Fantasy & Reality

Yesterday, I taught the concept of fantasy combined with reality. I read a story entitled One Quiet Afternoon with my guided reading group. This story is about a child coming home to find various animals playing with his toys and getting into his things. It was very interactive. The children got excited and laughed because the illustrations were very funny! After reading the story each of us wrote our own tale. We included something that was real and fantasy. Below are the stories that my students produced. I think they are fantastic! I hope that you do as well :-)

Story #1-
Once upon a time I was playing with my toys and I went downstairs and... It was crazy!!! I saw 10 animals in my living room and I yelled out "AHHHHHHHHH! Get Out!" And I pushed them out with a broom and I shut the door. I was terrified! And I felt better when all of the animals left. The End.

Story #2-
Once upon a time I was playing outside and a pig came up and said hello. Then a bird came and said hi and they both were swinging on the swings. It was a nightmare. Then a limo came to pick them up. The End.

Story #3-
One day I was home from school and I saw new toys and I played with them and dad came right then. There were animals coming and a chiwawa and a robin and a bunny and a parakeet and a fish and frog and a lot of animals.

Story #4-
One day I was playing WII. When I was done playing WII. A penguin came and said, "Can I play with you?" I said, "Sure." Then a whole bunch of animals came!

Story #5-
Once I was playing with my toy and then animals came in my room. There was a cat, a pig, a bird, and a duck. They were so loud and I had to kiss all of them.

Story #6-
I was playing in the backyard with my bike and then I saw an animal. The animal played with me on my bike. I saw the sun. It was so hot. I went inside. I played on my X Box. I was playing for a while. Then I saw a pig. The pig was the animal. The pig played hop scotch with me and the pig sleeps with me.

I think they are fantastic tales. I love how some of these students wrote an ending that got rid of the animals. Enjoy!

Mysteries

Recently, I read "The Case of the Missing Pet" with my guided reading group. After our reading, we each wrote our own mystery. See what you can decipher and solve:

The Case of the Missing Sister
We had to find my sister. We looked at my Mom's room and she was not there and we look everywhere util we found her. She was in my room whith my toys, and I was not mad at her.

The Case of the Missing Remowt
Frist, I look in my room. Then I look in my mom and dad's room. Last I look in the 3rd floor.

I Case of the Fhon
Won day I was makeing my bed and I was kalling my frand and i droped my fone. Behind my bed and I code not find it until I looed clows and fornd it.

The Case of the Phone
Once upon a time, I lost my phone when I was 8 yeas old and I looked everywhere aroued the house then I found it. The End.

The Case of the Jacket Mestery
Won time I was going to go shoping and I notist that I couldn't find my jacket and I looked in the landry room. I looked in the grage, and everywhere I looked I never fond it so I cheked the shelf and I was so happy and I told my mom and we went.

I love these mysteries because they involve some little invented spelling. This made reading them a bit of a case, but I think you will enjoy them very much!

Poems about MNP Community

This week we read a story entitled Max Found Two Sticks. In it, a young boy named Max uses sticks to create rhythmic sounds that he hears in his community. He copies the startled pigeons by playing his sticks on the front steps. He copies the church bells on soda bottles and the marching band on empty garbage cans. I showed my students how poems include rhyme as well as repeating words to help them to flow. Then we took a walk around the playground and came inside to write a poem about what we heard in the Mitchell Neilson community.

Poem #1-
Rocks moving, rocks moving on the ground.
I hear kids talking, talking and birds chirping, chirping.
Rocks are moving, moving around.
Kids are talking and birds chirping in the sky.
I love everything I hear around me.

Poem #2-
Wind, wind blow all day.
Please stay today.
It feels cold, but I like it.
Wind, wind keep blowing.
Wind, wind blow all day.

Poem #3- 
I step on mulch.
I heard a crack.
I broke it.
For real, now I have to eat a meal.

Poem #4-
I heard chirping like tweet, tweet.
It scattered and flew away.
I think the mom was finding food for her babies.

Poem #5-
I heard birds and I heard lots of chirps and tweets.
I heard cars and the wind.
I heard kids yelling.

Poem #6-
I heard kids swinging on the swings and
birds chirping in the trees.
I felt the wind blow in my ear and
heard kids jumping on the playground.
I heard cars driving fast and
teachers talking outside.
Kids yelling and kids talking.

Poem #7-
Birds, birds chirp.
The birds tweet, tweet, tweet.
They want food, food, food!
The moms give, give, give the
food, food, food!

Poem #8-
I heard vroom, vroom all the time.
Vroom, vroom, I know what it is, it is a car, car.
I hate the sound of vroom, vroom.
I can't get it out of my head: vroom, vroom.
I don't like vroom, vroom.
Please get it out of my head.

Poem #9-
I hear cars driving in their cars
and Vroom, Vroom, Vroom and
rocks hitting on the tires and
some different cars driving on the road and
I hear four cars.

Poem #10-
I heard kids yelling.
I heard kids jumping.
I heard mulch and heard the birds
chirping, tweet, chirp, tweet.
I heard the swings ding, ding.
And I heard airplanes buzzing, buzzing.
I heard the wind blowing.

By the way, this poetry writing session took place right before lunchtime. Poem #3 references that and when I read them, I thought this was a hoot!