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Book TalkSeptember - We Write Letters!For your reference, September's response letters should try to go beyond a retell of events (I noticed that...). Try to also include at least one of the following:I wonder if.... I predict that... I noticed that... (other than retell) Sample letters that show good response to independent reading are posted below: Dear Mrs. H., So far the book Water Horse is good. It is about a person who found an egg on the shore. Then the egg hatches into a water horse. Then Kirstie and Angus have to put the water horse in the bathtub. He got bigger and they had to put him in a fish pond. They feed him sardines. He grows an inch every day. I noticed that my book is fiction. Sincerely, Anthony Dear Anthony, Thank you for your letter. I appreciate reading about what you notice happening in your book. I wonder what you think about the book so far. I think I saw a movie like this - am I right? It definitely reminds me of it. Maybe it is the book for the movie. Do you know if that's true? What do you predict will happen to the water horse in the end? Will it live with Kristie and Angus happily ever after? It doesn't seem logical, does it? Sad, in a way. I predict the water horse will have to go back to the water, like Free Willie. Did you ever see that Disney movie? I really liked how you told me you noticed your book is fiction. I'm wondering if it's "realistic fiction" or "fantasy fiction." What do you think? Sincerely, Mrs. H. ********** Dear Mrs. H., I've been reading Inside and Outside Snakes. I noticed that snakes taste the air sticking their tongues out. I also predict that snakes are nocturnal because when I read, it said snakes can see in the dark. I wonder how snakes shed their skin. I want to know how. I also learned that snakes have to get some heat so they sit on a cliff or sit somewhere in the sun. Snakes are cold blooded because they're reptiles. I know why snakes need their noses because they have to breathe through them like us. It's kind of weird if they don't smell through them. Sincerely, Jacob Dear Jacob, I absolutely love your letter about snakes! I learned a lot from reading it. First of all, I noticed you are reading nonfiction. Since we are focusing on fiction right now, I was confused at first, especially when you made a prediction. Then it clicked. You are thinking ahead that something might be true about snakes based on your reading. Wow! Good thinking! I applaud your enthusiasm for this topic. It's fine to juggle two books at one time, and I almost expect you to do that, Jacob. Still, I hope you won't give up on those chapter books right now. We will be discussing several reading strategies so you will need a fiction book to apply them. Now... about the snakes. This year, we will be focusing on animals of three different environments (biomes) and specifically, the food chain. I think it would be interesting to hear about which snakes live in which biomes (desert, forest, grasslands) and how where they live affects their diet. Maybe you can do a large chart of information for us as a book response. Also, this is a great opportunity to tell you that later on the year, I will ask you if you (and maybe a partner on a similar reading level) would like to take on the "expert challenge" to become resident experts in a topic of your choice. Through your research in reading several books about your topic, you will teach the class. As your mom related in her note about her own third grade experience, she is fond of history today because of what she learned in third grade. I think "the challenge" would be good for you. Think about a topic close to your heart so this experience can be more meaningful to you. Sincerely, Mrs. H. ********** Dear Mrs. H., The book I am reading is Ivy Bean. Bean planned to escape from her house because she did not want to be with her sister. So she made an SOS sign using her T-shirt. When she saw her friend - Ivy - through the window she dropped it on Ivy's feet. Next she asked Ivy to get a ladder from the garage. I think that Bean is going to escape. Sincerely, Anna Dear Anna, Thank you for writing! Wow, you told me a lot about what you noticed happening in your book. You also made a prediction about Bean escaping. Thank you for providing me with a "I noticed that" and "I predict that." I think you're right about your prediction about Bean escaping because Bean's sister is so mean. I remember you told me that in your last letter. I wonder if Bean's mean sister will get in trouble at the end of the book. I bet you want her to! Sincerely, Mrs. H. ********** Dear Mrs. H., I'm reading Swamp Monsters in Third Grade. I noticed that Jake ate human food. I just read up to page 14. Well, I predict that Jake will get caught. Then they will do tests on him to see what he is. I think they will discover he is a swamp monster. Sincerely, Guadalupe Dear Guadalupe, I love your letter! You used the word "noticed" to tell me about WHAT you read in your book, and you used "PREDICT" to tell me about your thinking. You are really sounding like a "smart" reader of good literature. Your prediction, by the way, reminds me of a movie I've seen. You should write movie scripts! Sincerely, Mrs. H. P.S. Guadalupe, I'm wondering about the genre of this book. Is it fantasy fiction or realistic fiction? If Jake REALLY turns into a swamp monster that makes all the difference. If people BELIEVE he is a swamp monster but he is really just an ordinary boy, that would make the story realistic. Can you let me know? **********
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