Illustrating Your Picture Book - a video by Mr. Haines

Anyone with a k051 account can access this link! Watch (and rewatch) to learn how to illustrate your book!

HERE'S THE VIDEO!

BLOG REVIEWS! (Instead of a regular blog post this week!)

Spend this week reading as many people's blog posts as you can.  You can also read independent reading posts from Ms. dePalma and Ms. Christensen's, Ms. Galang's, or Ms. Cunningham's classes.  Find a blog post that you think is truly amazing, and write an elaborated response to it that explains to your readers why you think it's so great.

You should include a link to the post you're writing about - you can do this by copying the link and then clicking on the "Link" tab above the text box while you are writing your post and pasting it in to the "Edit Link" box that pops up.

Your post should be a few paragraphs long, highlighting aspects of the writer's post you found particularly interesting.  Here are some suggestions:

* Have you read the book, too?  Talk about what you thought and if you agree or disagree with the writer.

* Does the post make you want to read the book?  Why or why not?

* Did the post ask some philosophical questions about human nature or the world?  What are your thoughts on those issues?

* Did the post make you think about anything else?  Another book?  A movie?  The world?  Your own life?  Write about that!

* Have you read any other posts by this writer?  How does this one stand out?

* Do you like the way the post is written?  Is it engaging?  Why?  What craft moves could you emulate in your own blog posts?

For a couple of examples of thoughtful blog reviews, read Zora's shout-out to Yairis about her argument essay! Gabby's kind words about Aviva's post on The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Sadie's praise of Katherine's post on Saint Anything, Clara's kind words about Esme's post on Go Ask Alice,  Rose's appreciative post about Sara's thoughts on Thirteen Reasons Why, Tess's praise of Izzy's post on House Rules and Tiv's rave review of Winston's post on The Last Thing I Remember!

A KANGAROO TAIL by Ms. Rear

Part 1:

The dry grasslands of Australia are perfect for. . .  Hopping!

Kangaroos love to hop.  Their long, useful tails help them steer and balance as they bounce across the land.

Everyone hops!  The bucks, the does, and the joeys just big enough to leave the pouch.

All across the continent, they hop – from Western Australia all the way to New South Wales – even on the tiny island of Tasmania.  They hop past their marsupial friends – the koalas, the bandicoots, and the spotted-tailed quolls.  And in Tasmania, they hop past Tasmanian Pademelons.

One day, Jemma, a little girl joey, noticed her friend Poppy the pygmy possum’s pretty tail.

“Oh, it’s lovely,” she told Poppy as Poppy preened, curling her tail like a corkscrew around a tiny twig.

Part 2:

Jemma’s joey friend Josie agreed completely.  “I wonder if we could. . .” she thought to herself.

That afternoon, after a snack of wallaby grass, Jemma and Josie tried out their plan.  They twisted their tails tightly around and around some small brigalow branches.  They used acacia stalks to tie their tails in place.  It didn’t feel too good.

“Does your tail hurt?” asked Josie.

“It does,” Jemma answered with a grimace, “but how else can we get pretty corkscrew-curly tails like Poppy’s?”

Josie pursed her lips.  “I suppose you’re right.  We’ll have to grin and bear it.”

In the morning, Jemma and Josie untied their tails, which weren’t quite corkscrews yet, but did feel a bit black and blue.  It hurt to hop, so Jemma and Josie didn’t go far.  Every night for a week, Jemma and Josie tied their tails tightly and then checked them every morning.

One morning, they got what they wanted.  Their tails curled in tight spirals, and they sat still, admiring them.  They had to sit still, since when they tried hopping, it was hard to balance and steer.  More than once, Jemma and Josie keeled right over!  “This is embarrassing, Jemma,” whispered Josie.  “Let’s stay still.”

“But our tails looks lovely,” insisted Jemma, twisting her neck to see her behind.  “There was no other way!”

At first, the rest of the mob had ignored Jemma and Josie’s experiment.  But they couldn’t ignore it anymore.  They noticed the joeys had stopped hopping, and they wanted to know why.  What would make a kangaroo stop hopping?

When Jemma and Josie explained, the mob almost jumped backward in shock (but kangaroos can only move forward.)

“Why would you do that?!?”

“Yes, it’s lovely, but now, you can’t hop!”

“But. . .  you girls are not pygmy possums!”

The older kangaroos looked down at the two joeys, who blushed in shame.  But it was too late.  They would never hop quickly and joyfully again, only move in tiny, hobbling movements.


Part 3:

The sun rose and set over Australia, and a few years rolled over the grasslands.  Jemma grew into a grown-up kangaroo, and in turn, she had a joey of her own.  She was called Jaya.

One day, when Jaya was a little girl joey, she noticed her mother’s pretty, corkscrew-curly tail.  “Your tail is lovely, Mama,” she said.  “How can I get my tail to look like yours?”

Jemma thought hard before she answered her daughter.  “You could do it, but I wish I had not.  Whenever I see you hopping happily across the grass, I think of myself when I was just a joey.  I loved to hop.  Don’t you?”

“Of course, Mama!  What kangaroo doesn’t?”

“I can’t,” explained Jemma, “because I made a mistake.”  She nodded towards her lovely tail.

“Oh, Mama!”  Jaya’s eyes filled with tears.

“Don’t cry, little joey.  Go play.  I love to see you hop and play.”

Jaya did as her mother told her, and looked back at her mother, who never hopped, but only watched.

I would never give up hopping for anything, Jaya thought.  Not for the prettiest, curliest tail in the world.  Not for anything.

Amazing Argument Essays!

Eliza makes a solid case for limiting teens' exposure to social media!

Gwen makes a similar, sophisticated argument for why social media is harmful to teens!

Phoenix passionately defends Colin Kaepernick's right to protest while expertly refuting people's objections!

Olive argues expertly for the implementation of body cameras worn by police officers!

Mia constructs an incredible EIGHT-PARAGRAPH argument as to why college athletes do NOT need to be paid!

Rivers makes an informed and impassioned plea for everyone to become vegan!

Gianna takes a nuanced and philosophical approach to arguing for police wearing body cameras!

A Kangaroo Tail Part 2

Jemma’s joey friend Josie agreed completely.  “I wonder if we could. . .” she thought to herself.

That afternoon, after a snack of wallaby grass, Jemma and Josie tried out their plan.  They twisted their tails tightly around and around some small brigalow branches.  They used acacia stalks to tie their tails in place.  It didn’t feel too good.

“Does your tail hurt?” asked Josie.

“It does,” Jemma answered with a grimace, “but how else can we get pretty corkscrew-curly tails like Poppy’s?”

Josie pursed her lips. “I suppose you’re right.  We’ll have to grin and bear it.”

In the morning, Jemma and Josie untied their tails, which weren’t quite corkscrews yet, but did feel a bit black and blue.  It hurt to hop, so Jemma and Josie didn’t go far.  Every night for a week, Jemma and Josie tied their tails tightly and then checked them every morning.

One morning, they got what they wanted.  Their tails curled in tight spirals, and they sat still, admiring them.  They had to sit still, since when they tried hopping, it was hard to balance and steer.  More than once, Jemma and Josie keeled right over!  “This is embarrassing, Jemma,” whispered Josie. “Let’s stay still.”

“But our tails look lovely,” insisted Jemma, twisting her neck to see her behind.  “There was no other way!”

At first, the rest of the mob had ignored Jemma and Josie’s experiment.  But they couldn’t ignore it anymore.  They noticed the joeys had stopped hopping, and they wanted to know why. What would make a kangaroo stop hopping?

When Jemma and Josie explained, the mob almost jumped backward in shock (but kangaroos can only move forward.)

“Why would you do that?!?”

“Yes, it’s lovely, but now, you can’t hop!”

“But. . .  you girls are not pygmy possums!”

The older kangaroos looked down at the two joeys, who blushed in shame.  But it was too late.  They would never hop quickly and joyfully again, only move in tiny, hobbling movements.

A Kangaroo Tail Part 1

Part 1:

The dry grasslands of Australia are perfect for. . .  Hopping!

Kangaroos love to hop.  Their long, useful tails help them steer and balance as they bounce across the land.

Everyone hops!  The bucks, the does, and the joeys just big enough to leave the pouch.

All across the continent, they hop – from Western Australia all the way to New South Wales – even on the tiny island of Tasmania.  They hop past their marsupial friends – the koalas, the bandicoots, and the spotted-tailed quolls.  And in Tasmania, they hop past Tasmanian Pademelons.

One day, Jemma, a little girl joey, noticed her friend Poppy the pygmy possum’s pretty tail.

“Oh, it’s lovely,” she told Poppy as Poppy preened, curling her tail like a corkscrew around a tiny twig.