The Days of Pumpkins, Fall Color, and Fun!

We have been having fun with pumpkins in first grade! On Monday we dissected them, finding their gooey, slimy guts to be quite exciting! Speaking of "gooey" and "slimy," today we learned about adjectives. Students used their newly carved Jack 'O Lanterns to create lists of describing words. They eventually used them in their writing. It has already been a wonderful week, and we are looking forward to viewing our pumpkin photos in a writing project this Thursday.

"Chocolatina" is a wonderful story written by Erik Kraft and illustrated by Denise Brunkus. Students thought the illustrations and adventures of the chocolate girl were hilarious!

Here are a few of their comments!

The main character is Chocolatina. My favorite part was when Chocolatina turned into chocolate.
I like the part when the girl turns into chocolate, and goes to school!
I liked it when the teacher almost bit Tina.
I liked the part when Tina turns into chocolate. The part when the principal came in was really funny.
I like that the girl in the story turns into chocolate.
I liked when she wished to be a big piece of chocolate. Then her wish came true.
It was funny when the chocolate girl went to recess and her feet melted.
It is chocolaty and awesome.
I like it because it is funny and delicious. Chocolate is delicious because it dissolves in my mouth!
I wonder how she really turned into chocolate!

Today we read a Japanese story written by Arlene Mosel.

"The Funny Little Woman"

How would you feel if the wicked oni was going to take you to their underground world? --

I'd feel scared, but the woman thought it was funny.
I'd feel sad, because I'd miss my parents.
I would pretend that I was happy. Then, at night, I would sneak away.
I'd be miserable.
I would feel nervous. There would be butterflies in my tummy.

Student Questions and Comments:

What if a hole opened up in the floor of your house? What would you be thinking? --

I'd try to find a big rock to stand on.
I would climb out.
I would try to jump over the hole.
I would be entranced!

What is a dumpling?

Have you ever been in an underground cave? How did that feel? --

It felt dark.
It would feel spooky.

Why is the cave green and scary looking? The cave could be part of the ocean or river. The water made it slimy and green.

"Wow!"

If you had a magic paddle for cooking, what would you do with it? --

I would make many different kinds of food with it.
I would turn myself into a teacher.
I would make food to give to people that needed it.
I would turn the floor into rice, so people could eat the floor.
If I had a magic paddle, I would turn the school into rice.
I would wish for delicious, scrumptious ice cream.
I would turn our school into candy.

Who would miss you if you were gone for so long like the woman in the story? -- My parents.

The woman sold food she made with the magic paddle and became the richest woman in Japan. --

"She derserved it."

Closing Ideas and Thoughts:

I liked the book because it had lots of details. The author wrote a great story.
I liked how the book showed all different seasons. It made you know that a lot of time had gone by.
I liked the part when the woman got the magic paddle, because she could keep it forever and wish for what she wanted.
It was great when she got away from the monsters.
I thought is was funny, because the woman always laughs. Even when the wicked oni came.

Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?

"I feel lucky that we don't ever get stuck in traffic like that!"
"I feel lucky to have all my friends at school."
"I am lucky to have my family."
"I am lucky to have only 10 days left in my cast!"
"I am lucky to have great parents."
"I am lucky to have all these nice friends!"

"I see patterns in the picture."

"The picture that shows the traffic on Highway 8, has so many details. It's really funny. I could look at it for a long time."
"The picture looks really noisy."

"This is a classic Dr. Seuss story."

I've never seen grass grow back right after you mow it."

"This book is about people and animals that aren't so lucky."

If you had one wish, what would you wish for?
Have you ever had a moment when you didn't have time to think carefully?

We read _Sylvester and the Magic Pebble_ by William Steig.

The rain stopped because the pebble is magic, but the flowers need lots and lots of rain.

It's nice because it's about giving things to other people. Sylvester thought about his mom, and his friends, and his neighbors and everyone. It's called sharing.

If he picked it up and said "I wish this pebble would disappear," it would be gone!

Was Sylvester hungry in the winter? Rocks don't eat.
He looked like a rock and he's just like a rock.

When Sylvester was a rock, they couldn't think of anything else but Sylvester.

Did they put the pebble away because they were afraid they would make a bad choice?
They locked it up because all that they wanted was Sylvester.
He was a rock for a lot of days. They just wanted to spend some time with him instead of wishing for a thousand dollars or a lot of toys.


In this story,I was feeling happy and sad at the same time.
I felt amazed.

We also read this book in kindergarten.

Vocabulary:
hobbies
ceased
confused
perplexed
puzzled
sorrow
inquiring
bewildered

If you wished for a saber toothed tiger, you could get into trouble. It could rip you with its claws.