SOCKS Discussion 6

“Old Taylor”

How did we get this far without talking about Tiffy? She sounds nice enough, but do you think you would get along with her? Socks is so desperate since being put out of the house, he actually thinks about living with Tiffy! On page 125 we read a description of Old Taylor. What other adjectives could be used to describe him? Then poor Socks gets hurt in a fight and the Brickers nurse him back to health. What do they do to help Socks? And finally Socks gets a new name in this chapter. Does Charles William have anything to do with Socks staying in the house? Why or why not?

And on a personal note, this evening is the 2007 NBA draft. One of my former students is involved and should go fairly high. Brandan Wright was in my science class for 7th and 8th grade and was destined for great things even back then. I can attest that he is one of the good guys and a positive role model for my current students—very humble and hard working. I am very proud of him and wish him success tonight and for his very bright future!


**A quick update:
Brandan was selected by the Charlotte Bobcats as the 8th overall pick. He was listed as high as a potential 4th pick, but after everything fell into place, he was taken by Michael Jordan and who could be upset with that? What an exciting evening!

**Another update:
Brandan was traded to the Golden State Warriors. I'm not as fond of Michael Jordan as I was a day ago. Brandan will do well no matter where he is, but I was hoping it would be closer to Nashville. Oh well. Here is a link to the story: http://www.nba.com/warriors/news/2007_Draft_Central.html

SOCKS Discussion 5

“A Visit from Nana”

This is one of my favorite chapters. Nana is NOT like Mrs. Risely! When the chapter first starts, how do you know company is coming? It sounds like my house! Nana does not like Socks from the start. Give some small examples of how you can tell. And then the really interesting part; Socks was looking for a place to sleep and found a new toy! After Nana got mad, Socks gets in BIG trouble. He is kicked out of the house! Do you think Socks should be outside? Tell me why.

Okay, we are just about done. The best chapter is yet to come—you’ll see something very similar to the wig-wrestling in the last chapter! I will do my best to get a post up on Wednesday/Thursday and then finish the book on Friday/Saturday.

Those of you who are reading the blog (parents and students), let me know what fun things you are doing this summer. It feels like we have been on vacation for so long! And the good news is that we are only just hitting the halfway point! I would love to hear about where you’ve been or where you are going for vacation or fun.

PS--Oliver got a haircut today, and he looks very handsome! I'll have to get a picture of him put up soon!

Socks Discussion 4

"The Evening the Sitter Came"

What do you think about that title? I remember some awful nights when my parents went out and left my brothers and me with a sitter. (I usually ended up hiding under the bed.) It appears that Charles William is here to stay and Socks is not happy about it. Mrs. Bricker calls him "a big fat nuisance." How would you define the word "nuisance?" Then comes Mrs. Risley. Why does "Skeezix" enjoy his time with her?

We have only three chapters left in Socks. Over the next week or so we'll finish the discussion posts for the book, but hopefully you are reading your ten books to qualify for the pizza party. Don't forget to write a brief summary of the books you read and keep track of the total number of pages. (For copies of the summer reading logs and more information, please visit our school's web page: http://www.mnps.org/Page8448.aspx )

Soon I'll be reading the last Harry Potter book! Will any of you be reading it, too? The book comes out on July 21, so between now and then I am going to finish the books I'm reading now (a mystery by Mary Higgins Clark and a nonfiction book about Charles Lindbergh) and then read books 5 and 6 of Harry Potter to get me ready for Deathly Hallows. I can't wait!

I'm Back!

It was a good, but extremely tiring week of travel. I would guess I spent about 20 hours on a bus over the last seven days. Yikes! But I did learn a great deal about the Cherokee and Creek tribes that at one time lived in Tennessee. Look for a little memento in the mail in the next few days!

Later this week I am heading up to Central Illinois to visit my parents, so I'll be heading out of town again. Then a few weeks later, I'm going to visit my brother in Florida. Busy, busy, busy! I hope you are all having a great summer as we enter into this fourth week. Please remember to read everyday and practice those multiplication facts. You will have a quiz on your first day of school. Also remember that you will be doing a little bit of writing after you finish reading Socks. I'll post the next set of questions this week.

P.S. How about those Spurs?! I told Bubblez they would win!!

3..2..1..BLASTOFF

Yesterday was the first shuttle launch since my brother started working down in Florida. He went out to the beach to watch. Then of course he had to tell me all about it. One of these days, I promise I will be there myself! I can only imagine how awesome it will be to watch the launch and feel the rumbling of the Earth under my feet and hear the thundering sounds caused by those massive engines. The next launch is scheduled for August 9, so if I'm not back in time for the start of school, could one of you let Ms. Greer know where I am?! ;-)

After the launch the booster rockets (the two white ones) are fished out of the ocean and must be inspected, so my brother had an early morning today. I have trouble feeling sorry for him, don't you? My weekend consists of packing for my trip. I am really excited to be able to go. I'll chat to you again next Saturday!

SOCKS Discussion 3

I keep posting in hopes that some of you, maybe at least ONE of you will join me in a discussion of the book. I am beginning to feel lonely. It is as if you are on vacation and not interested in school at all!

Today's questions come from chapter 3. List some specific reasons why Socks dislikes Charles William. At the bottom of page 63 it reads,

"With the danger, whatever it was, out of the way, Socks turned a wary eye on Mike, who was slumped in a chair staring at the ceiling."

What does wary mean? Did Socks have good reason to feel this way? Give examples. Then Socks is put on a diet. What one food would you miss the most if you were put on a strict diet? What food would you willing give up and never eat again? I would miss my Jim nachos from Cancun Restaurant, but would willingly give up brussel sprouts!

Well, I may try to get discussion 4 up this weekend, but I will be out of town and away from a computer all of next week. Whatever will I do without my e-mail access? Ms.Bell, Ms. Morris, and I are going to visit some interesting places so that all of the 4th graders will be able to learn about American Indians this fall. It should be fun and I can't wait to learn more things so that I can share it with you! Have a good, and HOT, week!

I know you are missing me a lot, but you'll be okay!

SOCKS Discussion 2

Hello? Is there anyone out there? You must be loving summer break--and I am very glad. I am going to go ahead and keep posting, and I hope some of you will eventually join in. To start at the beginning of our discussion, you can go to the post labeled #1, or click on the label "Socks" at the bottom. That should bring up all of the posts about the book, but they'll be backwards. Just start at the bottom and work your way up!

And now, on to chapter 2. Who is telling the story and how do you know? How do you know the Brickers are NOT rich? What adjectives (describing words) give you that information? What do you think is going to happen next? Socks is not very happy; what could an unhappy cat decide to do? (You know I dislike cats, so I can only begin to imagine the trouble an angry cat could cause!) Share your ideas!

Well, that is all for this week. I will do a few posts next week, but then I am going on a "field trip" for school over the following week. I am excited about it. I am going to tour Cherokee, North Carolina and the Stones River National Park in Alabama in order to learn more about the American Indian tribes that lived and still live in those areas. I will take pictures and share all of it with you this fall in 4th grade! I am really looking forward to it! Enjoy your weekend--maybe we'll even get some rain!!