Hank resumed his reading of 'The One and Only Ivan,' looking for more evidence of Ivan's need to protect his friends. He could infer Ivan's feelings as his plan seemed to fail and notice the changes in Mack's feelings when he saw the billboard. Hank also noted the differences in Ruby from stubborn and resistant to her present state of resignation.
Ben watched a video explaining what a theme is and how to find it. We used three questions to help us find the theme of the video. As Ben completed 'The Chocolate Touch' we began to look for the story's theme. We applied the same three questions; he was able to state the theme as "Being selfish can lead to bad things." We also watched a brief clip about the origin of The Midas Touch.
Hank continued to practice determining the theme of a story. We used a short Pixar clip as an example, using 3 key questions to find the theme. Hank continued reading 'The One and Only Ivan,' looking for more evidence to support the idea that Ivan wants to protect his friends.
Hank reviewed what he has learned about finding the theme of a story. We looked at some universal themes and themes from a few well-known movies. He practiced identifying the theme from a short passage. As we continued to read "The One and Only Ivan," we are looking at how the author expresses the theme through Ivan's feelings and experiences.
Ben continued reading "The Chocolate Touch," focusing on making predictions based on textual evidence. He did a fabulous job of inferring the character's feelings and providing support for his ideas. His fluency is so strong, especially reading with expression.
Hank continued his reading of 'The One and Only Ivan' after reviewing what he has learned about Ivan. A new character is introduced today, and we see the others behave as expected as they welcome her. In looking closely at each of the animal characters, Hank predicted how each of them would respond to a particular event. He also gave his opinion about his favorite and supported that opinion with events from the story.
Ben gave a very detailed retelling of the events from our previous reading of 'The Chocolate Touch.' Afterward, he read chapters 3 and 4, focusing on the details of John's new chocolate problem. We looked for details that proved John was not just tasting chocolate but that the things he put in his mouth were changing into chocolate. Ben had some ideas about ways that this could be a problem and made some predictions supported by the text.
As Jayne continued her reading of 'The Girl Who Drank the Moon,' we reread closely to make real-world connections to the author's description of the creation of the Bog. We analyzed the appearance of sorrow in the story again, noticing that a particular character seems to be happy about it. Jayne also pointed out that while learning is not deemed necessary for the Protectorate citizens, knowledge is highly prized and protected by the Sisters of the Star.
Ben selected 'The Chocolate Touch' as his next book. We previewed the book by looking at the cover illustration, chapter headings (images in this case), and reading the blurb on the back cover. Ben made some predictions about what the chocolate touch could be. He read chapters 1 and 2, getting an introduction to the characters, setting, and noticing where the story changed from realistic to fantasy. Ben practiced answering literal comprehension questions about a text on the Reading Eggspress site.
Hank continued his work with identifying themes in a literary text. He read four short passages and gave a theme for each. As he continued reading 'The One and Only Ivan,' we focused on the characters and their actions, learning who they are and what we may expect from them later.
