The Book Bloggers

Click on the image to write your own fractured fairy tale!

Print out when complete.

Discussion Questions

1. Is Conn a bad person because he is a thief and lockpick? Why or why not?

2. What do you think Conn wants most in the world? What does he need most?
3. Which specific details created the setting (where the book happens) for you?
4. Who is your favorite character, and why? Would you want to meet this character in real life? Why or why not?
5. What do you think happens to Conn and Nevery after the book ends?

Guardians of the Fairy Tale:
The Brothers Grimm

National Geographic has created a wonderful site for children to explore Grimms’ Fairy Tales. Be warned, though, when The Brothers Grimm first collected these fairy tales they were not the sweet, soothing tales you may have read. “The stories collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in the early 1800s serve up life as generations of central Europeans knew it—gruesome and often cruel.”

National Geographic’s Grimms Fairy Tales presents 12 tales as the Brothers Grimm first collected them. You click on the “Tell Me A Story” link at the end of the page and then you choose what it is you’d like to read about. Depending on what you choose you’ll end up at a different fairy tale you can then read.

Don’t forget to open the treasure chest while you’re visiting the site. When you do you’ll read all about the Brothers Grimm and see a map of where they lived in Germany and other fascinating facts.

Click on the link below to read one of Grimm’s fairy tales. After reading, post a comment with the name of the story you read, the fairy tale elements it included, and any connections you made to other fairy tales.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/grimm/index2.html

Did you know:

-Grimm’s fairy tales were NOT intended for children? The brothers refused to include illustrations and they were too gruesome and violent for parents to read to their children.

-Almost as many copies of Grimm’s Fairy Tales have been sold as the Bible!

-Fairy tales did not become popular in the U.S. until Disney released Snow White in the Seven Dwarfs in 1937.

-Sleeping Beauty was originally titled Little Brier Rose.

-Snow White and Seven Dwarfs was originally titled Snow White and Rose Red.

Do all fairy tales have to do with princesses??? I hope not!

Please answer the following questions in a comment:

What is a fairy tale?

What are your favorite fairy tales?

What are some common elements among fairy tales?

Now you are ready to dive deep into the magical world of fairy tales!

Click on the link to begin: http://www-ma.beth.k12.pa.us/jhoke/jhwebquest/jhwebquest.htm

Casey at the Bat

By: Ernest Lawrence Thayer

The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day;
The score stood four to two with but one inning left to play;
And then, when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.

A straggling few got up to go, in deep despair. The rest
Clung to that hope which “springs eternal in the human breast;”
They thought, If only Casey could but get a whack at that,
We’d put up even money now, with Casey at the bat.

But Flynn proceeded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake,
And the former was a no-good and the latter was a fake;
So, upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
For there seemed but little chance of Casey’s getting to the bat.

But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all,
And Blake, the much despised, tore the cover off the ball,
And when the dust had lifted and men saw what had occurred,
There was Jimmy safe at second, and Flynn a-huggin’ third.

Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell,
It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell,
It knocked upon the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,
For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.

There was ease in Casey’s manner as he stepped into his place;
There was pride in Casey’s bearing and a smile on Casey’s face,
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt `twas Casey at the bat.

Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five thousand tongues applauded as he wiped them on his shirt.
Then, while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance gleamed in Casey’s eye, a sneer curled Casey’s lip.

And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there,
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped –
“That ain’t my style,” said Casey. “Strike one,” the umpire said.

From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm waves on a stern and distant shore.
“Kill him; kill the umpire!” shouted someone from the stand;–
And it’s likely they’d have killed him had not Casey raised his hand.

With a smile of Christian charity great Casey’s visage shone;
He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;
He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew;
But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, “Strike two.”

“Fraud,” cried the maddened thousands, and the echo answered “Fraud,”
But one scornful look from Casey, and the multitude was awed.
The saw his face grow stern and cold; they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey wouldn’t let that ball go by again.

The sneer is gone from Casey’s lip; his teeth are clenched in hate;
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey’s blow.

Oh! somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light.
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville — mighty Casey has Struck Out.

Copy and paste the following questions into a blog post. Answer each question.

1. Why does the crowd think Casey will not get to bat?
2. How is the crowd’s reaction to the umpire different from its reaction to Casey?
3. What is the image created in the second to last stanza? What senses does this appeal to?
4. In your opinion, is Casey “mighty”? Explain.

5. What is your favorite line or phrase from this poem?

6. Why do you think this poem – written more than a century ago – has
remained one of the most popular sports poems to this day?

Play Casey at the Bat Quiz Game

“Haiku” is a traditional form of Japanese poetry.  Haiku poems consist of 3 lines.  The first and last lines of a Haiku have 5 syllables and the middle line has 7 syllables.  The lines rarely rhyme.

Green and speckled legs,
Hop on logs and lily pads
Splash in cool water.

Write two haiku poems and post them on your blog.

Include images that the reader may think of when he/she reads your haiku poems.

Visit the Children’s Poetry Archive.

Take a few minutes looking around and exploring all of the poetry themes.

Read at least five poems.

Choose one poem that really sticks in your mind.

Copy and paste this poem into a new post. Make sure you include the poet’s name and the title of the poem.

Below the poem write your thoughts about the poem: What did this poem remind you of? Make you think of? What words or phrases jumped out at you? Was there rhythm or rhyme? What did you like about it? Dislike about it?

Include an image that goes along with the theme of your poem.

Play the Quiz Game

Compare/Contrast The House with a Clock in its Walls to the Harry Potter series. Make a Venn Diagram using Microsoft Word. Upload it to a blog post.

Let’s talk about theme!

Click on the Tumblebooks link on the Sarasota County webpage.

Choose one of the following stories to read.

After reading, start a new blog post entitled, “THEME”.

Bintou’s Braids

Champion: The Story of Muhammed Ali

The Clever Boy and the Terrible Dangerous Animal

Dad Runs Away with the Circus

Enemy Pie

Frank and Izzy Set Sail

Game Day

Light in the Darkness

Moishe’s Miracle

Odd Velvet

Oliver’s Game

Pop’s Bridge

Include the following in your post:

-The characters, setting, and major plot events.

-An important quote from the story that helps reveal the theme.

-What you think the theme of the story is and why.

Common Themes Found in Literature