Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Day of the Dragon King, Chapter 5

The Day of the Dragon King brings Jack and Annie to Ancient China.  The have to save a bamboo book from getting burnt.

For more history about books in Ancient China go to this link: http://www.chinaheritagequarterly.org/tien-hsia.php?searchterm=020_chinese_book.inc&issue=020

It is written at a very high level, but it is the only link that I can find that talks about how ancient Chinese books were made.

Key Terms
 shimmered  - the sunlight shows brightly from the object i
honor  - h is almost silent
scholar - someone who studies books, and writes about them

Pronunciation
 citizens  si ti zens

Questions
Why is the Dragon King afraid of the scholars?
What is the Dragon King going to do?
Do you think that this will help the Dragon King?
How will it help the Dragon King to burn the books?
Why do Jack and Annie show their library cards?
How does the scholar reacts to them now?
How will the scholar help Annie and Jack?
How does he feel about Frog Creek?


Homework: How did the Chinese book develop from tortoise shells to bamboo strips?

Monday, November 28, 2016

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child book review

Have you ever read a play and really liked it?  Shakespeare plays put you in the mind of William Shakespeare, and the move "Shakespeare in Love," really bring the plays to life!  

On the other hand, the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a different animal.  In order to understand the play you have to know the books, all seven of them inside and out.  And you have to have read some Harry Potter fan fiction as well.  Here is the best of the best of the Fan Fiction:   http://hpmor.com/

I read this book in two nights. but it took Jack thorne a long time to get the basic conflict of the story.  I liked it, but I am glad that I got the book out of the library, so tomorrow I am going to bring it back there.  


You can go to the Givat Shaul Beit Roos  25 Givat Shaul Street, and then you can check out the book as well!  

Have fun reading!
Rachael Alice Orbach 


Sunday, November 27, 2016

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Book #1, Chapter 5 pages 76 -87

Diagon Alley is Harry's introduction  to the magical world. Harry is filled with wonder and so are we
Owls were the means of communication, but in the modern world during WWI and WWII carrier pigeons were used:

Carrier Pigeons
https://www.reference.com/pets-animals/carrier-pigeons-extinct-eb4694c26dd6437b


Key terms
 collasped - broken down  
his heart sinking- he is very disappointed
 rapping - knocking
delivery - brought to the door
 high-security - very important, need to keep safe  
 while - at the same time
Bungler - someone who messes everything up 
 pelts - throws something at someone  
 Blimey - slang for oh my God! 
 stared - to look intently 
sense of humor - knowing when something is funny
grubby - wet dirty 
record shop - a place where 33rpm recordings were sold 
 shabby - needs repair  

Pronunciation
delivery - de li ver ri
Bungler bun gler
Blimey -  long i
complained com play ned
piles long i


What does Harry get as a birthday present from Hagrid?
What does he usually get for his birthday?
What date is Harry's birthday?
How does Hagrid use magic? Why does he do that?
Why doesn't Harry want to open his eyes the next morning?
Who does he think is tapping at the window?
How does Harry pay the owl?
Where do wizards keep their money?
How do Hagrid and Harry get to the shore?
Why is it difficult for Harry to keep quiet while Hagrid reads the newspaper?
What does the Ministry of Magic do? Why?
Why is Hagrid amazed at parking meters?
Why doesn't Hagrid understand Muggle money?
What is funny about the list of books and authors on Harry's book list?
Describe the problems that Hagid has when he is traveling on the train?
Why can't the passerby see the Leaky Cauldron?


Friday, November 25, 2016

Day of the Dragon, Magic Tree House, Book 14, Chapter 4



Now Jack and Annie have to be very brave!  Someone is after them, they are not allowed to keep the silk.

Pronuciation
 steering steer ing
peeked say k clearly
invaders long a
structure  stuk shur
gaze - long a

Let's study about:
The Great Wall of China

http://www.history.com/topics/great-wall-of-china

What happens in this chapter?



Why are the people after Jack and Annie,
Where do Jack and Annie hide?
What is in this place?
Is it a good hiding place?
Who do they see crossing the road?
What are these people going to do?
Why are there guards guarding the workers?
Who finds Jack and Annie?
How does he react to Jack's book?
Is this man dangerous to Jack and Annie?

Homework:
Homework: Summarize the reasons why the Qin Dynasty built the wall. who were the workers. Why didn't the Mongols continue to use the Wall?



Wednesday, November 23, 2016

The Day of the Dragon Book 14 Magic Tree House Chapter 3

In Chapter 2 we met Jack and Annie as they are going to the Tree House.  It seems as if their family know about the adventures, but neither is going to tell on the other, Very honorable!
Silk was and still is very important in China.





Now the story starts in Chapter 3

Write the events of the chapter: _________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________


  A link to help you to understand the process of making silk.


Questions: 
\\\Why do silk weavers want to keep this process secret? 


Why did Jack and Annie have to leave very fast?

Would you like to go back to this time in history?

What do Jack and Annie have to find?
Which book?

Homework:  In your own words, list  the process of making silk.
1
2
3
4
5

Monday, November 21, 2016

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Chapter 4 pages 57-75





Questions
How does Harry find out about Hogwarts?
Who is the man who comes into the hut?
What is the reaction of Vernon Dursely?
What does the giant do first?
How does he react when he finds out that Harry doesn't know about wizards?
What does Aunt Petuna react to the news?
How did they explain how Harry's parents died?
What was the truth?
How does Harry react to Hagrid's news?

Sunset of the Sabertooth Magic Tree House #7 Chapter 2

Magic Tree House
Sunset of the Sabertooth Chapter 2
Student Assignment Sheet






Before Reading: What happened in Chapter 1? What activity were the children coming from?  How were they dressed?



While reading - Make a chart of the events that are happening



____________________________



____________________________



____________________________



____________________________



____________________________
Vocabulary
,bare  Adjective - nothing is growing on the plant
Example: In the winter the trees are bare.



chattered Verb - the teeth involuntarily move up and down in a effort to get warm.
Example: When she got out of the pool, her teeth chattered.



slipped Verb - to put in a place quickly
Example: I slipped into the classroom at the last minute.



Cro- Magnons Noun - Early Modern Humans, they lived in Northern Europe adapted to cold weather.
Example: Cro Magnons lived in caves in Northern Europe.



they drove  Verb - to force animals to move in a certain direction
Example:  The Indians often drove buffalo over a cliff to kill them.



Idioms
 no sign of - Idiom that means you can’t find it.
Example: There was no sign of his wallet, it was lost!



No wonder Idiom that means, Now I understand!
Example: It was no wonder we couldn’t find my wallet, it was under the bed.



freeze to death Idiom that means it is very cold
Example: If you go out in the snow, put on the snowboots, or you’ll freeze to death.



Pronunciation
belonged  be longed



Grammar
plain vs plane
plain is a wide expanse of land
plane is an airplane



Questions

How did Annie convince Jack not to go back home? 
Can they go home now? 
How did Jack and Annie feel when they got to the Ice Age?
How does the mouse feel?
Where did Annie put the mouse?
Where do Jack and Annie go first?   
What do they find there? 
What does Jack learn from the book? 
What does it smell like there? 


Homework: Jack forgot to write about the Amazon, so now he wants to take lots of notes about the Ice Age.  You write his notes about this chapter! 
While you are reading this chapter, listen to this beautiful music!








Monday, November 14, 2016

Hunchbach of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo pages 13-14

Hunchback of Notre Dame was written mainly to prevent the destruction of Gothic landmarks, and this case, it worked! Here we get a picture of the Middle Ages from a writer who wasn't as far away as we are now.  Enjoy!

In these page

Version that we are going to be studying  http://www.limpidsoft.com/6inch/hunchback.pdf




loungers - lazy people
scantily - not very much
cemetery - a place where people are buried
avenues - a street that connects different parts of a neighborhood
Château - a beautiful villa
encumbered - a lot of people are there
aspect - it looks like
augmented - added to
incessantly - all the time

Provost
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/provost

epiphany
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/epiphany

Feast of the Fools
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Feast-of-Fools

Pronunciation
 thronged  one  syllable
 designated des I na ted
representation re pre sen ta shun
encumbered en cum berd
augmented aug me ted
incessantly in sess sen tly

What were the three things that were going to happen on January 6th?
Which was the most popular?  Why?
Describe the place where the Feast of Fools was held.
What metaphor does Hugo use to describe the crowd of people?


Note on the bottom of page 13 a small mistake  QQ = façade

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Harry Potter #1 pages 48-56


This chapter is very interesting. We see how Uncle Vernon tries to deny magic and what he does to get away from the letters that Harry is receiving.




For those of you who don't remember the hit song: Tiptoe through the tulips by Tiny Tim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeNTHL6dCTM

For those of us who wan to know:  Cokeworth: http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=21774043

Key Terms
stole - to go very quietly
 trodden - past tense of tread  to step on
 tuft  - bunch of hair
speeding  -  going very fast
alien - cartoon character from another world
damp -a bit wet
 musty -  smells of mold
timidly  - speaking softly in a fearful manner
 perched - sitting on top
shriveled - scrunched up
dial - the face of the watch

Pronunciation
alarm a larm
hammered ham er erd
squashy skw shy
pieces pe ses
cracks - one syllable
speeding  speed ing
usually u zha li
certain ser ten
kindly  long I
wicked  wik ed
hours  almost silent h

Questions
What was Harry's plan?
How did it go?
Who was also waiting at the door?
Why didn't Mr. Dursley go to work?
What did he do that day?
How many letters came to the house for Harry?
What did Mr. Dursley do with the letters?
What happened on the next day?
Where did Mr. Dursley take them in the car?
Why was Dudley upset?
Which hotel did they stay at?
How does Dudley know what day of the week it is?
What will happen on Tuesday?
Where did the family spend the night?
Why was Uncle Vernon so happy to spend the night in such a place?
What did they get to eat?
Why would they want all those hundreds of letters now?
Where did Dudley sleep?
Where did Harry sleep?
Why can't Harry sleep for the second day in a row?




Homework:  Harry writes a diary entry about the week before his birthday. He says all the things that happen to him.  Write the diary entry. 

Friday, November 11, 2016

Sunset of the Sabertooth Magic Tree House Book #7 Chapter 1

Magic Tree House
Sunset of the Sabertooth Chapter 1
Student Assignment Sheet
Prologue and Chapter 1



Before Reading:  What do you know about Saber Tooth Tigers?   When did they



live?  What did they look like?



While reading - Make a chart of the events that are happening



____________________________



____________________________



____________________________



____________________________



____________________________
Vocabulary
darted - Verb to run very fast
Example: He darted in and out of the trees. 

Discovered Verb- to find out something
Example: Christopher Columbus discovered America



 gathering - to bring together in once place
Example: We were gathering information for the new school library



Mango Noun - a tropical fruit that has a large seed inside.
Example: Mangos have a sweet taste, but are messy to eat.  



Prepared- Noun made ready in advance
Example: My mother always tell me to prepare my school bag the night before,



Idioms
to set out Idiom that means to start
Example” We are going to set out by car at 10:00 am sharp!



Oops,” Idiom that you say when you forgot something
Example Opps, I forgot to bring my lunch!



Too late Idiom that means you forgot to do something important
Example I realized too late that I forgot my cellphone at home.



as silent as the falling snow Idiom that means it is very quiet
Example: We woke up to a white morning as silent as the falling snow



Pronunciation
belonged  be longed
shadow  sha dow 
small  say l clearly 
clearing clear ing 



Grammar
lit past tense of light
Questions
Who is Morgan Le Fay?
____________________________________________________________________
What did the note say?
____________________________________________________________________
Which items did they already find?
____________________________________________________________________
What must Jack and Annie find?
____________________________________________________________________
In which adventure did Jack and Annie find Peanut?
____________________________________________________________________
Why doesn’t Jack want to go to the Tree House now?
____________________________________________________________________
How does Annie convince him?
____________________________________________________________________
How do they know which book they have to look in to find the next object?
____________________________________________________________________
What does she do that he feels is dangerous?  
____________________________________________________________________
Why does he want to leave the Tree House?
____________________________________________________________________



What happens to the Tree House?   
____________________________________________________________________



Homework:
Write a journal entry that Jack writes.  Answer the questions, Who, What, Where,

How he feels about his sister’s pretending.
Example:
Today something strange happened to me, I was walking in the city day dreaming
I want to be a Sabertooth Tiger!


about the South Pacific islands, and I want to be   then there was a big wind and suddenly I

found myself on a desert island.  It was very warm and not windy at all.  I
explored the island and I found an avocado tree.  There was one ripe avocado 
so I ate it.  I had to bite it because I didn’t have a knife.  
Then I wished I was back home again, There was an even bigger wind, I tried to
hold onto a palm tree, but I was carried away. I was so scared! But the wind
dropped me back home.  So I got to see a desert island, but forgot to buy bread.



Alternative Homework:
Draw a comic strip, using the sequence of events that happened in Chapter 1    



You can put your own dialog.


While you reading this chapter, listen to this beautiful music! 




Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Harry Potter #1 pages 40-48

This is a Whelk. Seafood that Aunt Marge gets sick on!  Well I would get sick eating one too!



Pronunciation
usual u zh al
written wri ten
wildly wild li
Marge - hard g
shelves  say l clearly

Vocabulary

emerald green ink
letter bomb - a bomb that would fit inside a letter.
promptly - on time
whelk - sea snail
Marge -Uncle Vernon's sister
swapped - to exchange one thing for another
bawling - crying  very loudly
spying - to have someone under surveillance
darkly - frowning at each other
wrestle - a fight on the ground

Questions:
What doe Harry feel about his school uniform?
Who finally gets the mail?
What does Harry find?
How does he feel about it?
What happens when Harry tries to gets his letter?
What is Uncle Vernon's reaction?
Why won't Uncle Vernon and Petunia let Harry read his letter?
 What did Uncle Vernon do that was unusual?
What did he do with the letter?
What was painful about Uncle Vernon?
What falls into his hair?
What is the condition of Harry's new room?
What wasn't touched?
How does Harry feel about the new room?
Why does Dudley want the letter?
Why did a second letter come?


Homework: Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia are scared of the letter.  Explain why.





Monday, November 7, 2016

Harry Potter #1 pages 36-41

This part of the book shows us Harry's childhood. Where he sleeps, how he deals with Dudley and the highlight, the trip to the zoo.
Dudley's Smelting uniform 

UK educational system overview
 http://www.educationuk.org/global/articles/16-and-under-education-path/

Vocabulary
argue - to talk back

Questions:
: What are the most important facts about Harry's childhood?
What does he feel about the strangers in the street?
 What does he remember about his parents?
What is his first memory?
 At what age do you think children have a first memory?
What are the most important facts about Harry's childhood?
 What does he feel about the strangers in the street?
 What does he remember about his parents?
What is his first memory?
 At what age do you think children have a first memory?
What do you think about Dumbledore's decision to have Harry grow up with the Dureley's?
Why does Dudley get to go a different school?
What special things does Dudley get in his uniform?
 What does Harry think about Dudley's uniform?
What do Dudley's parents feel about it?

Do children have to wear uniforms to school?
What does your uniform look like?



Homework: Write a paragraph about how Harry's childhood will help shape his later life.

Sunday, November 6, 2016

The Dragon King !14 Magic Tree House Chapter 2


Magic Tree House #14, is a very exciting book. By now Mom and Dad have some bit of an idea that Jack and Annie are going places, but maybe they think it is a joke. What do you think?



Background reading
http://www.blackdrago.com/history/dragonkings.htm 
http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/culture/history-of-chinese-literature.htm

Questions
Why did their clothes change?
What social class are Jack and Annie dressed like?
What information do they find in the book?
Why did the king choose his name?
What notes did Jack write?
Who did they meet in the field?
What message did he give them?  
Where is the book that Jack and Annie need to find?
How does the farmer feel about the Dragon King?
Predict how the Dragon King will talk to Jack and Annie.
What is exciting about this chapter?
What else would you bring with you to Ancient China?
Why did they bring the Library Card?
If you had to choose your own symbol what would you choose?  Why?

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo wrote this novel in 1830-1831 in three parts.  Today we put all them together into one book. His purpose was to help people realize the beauty and usefulness of Gothic architecture, as there is so much description in the story.

Modern readers sometime have trouble with 19th Century writing which uses much more words and description than in modern writing.    The writer wants the reader to have the same picture in mind as the author so every detail is mentioned.

The novel starts on January 6th 1482, a normal day,  But Hugo describes the events that happened two days before in great detail so it is like looking through a telescope the wrong end at the 1480's.

Here is the link so you can download the book for free:

https://ia800307.us.archive.org/10/items/hunchbackofnotre1hugo/hunchbackofnotre1hugo.pdf


An easier translation:
http://www.limpidsoft.com/6inch/hunchback.pdf 

And this is a background and plot summary of the book for those who have to know what happens in a nutshell:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunchback_of_Notre-Dame

We will study this book slowly slowly together.

Have Fun!

Rachael Alice

Baby Shark Game like Hangman. . .

This is an example of how I played the game today with a student:  You can print this or play it using Zoom! I think of a word from the less...