Chapters 3,4

1. Do you think that Min will ever teach Tree-ear how to make a pot? Why do you think he gives Tree-ear so few verbal instructions at each new step in preparing clay for pottery?

2. How does the way the homeless were treated in Tree-ear's time compare with the way they are treated today? Please explain your answer.

Chapters 1,2

1. Do you think that Tree-ear acted in a decent manner when he waited before alerting the farmer of the hole in his sack? Please take several sentences to explain.

2. What advice is Crane-man giving Tree-ear when he says, "Scholars read the great works of the world. But you and I must learn to read the world itself"? Explain your answer.

Pre-reading Activity

A Single Shard is a book of historical fiction, that is the author uses history as a background for imagined events. Characters in a book like this may be fictional or historical or both. Have you read other works of historical fiction? If so, what do you enjoy about this type of book? What information does it give you that you would not be able to get by reading a history book?

"A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park

Preview our next selection by reading the title and the author's name and by looking at the illustration on the cover. A shard is a piece of broken pottery. Knowing the definition of the word shard, and looking at the cover of the book write a comment telling what you think the story will be about. Think about what the setting might be? Where and when might the story take place? And, have you read any other books by the same author? Please take some time to make this a well thought out comment.

Happy New Year!

There are just a few more days until school begins and I was wondering if anyone would care to share their reflections about our break. For instance, have you been enjoying your book that you have been reading? Why or why not? Did you travel over the holiday? Where did you go? If you wish, take a few moments and jot down some thoughts here. Check this blog soon, you may see some posts about our next selection, "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park.

Finale

Now that you have finished our selection, Chasing Vermeer, what are some thoughts that you have about the story? Would you recommend this story to a friend, and if so why?

Vocabulary

The author uses the words preoccupied and unconscious. Are the meanings of these words similar at all? Can you list two synonyms for each work? What are they?

Pages 214-215

Why is Calder preoccupied when he finds out his birthday is the same as Petra's? What does he realize? (think pentominoes) Give details please.

Page 200

What questions does Petra ask the Lady? What response does Petra receive? What does Petra keep thinking about?

Pages 193-195

What happens to Petra in Delia Hall? Remember to give details from the selection.

Chapter 18

How is solving the mystery affecting Calder and Petra?

Chapter 17

Why does Petra take the keys from the secretary's desk rather than wait for the secretary to return?

Petra and Calder find a surprise when they unwrap the found object. What was the surprise?

After you have commented go to this site to view Vermeer works.
http://www.mystudios.com/vermeer/

The Thief

How does the thief keep the public interested in the theft? How do the authorities respond?

Petra and the Mysterious Lady

What do Calder and Petra think might explain why Petra is dreaming about something she did not know existed?

Charles Fort

What sentence in the book by Charles Fort does Petra think is terrific? What do you think Charles Fort meant when he wrote it?

What is Art?

Petra thinks that art gets stranger the more she thinks about it. What do you think about art? What is art, is it just something that looks pretty and is in a museum?

Story Structure

2.

The two main characters in the story are Calder and Petra. Think about these characters and name 2 character traits of each and tell me which of the two characters you can most connect to and why. Use details from the story to support your thoughts.

Archeology

3.

We know that Petra came from a long line of females named Petra. In fact it was a tradition in her family that the eldest daughter was given that name. This tradition was carried on for quite a number of generations. In this activity we are going to learn more about the city of Petra. We are also going to learn more about how archeologists find clues to previous civilizations. Check out the site below and explore. You may also look ahead at the activity that we are going to do in class.

Once you have finished exploring this site come back here and post a response to this question. If you were an archeologist, what part of the world (and civiliztion) would you most want to explore and why. What types of tools would you need to use in your work?

Click on activity #2 at http://www.adifferentplace.org/vermeer.htm

Vermeer Activities

Check out the following link:http://www.adifferentplace.org/vermeer.htm

Go to Activity #1 and choose one or two of the sites listed to visit. Once you have finished please leave me a comment about what you thought about the pentominoe activity. Did you like it or not. One basic object of playing with pentominoes is to create a rectangle from the 12 pieces. Your assignment is to make up a pentominoe game that you could play with another person in which you would create a different shape. In the comment section write a few sentences about what the objective of your game would be. Also include a few of the rules.

4th-5th Grade Novel Study

Welcome to the blog for the 4th and 5th grade "Great Expectations" novel study. We will be reading the book "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett. This is a story about two very inquisitive and smart children who try to solve a very old mystery. Your reading responses for each section should be entered in the comment section of this heading. Reading responses are simply making connections to yourself and the story or giving a brief summary of what you have read. What are your thoughts so far on this book? What are some predictions you can make about the two main characters?