Get Your Books Turned In ASAP!

Just in case you don't know who you are:
I need copies of The Blue Sword from Ray Cruz and Jamie Gerbitz.
And...
I need Phantom Tollbooths from Autumn McW, Taran Suden, Ray C and Patrick Gibbs.
Get those back ASAP, guys! We won't move on to the next book until I get all owed copies turned in. How's that for bribery?
:)
Mrs. P

Phantom Tollbooth discussion questions, ch. 5-end of book!

I'm really sorry we didn't break this up more for discussion; there's a lot going on in this little book, and it is all pretty cool (sorry you disagree, Jacob--:) )! We'll get in as much conversation about it as we can today. Below are some questions to ponder about the book. If you have your own, please comment and add them to this post!
1. Idioms are used a great deal throughout this book. An idiom is a a phrase with an understood meaning that is different from its actual words (ex. "I'm all ears", "a square meal". Find some examples of idioms in the book and list them here!

2. What does Milo learn in the Land Of Illusions? Why is it important to notice what is going on around us?

3. Chroma- the purity of a color, the saturation of a color or hue. Chromatic- pertaining to color or colors.
~Who is Chroma the Great? Why can’t the instruments stop playing?

4. Definitions:
Discord- lack of harmony, a combination of musical tones that strikes the ear harshly
Dissonance- lack of agreement, inconsistency, a clashing of sounds
Cacophonous (cacophony) - harsh sounding, harsh sounds or words
Din- a loud continued noise
~Discuss why a sound is pleasant or unpleasant. Can a pleasant sound become an unpleasant one?

5. ~Discuss the idiom “jumping to conclusions." How do we sometimes do this?
~Why couldn’t they jump back? Why did they have to swim through the Sea of Knowledge? Discuss how finding out the facts is often times like swimming through a sea, and how it can be difficult and take much effort.

6. Discuss the Subtraction Stew that was fed to Milo, Tock, and Humbug. How can adding leave you with less than you started with?

7. Where did the Everpresent Wordsnatcher (Dirty Bird) really live? Discuss how the bird took what Milo said “out of context”.

8. Discuss what the Terrible Trivium says about meaningless tasks: “There is always something to do that keeps you from what you should be doing.” Is this true? What are some ways we can keep this from happening?

9. Chapter 19 lists several more demons of ignorance:
The Triple Demons of Compromise
The Horrible Hopping Hindsight
The Gorgons of Hate and Malice
The Overbearing Know-it-all
The Gross Exaggeration
The Threadbare Excuse
Dilemma
Which are unknown terms? Define them and describe the negative impacts these things have on wisdom.

10. Pick and discuss from the following ideas and tell what Milo learned about them on his journey: Wisdom (or Common Sense), Time, Ignorance, Fear, Appreciation of Everyday Life, Boredom, Words, or Numbers.

11. What is Milo doing at the end of the book? Do you think he has changed or stayed the same as before he found the Tollbooth?

Okay, that's a lot of questions, but this book is very thought provoking! Let's talk, Bookies.
:)
Mrs. P

Happy Holidays, Rattlers!

Here's an area where we can talk about what we're reading or seeing in the movie theater (love my movies!)-- or whatever-- over break! Anyone doing anything fun? I'll be road tripping to Texas the 22nd-26th to see my siblings; it will be the first time we've all been together since 1998. Should be interesting. :)

Take care, everyone, be safe and have a fun and relaxing break!
:)
Mrs. P

Change of Plans!

We're doing a pizza party instead tomorrow! Those you signed up for desserts, drinks and chips (Divya), carry on. Those of you not signed up yet, please consider bringing in some sort of dessert or drink for everyone to share. And don't forget your book for your book exchange person!

So who's bringing what?
:)
Mrs. P

Next Week + More!

Hey bookies!
So next week is our last Thursday meeting before break, and we have a couple different traditions from years past that we like to keep. First, we do a book exchange--

Winter Break Book Exchange:

1. Everyone brings a book to LEND for reading over break (it will be well taken care of), holiday wrapped and ready for the person you chose (if you haven't drawn yet, see me ASAP-- I have names for you!).

2. The book can be either one from your own collection or you may select a library book for your person to check out (meaning YOU check it out, gift wrap it, bring it in and when he/she chooses it, they will in turn check it out to get it off your account).

3. Please try to select something of a manageable size for all-- no War and Peace, no entire Lord of the Rings... you know what I mean! You may, however, select two books if they are very short.

4. Select a book that has meaning to you. Maybe it's a childhood favorite, maybe you read it recently and it's your IT book right now... something that separates it from all the other books you've read!

5. We will meet Thursday the 15th and do our exchange then, along with setting a reasonable reading goal for Phantom Tollbooth.

The second (newest) tradition is that we make this a potluck party! We did this last year, and it was a lot of fun. You guys interested? Here's the sort of things I was thinking that people should bring in, and then we'll have lunch and exchange "presents" (book exchange) and chat and eat and drink:

1. Deli meats (for sandwiches)or other "main dish" items
2. Bread (3 loaves)
3. Veggies (for sandwiches)
4. Chips (assorted)
5. Desserts (")
6. Drinks (")

If we're going to do this, you guys HAVE TO REPLY HERE AND LET EVERYONE KNOW WHAT YOU ARE BRINGING FOR THE PARTY. ASAP!

Questions? Comments?
:)
Mrs. P

1st round of discussion questions for PT

Let's talk about these here on the blog and this Thursday in Mr. Custis' room!

1. In chapter one, what is Milo’s dilemma? Discuss the possible causes of the "crisis" he is having.

2. Once he unwraps the tollbooth, where does Milo decide to go? How does he choose his destination?

3. Where does Milo find himself after he passes the tollbooth? Name and describe this new land!

4. Define these words, and discuss how they are used in the story: doldrums, lethargic, and "weather" vs. "whether".

5. Describe the King’s ministers. Why did they say the same thing in different ways? What was their job in the marketplace?

Let's talk!
:)
Mrs. P

The Phantom Tollbooth begins!

Hey Bookies! (silly Blogger won't let me add an image right now!)
So let's give this one a try. :) The Phantom Tollbooth is a classic fantasy story by Norton Juster that is celebrating its 50-year anniversary this year. Copies should start arriving Monday, so swing by and pick yours up. And click HERE to check out the Backseat Book Club; NPR is doing Tollbooth as its book club book as well, so there's all kinds of cool stuff to be found on their website, including interviews with the author and http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifreader comments/questions. It'll be fun to see what everyone gets out of this very clever book!

FIRST READING GOAL FOR OUR MEETING ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8TH: I don't know if I'll have books for everyone on Monday (remember, if you can get your hands on your own copy, excellent! Post a comment here letting me know I don't have to find one for you), so let's make the goal pretty easy for week 1; I think everyone should be able to make it to Chapter 4-- Confusion in the Market Place. This is page 45, but keep in mind that there are tons of illustrations taking up space and the font is pretty big. I think it's very doable.

THINGS TO COMMENT ON HERE: 1. Let me know if you're participating in the club for this book, or if you're planning on sitting this one out. 2. Let me know if you have access to your own copy of this book.

Happy weekend!
:)
Mrs. P