Transcript Document

Dr. Joe’s Writing-Reading Classes
I Write, I Read, I Love.
Nov. 29, 2014
I. Recommended Author and Book
Andrew Clements (born May 29, 1949) is an
American author of children's books. His
first novel was the award-winning Frindle,
which has won sixteen state book awards,
as well as the Christopher Award.
Today’s Book
Troublemaker
by Andrew Clements, Mark Elliott (Illustrator)
Publisher: Atheneum Books
Publication date: 7/26/2011
Pages: 160
Age range: 8 - 12 Years
Plot of Troublemaker
There’s a folder in Principal Kelling’s office that’s
as thick as a phonebook and it’s growing daily.
It’s filled with the incident reports of every time
Clayton Hensley broke the rules. There’s the
minor stuff like running in the hallways and not
being where he was suppose to be when he was
supposed to be there. But then there are also
reports that show Clay’s own brand of
troublemaking, like the most recent addition: the
art teacher has said that the class should spend
the period drawing anything they want and Clay
decides to be extra “creative” and draw a spoton portrait of Principal Kellings…as a donkey.
It’s a pretty funny joke, but really, Clay is
coming to realize that the biggest joke of all
may be on him. When his big brother, Mitchell,
gets in some serious trouble, Clay decides to
change his own mischief making ways…but he
can’t seem to shake his reputation as a
troublemaker.
From the master of the school story comes a
book about the fine line between goodhumored mischief and dangerous behavior
and how everyday choices can close or open
doors.
Anti-Spam Registration New Rules
Our class forum has received many spam
registrations and postings. To stop the
spam, we have changed the registration
rules. Every user WHO HAS NOT
SUCCESSFULLY REGISTERED needs to
email the following information to
[email protected] :
 1. Your real name (or class nickname);
 2. Your email address used to register for
our forum;
 3. Your forum username.
Once we get the above information
of yours, we will help you to set up
a forum account. Then you can
use our forum without problem.
Our student forum URL:
http://englishwritingschool.com/forum/?q=forum
Everybody ( student, teacher, or
parent) is encouraged to take part in
forum discussion. In-depth
instruction related to forum
discussion will form a key section of
class meeting.
Please post your homework assignments,
questions and comments on the forum
from now on. Email me only about issues
that are not proper for forum discussion.
When you post your writing on the forum,
make your title like this: “Grade Number Writing Title.” For example, you are in
grade 4 and the title is “I Like Books.”
Then you type “Grade 4 – I Like Books” in
the title area.
II. Quiz Time
1. Michael Buckley is a best selling
children’s book author who is
known for The ______ Grimm and
the N.E.R.D.S. book series.
1. Michael Buckley is a best selling
children’s book author who is
known for The Sisters Grimm and
the N.E.R.D.S. book series.
2. espionage
the activity of _______
2. espionage
the activity of spying
3. Oscar _______ (16
October 1854 – 30
November 1900) was an
Irish writer and poet
famous among children
for The Happy Prince and
Other Stories (1888, fairy
stories).
3. Oscar Wilde (16 October
1854 – 30 November 1900)
was an Irish writer and
poet famous among
children for The Happy
Prince and Other Stories
(1888, fairy stories).
4. w____ing noun
someone who is not physically
strong
4. weakling noun
someone who is not physically
strong
5. X______
an imaginary place that is very
beautiful
5. Xanadu
an imaginary place that is
very beautiful
III. Vocabulary
Each student writes a sentence
after learning a new word.
 1. abiding / əbaɪdɪŋ / adjective
 [ only before noun ]
 an abiding feeling or belief continues for
a long time and is not likely to change
 Phil has a deep and abiding love for his
family.

2. baggy / ˈbæɡi / adjective
baggy clothes are big and do
not fit tightly on your body
She was wearing jeans and a
baggy T-shirt.
3. caustic / kɔstɪk $ kɒs- /
adjective
a caustic substance can burn
through things by chemical
action
This is a caustic liquid.
4. daffy / dæfi / adjective
silly or crazy in an amusing
way
That was a daffy story.
5. eager / iɡə $ -ər / adjective
very keen and excited about
something that is going to happen
or about something you want to
do
The kids were eager to start the
trip.
IV. Proverb Exercises
Quality Short Writing Exercise
(homework)
(do the proverb exercise carefully and
pay attention to major issues like story
attraction and minor issues like spelling)
A pot of milk is ruined by a drop of poison
Something bad, even very small, can ruin all your
plans, successes etc.
Read the proverb. Write a short meaningful
paragraph within five sentences including this
proverb at home. Paste them on the screen now.
The proverb wording can be changed slightly
when necessary.
V. Writing Appreciation and Analysis
New Reading
Elwyn Brooks "E. B." White (July 11, 1899 –
October 1, 1985) was an American writer. He
was a contributor to The New Yorker magazine
and a co-author of the English language style
guide, The Elements of Style, which is
commonly known as "Strunk & White". He also
wrote books for children, including Charlotte's
Web, Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the
Swan. Charlotte's Web was voted the top
children's novel in a 2012 survey of School
Library Journal readers, not for the first time.
An Excerpt
from
Charlotte's Web
(1952)
by
E. B. White
Focus of Appreciation:
Animal Writing
Plot summary
After sparing the life of a piglet almost slaughtered
as runt of the litter, a little girl named Fern Arable
nurtures it lovingly, naming it Wilbur. On greater
maturity, Wilbur is sold to Fern's uncle, Homer
Zuckerman, in whose barnyard he is left yearning
for companionship but is snubbed by other barn
animals, until befriended by a spider named
Charlotte, living on a web overlooking Wilbur's
enclosure. Upon Wilbur's discovery that he is
intended for slaughter, she promises to hatch a
plan guaranteed to spare his life. Accordingly she
secretly weaves praise of him into her web,
attracting publicity among Zuckerman's neighbors
who attribute the praise to divine intervention.
As time passes, more engravings appear on
Charlotte's webs, increasing his renown.
Therefore Wilbur is entered in the county fair,
a c c o m p a n i e d by C h a rl ot t e a n d t h e ra t
Templeton, whom she employs in gathering
inspiration for her messages. There, Charlotte
spins an egg sac containing her unborn
offspring, and Wilbur, despite winning no
prizes, is later celebrated by the fair's staff
and visitors (thus made too prestigious alive,
to justify killing him). Exhausted apparently
by laying eggs, Charlotte remains at the fair
and dies shortly after Wilbur's departure.
Having returned to Zuckerman's farm,
Wilbur guards Charlotte's egg sac, and
is saddened further when the new
spiders depart shortly after hatching,
leaving behind their three smallest.
Pleased at finding new friends, Wilbur
names the spiderlings Joy, Nellie, and
Aranea, and the book concludes
mentioning that more generations of
spiders kept him company in
subsequent years.
Characters
Wilbur is an energetic pig, the runt of his litter;
often strongly emotional.
Charlotte A. Cavatica, or simply Charlotte, is a
spider who befriends Wilbur; in some passages
the heroine of the story.
John Arable: Wilbur's first owner.
Fern Arable, John's daughter, who adopts Wilbur
in his infancy, and later visits him. The only
human in the story capable of understanding
nonhuman conversation.
Templeton is a rat who helps Charlotte and
Wilbur only when offered food. He serves as a
somewhat caustic, self-serving comic relief to
the plot.
Avery Arable is the elder brother of Fern. Like
Templeton, a source of comic relief.
Homer Zuckerman is Fern’s uncle who keeps
Wilbur in his barn. He has a wife, Edith, and an
assistant named Lurvy.
Other animals in Zuckerman’s barn, with whom
Wilbur converses, are a disdainful lamb, a
talkative goose, and an intelligent "old sheep".
Henry Fussy is a boy of Fern’s age, of
whom Fern becomes fond.
Dr. Dorian: the family
physician/psychologist consulted by
Fern's mother; something of a wise old
man character.
Uncle is Wilbur’s rival at the fair: a large
pig whom Charlotte disdains for coarse
manners.
CHAPTER 5
Charlotte
The night seemed long. Wilbur's
stomach was empty and his mind was
full. And when your stomach is empty
and your mind is full, it's always hard to
sleep. (eop)
A dozen times during the night Wilbur
woke and stared into the blackness,
listening to the sounds and trying to
figure out what time it was. A barn is
never perfectly quiet. Even at midnight
there is usually something stirring.(eop)
The first time he woke, he heard Templeton
gnawing a hole in the grain bin. Templeton's
teeth scraped loudly against the wood and made
quite a racket. "That crazy rat!" thought Wilbur.
"Why does he have to stay up all night, grinding
his clashers and destroying people's property?
Why can't he go to sleep, like any decent
animal?“ (eop)
The second time Wilbur woke, he heard the
goose turning on her nest and chuckling to
herself.(eop)
"What time is it?" whispered Wilbur to the
goose.(eop)
Notes:
[gnaw: keep biting sth hard;
scrape: make noise by rubbing
against hard surface; racket: loud
noise; grind: rub; clashers: teeth]
"Probably-obably-obably about half-past
eleven," said the goose. "Why aren't you
asleep, Wilbur?“ (eop)
"Too many things on my mind," said
Wilbur. (eop)
"Well," said the goose, "that's not my
trouble. I have nothing at all on my
mind, but I've too many things under my
behind. Have you ever tried to sleep
while sitting on eight eggs?“ (eop)
"No," replied Wilbur. "I suppose it is
uncomfortable. How long does it take a
goose egg to hatch?” (eop)
"Approximately-oximately thirty days, all
told," answered the goose. "But I cheat a
little. On warm afternoons, I just pull a
little straw over the eggs and go out for a
walk.” (eop)
Wilbur yawned and went back to sleep. In
his dreams he heard again the voice
saying, "I'll be a friend to you. Go to sleep you'll see me in the morning.“ (eop)
About half an hour before dawn, Wilbur
woke and listened. (eop)
The barn was still dark. The sheep lay
motionless. Even the goose was quiet.
Overhead, on the main floor, nothing
stirred: the cows were resting, the horses
dozed. Templeton had quit work and gone
off somewhere on an errand. The only
sound was a slight scraping noise from the
rooftop, where the weather-vane swung
back and forth. Wilbur loved the barn when
it was like this calm and quiet, waiting for
light. (eop)
errand: a short journey that you take to do or
get something
weather-vane: weathercock
"Day is almost here," he thought.
Through a small window, a faint gleam
appeared. One by one the stars went out.
Wilbur could see the goose a few feet
away. She sat with head tucked under a
wing. Then he could see the sheep and
the lambs. The sky lightened. (eop)
"Oh, beautiful day, it is here at last!
Today I shall find my friend.“ (eop)
tuck: to push the end of
(something) into or behind
something in order to hold it in
place, make it look neat, etc.
Wilbur looked everywhere. He searched his
pen thoroughly. He examined the window
ledge, stared up at the ceiling. But he saw
nothing new. Finally he decided he would
have to speak up. He hated to break the
lovely stillness of day by using his voice,
but he couldn't think of any other way to
locate the mysterious new friend who was
nowhere to be seen. So Wilbur cleared his
throat. (eop)
"Attention, please!" he said in a loud, firm
voice. "Will the party who addressed me at
bedtime last night kindly make himself or
herself known by giving an appropriate sign
or signal!” (eop)
window ledge:
Wilbur paused and listened. All the other
animals lifted their heads and stared at
him. Wilbur blushed. But he was
determined to get in touch with his
unknown friend.(eop)
"Attention, please!" he said. "I will repeat
the message. Will the party who addressed
me at bedtime last night kindly speak up.
Please tell me where you are, if you are my
friend!” (eop)
The sheep looked at each other in disgust.
(eop)
blush: become red in the face
disgust: a strong feeling of
dislike
"Stop your nonsense, Wilbur!" said the oldest
sheep. "If you have a new friend here, you are
probably disturbing his rest; and the quickest
way to spoil a friendship is to wake somebody
up in the morning before he is ready. How can
you be sure your friend is an early riser?“ (eop)
"I beg everyone's pardon," whispered Wilbur. "I
didn't mean to be objectionable.“ (eop)
He lay down meekly in the manure, facing the
door. He did not know it, but his friend was very
near. And the old sheep was right - the friend
was still asleep. (eop)
objectionable: unpleasant
meek: having or showing a quiet and
gentle nature
manure: solid waste from farm animals
that is used to make soil better for
growing plants
Soon Lurvy appeared with slops for
breakfast. Wilbur rushed out, ate
everything in a hurry, and licked the
trough. The sheep moved off down the
lane, the gander waddled along behind
them, pulling grass. And then, just as
Wilbur was settling down for his morning
nap, he heard again the thin voice that
had addressed him the night before.
(eop)
slop: food waste (as garbage) fed
to animals
trough: a long, shallow container
from which animals (such as cows,
pigs, horses, etc.) eat or drink
gander: an adult male goose
"Salutations!" said the voice. (eop)
Wilbur jumped to his feet. "Salu-what?"
he cried. (eop)
"Salutations!" repeated the voice.(eop)
"What are they, and where are you?"
screamed Wilbur. "Please, please, tell me
where you are. And what are
salutations?“ (eop)
"Salutations are greetings," said the voice. "When I
say 'salutations,' it's just my fancy way of saying
hello or good morning. Actually, it's a silly
expression, and I am surprised that I used it at all.
As for my whereabouts, that's easy. Look up here
in the corner of the doorway! Here I am. Look, I'm
waving!” (eop)
At last Wilbur saw the creature that had spoken to
him in such a kindly way. Stretched across the
upper part of the doorway was a big spiderweb,
and hanging from the top of the web, head down,
was a large grey spider. She was about the size of
a gumdrop. She had eight legs, and she was
waving one of them at Wilbur in friendly greeting.
"See me now?" she asked.(eop)
salutation: n. the act of greeting someone;
fancy: adj. not plain or ordinary
whereabouts: n. plural but singular or plural in
construction
(also whereabout)
the place where a person or thing is <their
present whereabouts are a secret>
gumdrop: a sweet, chewy candy
"Oh, yes indeed," said Wilbur. "Yes
indeed! How are you? Good
morning! Salutations! Very pleased
to meet you. What is your name,
please? May I have your
name?“(eop)
"My name," said the spider, "is
Charlotte.“ (eop)
"Charlotte what?" asked Wilbur,
eagerly. (eop)
"Charlotte A. Cavatica. But just call
me Charlotte." (eop)
"I think you're beautiful," said
Wilbur.(eop)
"Well, I am pretty," replied Charlotte.
"There's no denying that. Almost all
spiders are rather nice-looking. I'm
not as flashy as some, but I'll do. I
wish I could see you, Wilbur, as clearly
as you can see me.” (eop)
flashy: bright or fancy in a way that
is meant to attract attention
"Why can't you?" asked the pig. "I'm right
here.“(eop)
"Yes, but I'm near-sighted," replied Charlotte.
"I've always been dreadfully near-sighted. It's
good in some ways, not so good in others.
Watch me wrap up this fly.” (eop)
A fly that had been crawling along Wilbur's
trough had flown up and blundered into the
lower part of Charlotte's web and was tangled
in the sticky threads. The fly was beating its
wings furiously, trying to break loose and free
itself.(eop)
trough: a long, shallow container from which
animals (such as cows, pigs, horses, etc.) eat or
drink
blunder: to move in an awkward or confused
way
tangle: to become or cause (something) to
become twisted together
furious: very angry; very powerful or violent
break loose: get away
First said Charlotte, "I dive at him."
She plunged headfirst toward the
fly. As she dropped, a tiny silken
thread unwound from her rear end.
"Next, I wrap him up." She
grabbed the fly, threw a few jets of
silk around it, and rolled it over
and over, wrapping it so that it
couldn't move. Wilbur watched in
horror. He could hardly believe
what he was seeing, and although
he detested flies, he was sorry for
this one. (eop)
detest: to dislike (someone or
something) very strongly
"There!" said Charlotte. "Now I knock him out,
so he'll be more comfortable." She bit the fly.
"He can't feel a thing now," she remarked.
"He'll make a perfect breakfast for me.“(eop)
"You mean you eat flies?" gasped Wilbur.(eop)
"Certainly. Flies, bugs, grasshoppers, choice
beetles, moths, butterflies, tasty cockroaches,
gnats, midges, daddy longlegs, centipedes,
mosquitoes, crickets - anything that is careless
enough to get caught in my web. I have to
live, don't I?“(eop)
gasp: to breathe in suddenly and
loudly with your mouth open
because of surprise, shock, or pain
gnat:
midge:
daddy longlegs
centipede
"Why, yes, of course," said Wilbur. "Do
they taste good?“(eop)
"Delicious. Of course, I don't really eat
them. I drink them - drink their blood.
I love blood," said Charlotte, and her
pleasant, thin voice grew even thinner
and more pleasant.(eop)
"Don't say that!" groaned Wilbur.
"Please don't say things like
that!“(eop)
groan: to make a deep sound
because of pain or some strong
emotion (such as grief or
disappointment)
"Why not? It's true, and I have to say
what is true. I am not entirely happy
about my diet of flies and bugs, but
it's the way I'm made. A spider has to
pick up a living somehow or other, and
I happen to be a trapper. I just
naturally build a web and trap flies
and other insects. My mother was a
trapper before me. Her mother was a
trapper before her. All our family have
been trappers. Way back for
thousands and thousands of years we
spiders have been laying for flies and
bugs.” (eop)
lay for: to be waiting to attack
"It's a miserable inheritance," said
Wilbur, gloomily. He was sad because
his new friend was so
bloodthirsty.(eop)
"Yes, it is," agreed Charlotte. "But I
can't help it. I don't know how the
first spider in the early days of the
world happened to think up this fancy
idea of spinning a web, but she did,
and it was clever of her, too. And
since then, all of us spiders have had
to work the same trick. It's not a bad
pitch, on the whole.”(eop)
bloodthirsty: cruel
pitch: a situation
"It's cruel," replied Wilbur, who did not intend
to be argued out of his position. (eop)
"Well, you can't talk " said Charlotte. "You
have your meals brought to you in a pail.
Nobody feeds me. I have to get in own living.
I live by my wits. I have to be sharp and
clever, lest I go hungry. I have to think things
out, catch what I can, take what comes. And
it just so happens, my friend, that what comes
is flies and insects and bugs. And
furthermore," said Charlotte, shaking one of
her legs, "do you realize that if I didn't catch
bugs and eat them, bugs would increase and
multiply and get so numerous that they'd
destroy the earth, wipe out everything?“ (eop)
pail: a bucket
lest: conj.
for fear that
"Really?" said Wilbur. "I wouldn't want that to
happen. Perhaps your web is a good thing
after all.“ (eop)
The goose had been listening to this
conversation and chuckling to herself. "There
are a lot of things Wilbur doesn't know about
life," she thought. "He's really a very innocent
little pig. He doesn't even know what's going
to happen to him around Christmastime; he
has no idea that Mr. Zuckerman and Lurvy are
plotting to kill him." And the goose raised
herself a bit and poked her eggs a little further
under her so that they would receive the full
heat from her warm body and soft feathers.
(eop)
Charlotte stood quietly over the fly, preparing to
eat it.(eop)
Wilbur lay down and closed his eyes. He was
tired from his wakeful night and from the
excitement of meeting someone for the first
time. A breeze brought him the smell of clover
- the sweet-smelling world beyond his fence.
"Well," he thought, "I've got a new friend, all
right. But what a gamble friendship is!
Charlotte is fierce, brutal, scheming,
bloodthirsty - everything I don't like. How can I
learn to like her, even though she is pretty and,
of course, clever?“(eop)
scheming: given to making plots
Wilbur was merely suffering the
doubts and fears that often go with
finding a new friend. In good time he
was to discover that he was mistaken
about Charlotte. Underneath her
rather bold and cruel exterior, she
had a kind heart, and she was to
prove loyal and true to the very end.
(eop)
Homework
Review and read out loud the
teaching materials at least two times
at home.
Read the excerpt from Charlotte's
Web (CHAPTER 5 Charlotte) and be
ready for class discussion.