“The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash”

1. “The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash” This story tells about funny things that happened on a class trip to a farm. R Imagine you are one of the animals on the farm. A Townspeople F Newspaper Article T Tell the Newspaper Reporter about the funny things that happened that day. Imagine that you are one of the farm animals. Talk to a News reporter and tell him if you were happy, sad, or scared when the class came to visit you at the farm. Describe some of the exciting events that happened that day.

2. “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” Wallace tells a crazy story about his summer vacation. He sends his aunt postcards from his trip. R Imagine you are having a summer adventure. A Your Aunt, Mom, or Grandmother F Postcard T Write a Postcard You will make a postcard that shows the place you went to for your summer adventure. Draw a picture or use a picture from a magazine. Once your postcard is designed, tell about your adventure.

3. “Dear Mr. Blueberry” Emily imagines that she sees a whale in her pool. R Arthur the Whale A Students F Letter T Use facts and details from the story to convince Emily that you (Arthur the Whale) can not be in her pool.

4. “Cool Ali” Weather forecasters tell about today’s weather and what will happen next. R Weather Forecaster A Viewers of your TV station F Drawings T Use a drawing to tell your viewers what the weather will be like tomorrow. Think about a weather forecast. What are ways to describe the weather? Use a drawing and add weather symbols such as clouds, a sun, and rain to help explain the weather.

5. “The Pine Park Mystery” In this story the Mynah Bird steals objects from the townspeople. R Mynah Bird – Dynah A The people you stole from F Apology Letter T Explain to the townspeople why you took their items. Miss Rosa (your owner) will help you explain and apologize to the townspeople using a letter. Tell them why you took their items and what you wanted to do with them.

6. “Good-Bye Curtis” Curtis has been a friend and a mail carrier in the same neighborhood for many years. Now it is time for him to retire. R New Mail Carrier A Neighborhood F Personal Introduction T Introduce yourself to Curtis’ old friends and “family”. Come up with a creative and interesting way to help introduce yourself to your new “friends and family”. Example: - Bake cookies and bring them with you. - Write a letter and hand it to the people - Ask Curtis to come with you the first time

7. “Max Found Two Sticks” In “Max Found Two Sticks”, Max hears drumbeats in everyday sounds. Poems have beats, too. R One of the items Max is imitating. (dove, rain, train, etc.) A Your neighborhood F Word count Cinquain Poem T Write a Cinquain poem that tells about you. Using 2 sticks, Max imitates sounds that he hears around him. Pretend you are one of the objects he is imitating. Write a Cinquain poem that describes you. Horse 1 word (Title) Beautiful, tall 2 words (Describe) Neighing so loud 3 words (Action) Loves to run fast 4 words (feeling about your topic) Racer 1 word ( renames your title)

8. “Anthony Reynoso: Born to Rope” Anthony Reynoso seems to like working with the horses in the story. He also seems to be a good basketball player and student. R Magazine Reporter A Magazine Readers F Interview T Anthony Reynoso’s Life and Horse Activites Pretend you work for a Horse Magazine. Your boss has asked you to interview Anthony Reynoso about his life and rodeo experiences. Think of 5 questions you would like to ask Anthony, before you interview him. Then you will give your questions to a partner in your group and they will answer the questions like they were Anthony Reynoso. Example: Reporter: What age were you when you started roping? Anthony: As soon as I could stand, a rope was placed in my hands.

9. “Chinatown” R A visitor to Chinatown A Your family F Vacation Journal with “Photos” T Places you saw and things you did in Chinatown. In your journal, write 3 journal entries of places you went and things you saw in Chinatown. Each journal entry should have at least 4 sentences. Include a “photo” (drawing) on each journal sheet. Example: Today is April 7, 2008 I visited the famous restaurant of Dai Dai. The fish were still swimming in the tank. I choose one of these fish and he cooked it right in front of my eyes. There were lots of sounds and people moving around the store on the streets. “Draw a picture”

10. “Abuela” Rosalba imagines what it would be like to fly. She takes an imaginary journey with her grandmother through the skies of the city. R Rosalba A Her Family F Cinquain Poem T Poem about her make believe journey. Imagine that you are Rosalba. Select something that you see on your imaginary flight around the city. Write a cinquain poem to describe what you see. _________ one word (title) ________ ________ two words (describe object) __________ __________ _________ three words (action) _________ ________ _________ ________ four words (feeling) __________ one word (re-name title)

11. “Beginner’s World Atlas” R Explorer A The World F Newspaper story that tells about the new country you have discovered. T Discover a New Country Imagine that you have discovered a new country. It can be on Earth or in Space. Make sure you include a description and use words like: mountains, rivers, oceans, climate, people, animals. Write a newspaper story that tells about the country you have discovered.

12. “Dinosaurs Travel” R Travel Agent A People Going on Vacation F Travel Brochure T Develop a brochure that helps people plan their big trip. “Dinosaurs Travel” tells about things you need when you go on a trip. This brochure should describe a place to visit, list what needs to be packed, and things people can do and see once they get there. 1. Front Cover = name of destination (place) and a picture. 2. Inside Page = adventures to see and do. 3. Back Cover = list items that should be packed.

13. “Montigue on the High Seas” In the story, Montigue makes a boat out of a bottle. What if there was a boat that could fly in space? R Space boat Traveler A Your classmates F Construction Paper Design T A boat that flies. Using construction paper, design a scene that shows your space boat flying in space. Use your imagination to provide as many details to your scene. What is around you? What can you see from you space boat?

14. “Ruth Law Thrills A Nation” R Ruth Law A Your fans F Story T My Next Challenge! Pretend you are Ruth Law and you have just completed your flight from Chicago to New York City. Tell your fans about what you might do for your next challenge. Where might you go? How long will it take you? Will you bring anyone along?

15. “Pumpkin Fiesta” R Foolish Fernando’s pumpkins A Classmates F Letter T Explain to Foolish Fernando how to grow pumpkins. Imagine that you are Foolish Fernando’s tiny green pumpkins. Explain to Fernando what you need to grow healthy and beautiful like Juana’s pumpkins.