I just wanted to say that I am really enjoying the novel. I can not believe everything that is going on in the book right now. I can not believe that Stache got control of the Wasp, but I was glad that he did not get the treasure. I love the character Molly! She has so much responsibility for a little girl. On page 158 the passage that reads, “Because if people have the power, even if they start out using it for good, in time they will use it for evil.” Wow! This is such a true statement of our world today and a lesson that children should be aware of. Also, on page 159 it mentions how Apollo and Zeus got their powers and it also talks about da Vinci and Michelangelo and their talents. I found this amazing and very interesting. On page 153 we finally find out who and what the starcatchers are! I was so excited. I also thought it was awesome that Black Stache named the Wasp, The Jolly Roger! I love knowing what things mean, and it is clear to me now why we have done the books in this order! I am enjoying the book and I can not wait to finish the story!!!! I will defiantly be get the other books!!!
Discussion Director Questions March 4, 2010
1. Page 117, Paragraph 1
What is clever about captain Stache’s plan? Why does Smee call the Englishman foolish? What do think you would have done if you had been in the Englishmen’s position?
2. Page 123, Paragraph 3
“Prepare to board! Stache shouted, his excitement building. This was the moment a pirate lived for.”
What moment is he talking about? What might that moment be for you? Why might yours differ from the pirate’s?
3. Page 129, Paragraph 2
“Meanwhile, the world’s most vicious pirate is hunting us down in the fastest ship afloat.”
How do you think Molly is feeling right now? Why might Molly feel alone? Who do you think Molly will choose as her ally?
4. Page 132, Paragraph 3
“The name of the ship will be the Jolly Roger.”
What do we know about the Jolly Roger from our previous research? Do you think this is a good quality name for the ship? Is it scary?
5. Page 134, Paragraph 4
“But seeing this thing coming toward him now, Black Stache, just for a moment, was afraid.”
Why is unusual about Black Stache being afraid? Why do you think this storm would be so scary? What effect might this have on his goals?
Character Sketch 2 March 2, 2010
Character Sketcher 2
You are invited to learn more about Molly. Please take notes on how Molly acts and looks.
v To begin, think about “descriptive words” that capture Molly’s personality and try to find passages in Chapter 3 that show how Molly is acting. Think about why or how those words describe Molly in the passages. Remember these will be implied traits. Use the traits below to help you.
v Choose 3 of the following traits and find passages in Chapter 3 that demonstrate Molly acting:
| brave | confident | clever | assertive |
| witty | imaginative | melancholy | surprised |
v On page 20 paragraph 2 Molly acts confident because/when her and Peter’s gaze meet she did not turn her head and look away as most strangers do.
v On page 24 paragraph 3 Molly acts assertive because/when the woman is calling for her in a stout voice Molly pays her no attention and she goes right up to Peter and talks to him. She is very sure of herself and very comfortable in her own skin.
v On pages 94 & 95 paragraph (94- last) (95- 1) Molly acts sturdy because/when she is trying to tell Peter to mind his own business and she has to use sudden intensity. She also grabs Peter’s arm to prove her point even further.
Then, use the passages that describe Molly’s actions and appearance to help you complete an artistic impression of Molly. Page 19, last paragraph, gives you some information about Molly’s appearance. Are there any other passages you noticed?
Page 59 last paragraph it describes her eyes as being green.
Character Sketch 3 March 2, 2010
Character Sketcher 3
Your job as Character Sketcher is to identify a character’s actions (traits) and explain or prove these traits, identify the character’s goal (which is what the character wants to do or accomplish), identify the problem and solution in the reading, and complete an artistic impression of the character.
You need to be aware that the character traits you will choose will be implied character traits. In other words, they are not directly stated in the passage. You will want to use descriptive words for your character traits. You do NOT want to use words like good, bad, nice, and mean. Be sure to use your “Descriptive Character Traits” page for help.
Sometimes the solution to your character’s problem will not be in the section of the book that you are reading. In this case, you will need to come up with a possible solution for you character’s problem.
When you begin artistically representing your character, try to use any physical descriptions from the text to help you. Your “artistic impression” of the character will probably be on a separate piece of paper. The next page gives you an example of how your paper may look with the character information.
You will be learning about Black Stache. Think about the following traits as you read Chapter 4-The Sea Devil:
| boastful | defiant | disgruntled |
| ruthless | conceited | determined |
Implied Character Traits (3)
- (Trait) Chilling p. 33 par. 1
(Explanation or proof of trait)
He had dark, deepest, piercingly black eye, overshadowed by eyebrows so bushy that he had to brush them away to see through the glass. But the most prominent feature was the thick growth of hair on his upper lip, long and black, lovingly maintained, measuring nearly a foot between its waxed and pointed tips. It was this feature that gave him his name, the most feared name on the sea: Black Stache.
- (Trait) Sly p. 34 par. 4
(Explanation or proof of trait)
The ladies were Black Stache’s secret weapon. They were a special set of sails that he had ship’s sail makers make using a pattern that Stache got from a ladies’ corset maker.
- (Trait) Ambitious p. 84 par. 3
(Explanation or proof of trait)
He is playing with the model ships in his captain cabin. He pushes the model Wasp off the edge of the table, and then steps on the remains of the ship. Then he says, “Time for the kill.”
Character’s Goal: Black Stache’s goal is to
Page 46 par. 2 “He Knew now that he no longer wanted only the Wasp’s treasure; he wanted the Wasp herself.”
Problem: Black Stache’s problem is
The Wasp is the fastest ship on the seas, and it will be difficult if not impossible to capture and take over.
Solution or Possible Solution: Page 49. Par. 1
Stache has got this plan to get abeam the Wasp, then turn downwind, then raise the ladies and run her down!
My Current Favorite!!! March 2, 2010
Peter and the Starcatchers…
I can not say enough about this book! I love it so far! Peter Pan has always been one of my favorite childhood stories. I am not sure which character I like this best thus far, but if I had to pick I would say Molly. I love how strong, courageous, and stead-fast she seems to be. Molly is a character that I would like to impersonate, or the role that she plays is one that I would love to play if I could be in a fiction book. I really enjoy the flow of the book, it seems as though the pages just fly by like the wind. I had to stop myself tonight just because I have other work to do, or otherwise I would have continued to read. Students would love this book! My little brother has always enjoyed books like this and I can’t wait for him to read it and tell me what he thinks. It is a novel that I could see going very far such as: with activities, SSR, take home reading, read aloud, group activities, etc. This book gets my attention, and if it can get my attention it can probably get that of a students’. I also found myself intrigued with Black Stache. On page 84 in the last paragraph it reads, “Then he stood and, stepping on the remains of the Wasp, stalked out of the cabin. Time for the kill.” I love it! What a wonderful selection of words. He defiantly means business. I love how this character is so mean and determined. Sometimes I wish I was more like him and knew exactly what I wanted. I think it is important to point out the positive qualities of a bad character. Everybody will identify with a different character or a different part of the story and I find that important!
Character Sketcher Peter March 2, 2010
Character Sketcher 1
You are invited to learn more about Peter. Please take notes on how Peter acts and looks.
- To begin, reread the following passages, determine “descriptive words” that capture Peter’s personality and explain why the words describe Peter.
Intelligence, quick on his feet, perceptive
- Reread page 18 and the first two paragraphs on page 19. Which words describe Peter?
Sneaky, mischievous, surprising
- He acts baffled or puzzled because the man carrying the mysterious cargo is so happy; why is he so happy?
Focus on page 19 paragraphs one and two.
- Reread page 22 paragraph two. Which words describe Peter? He wonders why he cares what the girl (Molly) thinks of him. He is acting judged, cautious, and careful even.
- He acts cautious because he knows that Molly is watching him and disapproves of his actions at the moment.
- Reread page 24 paragraph one. Which words describe Peter? Grateful, appreciative, and lucky.
- He acts grateful because if Molly had not warned him, it would have been his ankle snared up by the whip, and his body bruised.
Breaking Down Words to Build Meaning: Morphology, Vocabulary, and Reading Comprehension in the Urban Classroom March 1, 2010
I found this article to be full of information helpful to teachers! Looking back on my instruction I do not remember receiving any direct instruction in using morphology to figure out the meaning of words, but I think adding morphology to students’ arsenal will be very beneficial for the students. There is a relationship between vocabulary and comprehension. Students will be unable to comprehend main ideas from passages if they do not comprehend some key vocabulary. There has to be a relationship between vocabulary and morphology. The more student understand morphology, the more students will be able decode words, and the more students are exposed to vocabulary, the more students will be exposed to different word part. In many schools, students do not receive deep vocabulary instruction. Students are given a list of spelling words and asked to use these words in sentences, etc. These tasks only help students memorize words, but this is not effective instruction. Students are not exposed to the words in multiple contexts; morphology is not being integrated into the spelling curriculum. Teachers need to pick and choose words that will provide the most help to students. This means incorporating academic words with the spelling curriculum. Students need to be taught to use morphology as a way to decode the meaning of words. Shared readings are a great way for teachers to model using morphology. Teacher reads a word, act as if they aren’t sure what it means. The teacher might write the word on the smart board. The teacher could model how to break the word down. Students will not know how to use morphology without the teacher modeling this process. The teacher should continue scaffolding students, introducing new morphemes and vocabulary to students during shared readings. Something else that students will need is direct instruction. The article did a great job of showing this section with the tables it provided. This was a very meaty article!!!
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