  Why do you think the author is using soup as a symbol (we’ll talk about symbols later!) instead of some other food, such as spaghetti or fish ‘n chips?
7. Why did the king outlaw soup?
8. At the very end of your reading section – page 121 – we meet another important character. Her name is Miggery Sow.  Tell me what you think of that name WITHOUT READING PAST PAGE 121!

February 3

I’m so sorry to cancel class today!  We were going to begin studying The Tale of Despereaux, so now I’ll have you read a bit of it and we’ll talk next time.

1. Read pages 1-81.
2. DO NOT READ PAST PAGE 81.
3. Answer these questions on notebook paper. They are due next time:
   1. How is Despereaux different from other mice?
   2. Describe Princess Pea. What do you think of her?
   3. What is the purpose of the Mouse Council?
   4. Describe the dungeon.
   5. Look up “perfidy” in a dictionary. What is the definition?  How does it apply to this story?
4. Copy the first paragraph of the story onto your own paper. Watch out for spelling and punctuation – write it exactly as you see it!
5. Now, that paragraph breaks the rules of English writing; can you tell? It has sentences that are NOT complete sentences, they are called “fragments.”
6. Please rewrite the paragraph so that you have fixed all the fragments and made the sentences follow the rules. We’ll talk about this next time!

January 27

Thank you for turning in your reports today!  I am excited to read them.

Next time, bring your copy of The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo to class.  Don’t read it yet!

Write a Seven Sentence Story just like we did in class today.  Remember to follow the directions though – only write SEVEN sentences!  Directions are linked below if you were absent today.

A Seven Sentence Story

January 20

It’s time to write your report!  Make sure it has these elements:

1. a catchy title
2. three paragraphs, each with its own topic. Below are four topics to choose from.
   1. appearance?
   2. habitat?
   3. behavior?
   4. food?
3. Your three paragraphs go together into ONE report.  Don’t write them on separate pieces of paper, please!
4. Indent the first line of every paragraph, and double-space your writing.

January 13

Now that you have a huge list of things related to your favorite animal, it’s time to categorize everything.

To categorize means to make groups.  Today we made three groups of things about my animal, a mouse.  First, we named the categories:

Appearance

Behavior

Habitat

Then we used colored pencils to highlight items from our list.

Next, I showed you how to take all of the items from ONE category and write a paragraph about them. I said this is a rough draft paragraph, remember?  It doesn’t have to be perfect!

1. Divide your big list into categories. First, grab some colored pencils/highlighters.  Color the items in your list like we did in class.  Bring this list to class next time!
2. Then – and this is the fun part – take all the items from one category and write them into a paragraph. In class, I showed you my paragraph on “appearance” for mice.  You can write on your animal’s appearance, or behavior, or habitat.  Choose ONE of those categories — don’t write on all three!  This is practice.

You can see my example page on this link:  What I Know About Mice

 

January 6

Today we practiced dictation with a type of sentence called “items in a series.”  When you are writing about three things, you can write them in three sentences…but it’s better if you can smoosh the three things together into ONE good sentence.  Here’s an example:

1. My dog chases squirrels.
2. My dog chases cats.
3. My dog chases balls.

Three sentences, see?  Good ones, but if you rewrite them with all three things your dog chases in just ONE sentence, you sound like a smarter writer.

My dog chases squirrels, cats, and balls.

Ta da!  Notice that the sentence begins with a capital letter, ends with a period, and has COMMAS to separate the things.

Please combine these three sentences into one good sentence.  Spelling and punctuation count, so be careful!

1. We love to eat pepperoni pizza.
2. We love to eat waffles.
3. We love to eat peanut butter ice cream.

Then, we talked about writing a report about your favorite animal.  This week, choose your favorite animal; it must be an animal you know a lot about.  It could be a pet.  Or, it could be an animal you are already familiar with.

THE BIG RULE:  You may NOT do any research about your animal!

Do this:

1. Sit down and make a list of everything you know about your animal.
2. Don’t worry about writing sentences!  Just make a quick list.
3. Wait a day or two, and write MORE about your animal!  You need to have a HUGE list of information about your animal.
4. Bring your HUGE list next time!

Moms:  Your student could be overwhelmed with writing a HUGE list!  Let’s make it easier for them — they are welcome to narrate a list aloud while you write/type/record it.  You are also welcome to print it out for them to bring to class.

January 1, 2026

Today is the first day of a brand new year!  I will be excited to see your faces on Tuesday, January 6.

Our writing project for January will be to write a report on an animal.  Do you have a special pet?  What is one of your favorite animals?  You will write about your animal using good paragraphs and descriptions this month!

I’ll see you soon!

Mrs. B

November 28

You all did a fabulous job reciting poetry last Tuesday!  Hooray!

Now your only job is to have a good break, and I will see you again on January 6, 2026.

November 18

Your Poetry Recital is next week!  Practice your part every single day so that you can perform well – speak loudly, slowly, and with feeling!

November 11

Practice reciting your poems aloud every single day!  Remember to speak SLOWLY (especially those of you who are good readers…because you are too fast and confident!

Practice putting emotion in your voice.  Practice being silly…because you poems are silly!

Also, finish your “Honest Potato” personification poem.  Rewrite it neatly on a clean piece of notebook paper.

November 4

Today you wrote a Diamante Poem in class!  Please write one more and bring it next time.  Directions are on the link below.

Diamante

We also looked carefully at a sentence from The Tale of Despereaux” by Kate DiCamillo:  “It’s only the wind,” the people of the castle assured each other, “nothing but the wind.”

We noticed that quotation marks were around the exact words of the speaker, and that two commas separated the quote from the dialogue tag.  (I underlined the dialogue tag for you, above).

This week, find just one line of dialogue in a book you are reading, or one you have read recently.  Copy the line of dialogue EXACTLY as it is written in the book.  Write it on a piece of your lined notebook paper, being careful to indent and to double-space your lines.  DO NOT TYPE.

And, you practiced reciting your poem with your partners.  Keep working on your poem this week!  Make sure you have it memorized, and that you can speak it clearly, with emotion.

October 28 

Two things to do:

1. Memorize your part for your poem.  You will perform it on November 25, and your parents, grandparents, and siblings are going to be invited to listen to you!
2. Write your “Thanksgiving Story”  All stories have a main character, a setting, and a problem.  You rolled a die today to determine yours.  Now it’s time to write! Please include some dialogue, and draw a picture to go with it.
3. Were you absent today?  I will send the handouts to your mom, but not until tomorrow afternoon.

October 21

Today we practiced writing quotations properly, and you chose a poem to memorize.  Abby and I will talk tomorrow about which poem we think would be best for you and your group and let you know next time.

This week, write at least five lines of pretend dialogue!  You can write a conversation between you and your cat, or between you and your shoe, or between two fictional characters!  Practice your quotation marks skills with this exercise.

October 14

1. Write another personal narrative story.  This time include dialogue. (Dialogue is when characters talk to each other in the story.  You will need to use quotation marks!)
2. Find a novel (fiction book) that you have read or are reading right now.  Open the book to any page, find a sentence of dialogue, and write it exactly the way you see it in the book, including correct spelling and punctuation.  Do this TWO times.

October 7

All stories have a problem!  In fact, if there is no problem in a story it will be BORING.  Gah.

Today we looked at “Bee Camp” and “My Foof”.  We talked about the main character and the problem in each one.  We also talked about the setting (time and place) of the story.

Your job this week is to write one story from your life.  Make sure it has a problem, setting, and a solution to the problem.  YOU are the main character!  Follow the formatting rules I taught you last time!

Parents,

I always hear from students (yours and older ones!) that they “don’t know what to write about.”  Yep, that’s a fair statement.  However, almost immediately afterwards, I begin hearing stories from them!

When or if your student claims he/she can’t think of what to write, he is likely saying “writing it down is too hard.”  True – writing anything down is hard, especially for someone just learning how to physically write words and sentences.  The solution is to let him narrate the story to you.  Start by saying, “why don’t you just tell me the story right now?”  Either grab paper and a pen and begin to jot down every word, or easier – grab your phone and record her story.

Then, you are welcome to transcribe for your student, word-for-word, print it, and hand it over.  Your student may be thrilled to have his assignment completed already, and I’ll take it.  Or she may want to change it up before she turns it in, which is even better!

September 30

Today I showed you how to “format” your papers.  The rules are simple:

1. Make sure the holes are on the LEFT. (Otherwise, you’re writing on the back!)
2. Watch out for the red margin lines. Begin writing next to the red line on the right, unless you need to indent for a paragraph.
3. Double-space your writing!
4. Write your name on the top blue line (ON the line, not ABOVE the line!) First name and letter of your last name is fine.

Our next writing assignment is called a “personal narrative”.  We started working on that today by creating a Timeline of Your Life!  Your job this week is to add as many stories to your timeline as possible.

Your parents can help you think of events that have happened to YOU from birth to now.  Jot them down with a few words, in the correct place on the timeline.  Try to put at least TEN events there – the more the better!

Parents,

Your student will be overwhelmed with this assignment until you help him/her think of events.  The key is to not think that “nothing big ever happens in my life…” but to remember the little stories and focus on those.  For example,

• Moving from one house to another
• An injury, illness, etc.
• A new pet?
• Learning to swim/play soccer, making a goal!
• Riding a train/plane/ferry for the first time…or another memorable time
• Losing something…breaking something…finding something…
• A memorable birthday party?
• A special Christmas present?
• Getting stung by a bee
• Catching the first fish
• Not catching any fish but having a great time anyway
• Rafting a river
• Beating Grandpa at a card game
• Riding bicycles with friends

We will take one event at a time and learn how to write it into a simple narrative.  For next week, though, your student needs ideas!  Thanks.

September 23

Pigpen codes!  Aren’t those funny?  And difficult?  Yes.

Today we learned one last code, called Pigpen Code.  You made a key for it in class.

For homework, please write a letter to me in Pigpen Code.  It must be at least 6 sentences long, and please tell me anything you like!  Begin with “Dear Mrs. B”.  End with “Your student” and write your name in code.

I will have fun deciphering your letters!

Also, read “Weather Poem” aloud to somebody and answer the last question on the handout.

September 16

Today we played with codes again.  Last week we saw that pictures or symbols can express meaning.  Today we played with another kind of code called a cipher.

Cipher codes shift our normal alphabet, so that when you write a word such as “dog”, it is spelled CNF.  Weird, but lots of fun!

Use the Cipher Codes key we created in class today.  Write at least five good sentences in code.  Next week you will trade papers with somebody in class and try to decipher each other’s message!

Watch out!  You must be sure to spell your words correctly, or the code will be impossible to decipher.

We also read a poem aloud together.  You have a copy of “I Wouldn’t” by John Ciardi.  Recite it to your family!  Or your dog!  Or your hamster!  You can recite it to anybody…just read it aloud at least once.

September 9

Hello Parents!

I’m very excited to have your student in Elementary Language Arts class!

This is the space to find homework assignments and information concerning Elementary Language Arts.  Please check right here after 8 a.m. on the Wednesday following our Tuesday class.  (If ever you check and don’t see the current assignment posted, something is wrong and I need to fix it, pronto!  Do me a favor and email or text, and I’ll get right on it.  Thanks.)

ELA includes instruction in the writing process, in reading aloud, and in reading a work of great children’s literature.  After last year’s stupendous support for Reader’s Theater, I’ll be working with your student to recite poetry aloud, paying attention to meter/rhyme and expression.  We’ll also memorize a poem and recite it to you all!  Stay tuned.

In Christ,

Mrs. B

Homework for September 9:

1. Do at least two freewrites on your own! Write in your spiral notebook.  Set a time for three minutes and remember the rules – write constantly without stopping, erasing, crossing out words, whining, screaming, sighing in frustration, etc.  Have fun!
2. We’re writing in code this week! Today we learned about Picto-Code.
   1. Your job is to write at least 2-3 sentences (more is great!) in normal, English, alphabet.
   2. Then, circle words you could replace with simple drawings. Make a key for your Picto-Code.
   3. Bring your key and your coded writing to class next time. You are welcome to color your pictures.